Education and Training Minister Sue Ellery has confirmed today’s national announcement that NAPLAN will be conducted in Term 1, with testing to be brought forward in Western Australian schools from 2023.
Students currently sit NAPLAN in Term 2. Bringing the test window forward to Term 1 from next year means schools and parents will benefit from receiving their child’s results earlier in the year.
NAPLAN was introduced across Australia in 2008 as a standardised assessment to provide a benchmark of literacy and numeracy in school students at various stages of their education. It was also designed to inform school improvement measures.
Since then, NAPLAN has evolved into an online, adaptive testing assessment which provides better measures of achievement.
The improvements announced for 2023 will provide more precise point-in-time feedback to schools and parents.
Providing an earlier measure of students’ starting points will help to inform teaching and learning moving forward, with a view towards improving student achievement by the end of that academic year.
The Australian Curriculum, Assessment and Reporting Authority (ACARA) presented its recommendation for the best approach to moving NAPLAN forward to Australian Education Ministers after consultation with the States and Territories.
ACARA will provide support and develop information resources to assist test administration authorities and schools with the transition.
Further improvements to the National Assessment Program (NAP) sample assessments in science, civics and citizenship, and digital literacy in Years 6 and 10 will also be implemented.
From 2024, schools and education systems will be able to access additional ‘opt-in’ NAP sample assessments.
As stated by Education and Training Minister Sue Ellery:
“Literacy and numeracy skills are critical to a child’s development.
“These improvements to the National Assessment Program create the best opportunity for a point-in-time assessment to inform the support delivered to students in schools throughout the year.
“Informed teaching and learning programs in schools can significantly improve student outcomes.
“Importantly, schools will be supported throughout the planning and implementation of these reforms.”
