The 'rationale' behind teachers wanting to boycott literacy tests? They know that their own literacy skills and teaching abilities are rubbish.

Exactly Jo! And what you get when you fix something that just ain't broke! And by folk who've left university with a head full of untried and untested intellectual concepts? And when their lack of success indicates they're on the wrong path, implacably defend it.

Almost as if they were defending very large salaries and position? And have as a consequence, I believe, inculcated a fear of exams? That previously were only ever a never feared tool.

[Answer what you know then go back and look at what you missed to see if a depressurised memory serves? And no this won't affect your grades.]

A tool that allowed educators to find out which child was falling behind and needed a little extra help in foundational subjects, when it mattered. In year one or earlier!

When he or she could actually catch up, instead of falling further and further behind, to eventually give up!

And are also likely to resist a harmonised national curriculum on the flimsiest of rationals? So to avoid the scrutiny that alone would enable?

There's a lot to be said therefore, for regional autonomy and curriculum compliant principals, given largely unfettered control once more.

Which in the first instance removes the obstructionist fee demanding middleman and their counterproductive, highly rewarded interference?

Time for a return to phonics. Particularly in year one or earlier!
Alan B.

Dyslexia runs strongly in my descendants, courtesy of my late husband. No teacher or school program has been able to help. Those who get no outside help have problems with reading all their life.
The ones I have raised were taught to read, by me, using phonics, which is the only method I know.
Dyslexic children don't recognise patterns in words so whole language reading is not possible for them.
Phonics enables them to decode words by sound and work out what they are. Certainly some of their reading is very slow but at least they have the tools to work out what the words are.

My kids were lucky enough to go to a little country school out from Maryborough, with 70 kids, & 3 teachers & the teaching headmaster.

Better still first & second class combined were taught by an aging grandmother, who did not hold with this "new fangled rubbish".

In the 5 years we were there not a single kid got past second class unable to at least basic read, & do simple arithmetic. The nearest high school said the kids from that school were the best prepared in math & reading of any they got.

A few years later a mate still there sent his youngest off to boarding school. The little school had expanded to almost 300 kids, & was full of bright eyed, bushy tailed young lady teachers, fresh or recently out of university doing their country teaching stint. They of course were using all the latest fads & techniques, & less than 60% of the kids could read, write or do any math when they turned up at high school.

To place primacy on the sounds and forms of the English language is racist and xenophobic!

All languages and alphabets are equal and children should know how to spell and pronounce all of them or none at all!

Why get worked up about literacy when innumeracy is a bigger problem? There are an awful lot of people who can't do basic arithmetic, which you might think doesn't matter in the age of the pocket calculator. But those who can't grasp arithmetic will never be able to do any of the higher maths required for the STEM jobs that we are ensured will be so important in the future.

For the record, the 'E' in STEM does not refer to English. I think a bit less focus on reading and writing and a bit more focus on 'rithmetic would benefit students.