NAPLAN 2022 - Extra Information

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NAPLAN General

NAPLAN is a nationwide measure through which parents, teachers, schools, education authorities, governments and the broader community can determine how well young Australians are developing the literacy and numeracy skills that provide the critical foundation for other learning and for their productive and rewarding participation in the community.

• NAPLAN tests are one aspect of each school’s assessment and reporting process. NAPLAN does not replace the extensive, ongoing assessments made by teachers about each student’s performance. A child’s teacher will have the best insight into the child’s educational progress. NAPLAN results do not measure overall school quality.

• NAPLAN questions are directly linked to the Australian Curriculum: English and Mathematics. As such, the best preparation students can do for NAPLAN is to learn what they do in the classroom every day. On its own, NAPLAN is not a test that can be studied for, and students are not expected to do so.

• The assessments allow parents to see how their child is progressing against national standards in literacy and numeracy and over time. Along with other school assessment reports, NAPLAN supports parents in discussing with teachers their child’s strengths and areas for improvement.

• NAPLAN results can assist teachers by providing additional information to support their professional judgement about students’ levels of literacy and numeracy attainment and progress.

• NAPLAN can support school improvement by enabling teachers to monitor their students’ progress over time against the national measure, to identify strengths and areas to improve in teaching programs, and to set goals in literacy and numeracy.

• Students and parents wishing to familiarise themselves with NAPLAN online can visit the public demonstration site on the NAP website. Some past NAPLAN papers are also available.

NAPLAN Online

One of the main benefits of NAPLAN online is that it uses tailored (or adaptive) testing. This means that students receive questions better suited to their abilities, so they can show what they know and can do.

Online testing also allows us to provide a wide range of accessibility options to support students with disability to access NAPLAN.

Feedback from students is that they find the online test more engaging.

For more information about the move to online, visit the ‘NAPLAN online’ page of the NAP website. This year, between 10 and 20 May, our school will be doing NAPLAN online.

NAPLAN assesses literacy and numeracy skills that students are already learning at school. On its own, NAPLAN is not a test that can be studied for and students are not expected to do so.

NAPLAN is just one aspect of a school’s assessment and reporting process – it does not replace ongoing assessments made by teachers about student performance; however, students and parents may use individual results to discuss progress with teachers.

Read the NAPLAN information brochure for parents and carers. To see the format of the online tests, visit the public demonstration site.

ICT skills – part of the school curriculum

Students do not need to be computer experts to take the NAPLAN test online. Making sure students have computer skills is part of the school curriculum, and teachers will ensure students are familiar with the online test format and the device they will use.

The writing test is not about handwriting skills and NAPLAN online is not about keyboarding skills. Year 3 students will continue to complete the writing assessment on paper.

To see the types of questions and interactive features of NAPLAN online, try the NAPLAN online public demonstration site, available on the NAP website.

Tailored Testing

Key features of a tailored test

Your child will be doing NAPLAN online this year. One of the main features of NAPLAN online is that it is a tailored (or adaptive) test. This means that students receive questions better suited to their abilities, so they can demonstrate what they know and can do. Tailored tests provide more precise results and trials of the tailored test design show students are more engaged with tests that adapt to their test performance. Students should not be concerned if they think that the questions are more difficult than expected or they have previously experienced – this may simply mean that they are taking a more challenging but more appropriate pathway. Harder questions receive a greater weighting so there is no disadvantage in scoring. This ‘tailored testing’ approach means that a wider range of student abilities can be tested (compared with the paper approach, where all students answer exactly the same questions). This video explains how tailored testing works. Further information about tailored testing, is on the NAP website.

NAPLAN accessibility

NAPLAN is for everyone: Help for students with disability sitting NAPLAN

NAPLAN is for everyone. The Australian Curriculum, Assessment and Reporting Authority (ACARA) is committed to an inclusive testing process that allows all students to participate in the national assessment program. ACARA has recently released a series of videos where students, parents, carers and teachers talk about the sense of belonging and achievement students get from participating in NAPLAN with their peers.

NAPLAN’s disability adjustments enable an equivalent learner experience for students during testing and include, for example, magnification, alternative questions, keyboard accessibility, extra time, rest breaks and tailored testing.

Student Halle shared her gratitude that the NAPLAN adjustments allowed her to have an equivalent experience to her classmates. “NAPLAN online was actually really helpful because I was in the same classroom as all my other ... peers. In some ways, it felt better to be part of the class than to be going up somewhere else.”

This information can help schools, parents, carers and students to together identify reasonable adjustments required for individual students with disability to access NAPLAN. Students, parents and carers can also get hands-on experience with the format and adjustments of the test on the NAPLAN public demonstration site. The Guide for schools to assist students with disability to access NAPLAN provides an overview of the process that

teachers, in consultation with parents and carers, follow to assist students with disability.

NAPLAN results can assist teachers by providing additional information to support their professional judgement about students’ levels of literacy and to monitor their students' progress over time against the national measure.

Student Shaun encouraged all students to give NAPLAN a go. “If it’s your first time doing it, just don’t worry about it ... I felt proud of myself for not giving up and just going through it.”

ACARA gratefully thanks and acknowledges the students, parents/carers, teachers and schools who shared their experiences, and gave their time and support to the development of the video series. Visit nap.edu.au to watch the videos, or for information on tailored testing, accessibility, disability adjustments, or to view the NAPLAN public demonstration site.