NAPLAN Online - Writing assessment for Years 3 and 5

Why do students do NAPLAN?

NAPLAN is a national literacy and numeracy assessment that students in Years 3, 5, 7 and 9 sit in May each year. It is the only national assessment all Australian students do.

As students progress through their school years, it’s important to check how well they are learning the essential skills of reading, writing and numeracy.

NAPLAN assesses the literacy and numeracy skills that students are learning through the school curriculum and allows parents/carers to see how their child is progressing against national standards and over time.

NAPLAN is just one aspect of a school’s assessment and reporting process. It doesn’t replace ongoing assessments made by teachers about student performance, but it can provide teachers with additional information about students’ progress.

NAPLAN also provides schools, education authorities and governments with information about how education programs are working and whether young Australians are achieving important educational outcomes in literacy and numeracy.

Your child will do the NAPLAN tests online

Schools are transitioning from paper-based to computer-based assessments. Most schools will complete NAPLAN tests online in 2022. All Year 3 students will continue to complete the writing assessment on paper.

Online NAPLAN tests provide more precise results and are more engaging for students. One of the main benefits is tailored (or adaptive) testing, where the test presents questions which may be more or less difficult depending on a student’s responses.

Tailored testing allows a wider range of student abilities to be assessed and measures student achievement more precisely. A student’s overall NAPLAN result is based on both the number and complexity of questions they answer correctly. Your child should not be concerned if they find questions challenging; they may be taking a more complex test pathway.

What does NAPLAN assess?

NAPLAN assesses literacy and numeracy skills that students are learning through their regular school curriculum.

Students sit assessments in writing, reading, conventions of language (spelling, grammar, and punctuation), and numeracy. Questions assess content linked to the Australian Curriculum: English and Mathematics.

All government and non-government education authorities have contributed to the development of NAPLAN test materials.

Visit NAPLAN to find out more.

Participation in NAPLAN

NAPLAN is for everyone. ACARA supports inclusive testing so all students can participate in the national assessment program.

Adjustments are available for students with disability who have diverse functional abilities and needs.

Schools should work with parents/carers and students to identify, on a case-by-case basis, reasonable adjustments required for individual students with disability to access NAPLAN. Adjustments should reflect the support normally provided for classroom assessments.

To help inform these decisions, you may consult the NAPLAN public demonstration site, the Guide for schools to assist students with disability to access NAPLAN, or our series of videos where parents/carers, teachers and students share their experience of using NAPLAN adjustments.

In exceptional circumstances, a student with a disability that severely limits their capacity to participate in the assessment, or a student who has recently arrived in Australia and has a non-English speaking background, may be granted a formal exemption.

Your school principal and your local test administration authority can give you more information on adjustments for students with a disability or the process required to gain a formal exemption.

What if my child is absent from school on NAPLAN days?

Where possible, schools may arrange for individual students who are absent at the time of testing to complete missed tests at another time during the school’s test schedule.

What can I do to support my child?

Students are not expected to study for NAPLAN.

You can support your child by reassuring them that NAPLAN is a part of their school program and reminding them to simply do their best.

ACARA does not recommend excessive preparation for NAPLAN or the use of services by coaching providers.

Some familiarisation and explanation of NAPLAN are useful to help students understand and be comfortable with the format of the tests. Teachers will ensure students are familiar with the types of questions in the tests and will provide appropriate support and guidance.

See the types of questions and tools available in the online NAPLAN assessments

NAPLAN timetable

The NAPLAN test window is 9 days. This is to accommodate schools that may have fewer devices.

The NAPLAN test window starts on Wednesday, 15 March and finishes on Monday 27 March 2023.  Schools are advised to schedule the tests as soon as possible within the testing window, prioritising the first week.

How is my child’s performance reported?

Individual student performance is shown on a national achievement scale for each assessment. A result at the national minimum standard indicates that the student has demonstrated the basic literacy and numeracy skills needed to participate fully in that year level.

A NAPLAN individual student report will be provided by your child’s school later in the year. If you do not receive a report, you should contact your child’s school.

How are NAPLAN results used?

• Students and parents/carers may use individual results to discuss progress with teachers.
• Teachers use results to help identify students who need greater challenges or extra support.
• Schools use results to identify strengths and areas of need to improve teaching programs, and to set goals in literacy and numeracy.
• School systems use results to review programs and support offered to schools.
• The community can see information about the performance of schools over time at MySchool

Where can I get more information?

For more information about NAPLAN:

• contact your child’s school
• contact your local test administration authorityat nap.edu.au/TAA
• visit nap.edu.au

To learn how ACARA handles personal information for NAPLAN, visit nap.edu.au/naplan/privacy.