One of the pre-eminent authorities on education in the world, Professor Linda Darling-Hammond, has warned about the dangers of using the results of standardised tests such as NAPLAN to rank and reward schools.

During a visit to Australia, Professor Darling-Hammond who is based at Stanford University in California, said it would be a mistake to follow the US example where testing has been used as the primary measure of school and student performance.

Professor Darling-Hammond said policy makers in the US were starting to turn away from standardised testing which had lead to a narrowing of the curriculum and a focus of preparing students for tests rather than providing them with the education and skills required for higher education and a successful career.

"The irony is just as we're moving away from things like your NAPLAN test it looks like Australia is attaching more and more significance to this multiple-choice test," she said.

You can read what she told the Australian newspaper and the Sydney Morning Herald or watch her interview on 7.30.