70,000 teachers backed a resolution this week to ban conducting national literacy and numeracy tests next year if the media publish school league tables based on this year’s test scores.

The move follows a push from the Coalition and Greens in state’s upper house to prevent media from publishing league tables with fines of up to $55,000.

Teachers’ unions argue league tables lead to a process of ‘naming and shaming’.

They argue that in the US and UK, league tables have led schools to become too tests-driven to the point where students are prevented from sitting national literacy and numeracy tests if they might bring down a school’s rankings.

However, former teacher and education expert Kevin Donnelly believes school league tables are a crucial indicator in exposing underperforming schools and making them accountable.

2ser’s Biwa Kwan reports.