NAPLAN

NAPLAN is a nationwide assessment that is completed in Years 3, 5, 7, and 9. Our Grade 3 and 5 students will complete the 2023 assessments between March 15 and March 27. Our Grade 5 students use laptops for all of their assessments while our Grade 3 students use Ipads for the Reading, Numeracy and Conventions of Language (Spelling and Grammar). The only assessment that is completed in a hard copy booklet is the Grade 3 Writing. Some of the online assessments have audio enabled questions so the students use headphones to have questions or prompts read to them. They can replay a question if they need to hear it for a second time. Question types include multiple choice, ordering, click and drag, select more than one and type an answer. There is a public demonstration site that shows the types of questions within the Naplan Assessments.

https://nap.edu.au/online-assessment/public-demonstration-site

NAPLAN Online Reading, Numeracy and Conventions of Language use a tailored test design. The tests automatically adapt to a student’s test performance and asks questions that match the student’s achievement level. Tailored testing allows all students to demonstrate their knowledge and encourages students to stay engaged with the test. 

Reading and Numeracy test design

Students at each year level start with the same set of questions (testlet A). Each student’s answers in testlet A will determine the questions they see in the second testlet. These may be less complex (B) or more complex (D).

The student’s answers in the second testlet will determine the difficulty of questions in the final testlet: highest complexity (F), average complexity (E), lowest complexity (C). Students who receive a low score for testlet A move directly to testlet C and then complete testlet B.

NAPLAN results for each student are based on both the number and difficulty of the questions the student answered correctly. A student who completes a more complex set of questions is more likely to achieve a higher score (and a higher band placement), while a student who answers the same number of questions correctly, but follows a less complex pathway, will achieve a lower score.

Conventions of language test design

The conventions of language test includes a grammar and punctuation (G&P) section and a spelling section, each with two branching points. A message will inform students that they cannot return to the G&P section once they move to spelling.

There have been media reports of a change in format to the student report card made available to parents later in the year. When we receive information from the Department of Education regarding any changes we will communicate them to you.

If you would like to know any more about NAPLAN Assessments, please let me know.