SJN Newsletter

LEARNING & TEACHING

This week, our Year 3 and 5 students will be participating in the annual NAPLAN tests. 

 

What is NAPLAN?

The National Assessment Program – Literacy and Numeracy, is a series of tests focused on basic skills that are administered to Australian school students. This year, it will be held during Term 1 from Wednesday 12 March to Friday 14th March. 

 

See St. Joseph's testing schedule below:

 

Why NAPLAN?

NAPLAN helps governments, education authorities and schools to get an overview of whether young Australians are reaching important literacy and numeracy goals. The NAPLAN test also provides information about how education programs are working, areas for improvement, and which schools need support in the teaching and learning of literacy and numeracy.

It also allows parents to see how their child is progressing against national standards over time. It provides a way to see how well they are learning the essential skills of reading, writing and mathematics, which are basic skillsets that will set them up for the path to success as adults.

 

The NAPLAN nerves

For many children, the thought of taking a test can be confusing and a little scary. For Year 3 students sitting the NAPLAN test for the first time, they may find it overwhelming and, in some cases, may not be fazed by it at all because they don’t know what to expect (or what is expected of them).

If your child is feeling nervous about the upcoming NAPLAN tests, there are ways you can help as a parent to get them ready and hopefully ease their worries with the right NAPLAN preparation.

 

If your child is feeling worried or anxious, here are some tips to help them beat the NAPLAN jitters.

  1. Have a positive and encouraging conversation about it. Ask your child what they are worried about and why. This will help you understand their concerns better and give you an opportunity to provide support with positive guidance ahead of the NAPLAN tests.
  2. Eat well and rest well. Getting plenty of sleep and keeping to a healthy diet can have an impact on both physical and mental wellbeing. It’s important that your child is feeling calm and confident leading up to the NAPLAN tests, so they feel their best on the day, inside and out.
  3. Be active and limit screen time. Too much screen time can increase stress levels and make it harder for children to focus or get back to studying. A great way to keep stress levels down is to let your child do the things they enjoy each day, especially being outdoors and engaging in meaningful play. 
  4. Celebrate the effort, not the outcome. The most important thing is that they ‘gave it a go’ and did their best with what they knew on the day. It’s about praising their efforts rather than focusing on the results. Parents need to assure their child that the test is only about their abilities on one day, and not who they are as a person.