Naplan Testing
NAPLAN testing during Term 1
The National Assessment Program – Literacy and Numeracy (NAPLAN) will be undertaken this term for Years 7 and 9 students.
The annual assessment is a nationwide measure that allows parents/carers and educators to see how students are progressing in literacy and numeracy over time – individually, as part of their school community, and against national standards.
At GSSC, NAPLAN testing will take place on the following dates:
WEEK 7
- Wednesday 12 March - NAPLAN Writing
- Thursday 13 March – NAPLAN Writing Catch-up
- Friday 14 March – NAPLAN Reading
WEEK 8
- Monday 17 March – NAPLAN Language Conventions
- Tuesday 18 March – NAPLAN Numeracy
- Wednesday 19th March – NAPLAN Reading Catch-up
- Thursday 20 March – NAPLAN Language Conventions Catch-up
- Friday 21 March – NAPLAN Numeracy Catch-up
Year 7 students will take part in testing during Sessions 3 and 4 and Year 9s will complete their assessment during Sessions 1 and 2 on the above dates.
Students will complete NAPLAN with their core class on these dates and session times, rooms and the name of the teacher taking the class will be reflected on the student’s Compass schedule.
What families and students need to do in preparation
It is especially important for students to come to school on the above dates with a fully charged laptop and uninstall any VPN applications prior to testing.
If there is a reason your child will not be able to bring a laptop for online testing, please let the school know in advance so we can make arrangements for your child.
There is no need to study or practice for testing, however, you may like to familiarise your child wit the online testing site prior to NAPLAN.
- To see the look and feel of the tests and types of questions, visit the online assessment Public demonstration site.
- You can also find past NAPLAN paper tests and answers on the ACARA website.
For more information, please see our Frequently Asked Questions.
VPNs and NAPLAN
NAPLAN is now a completely digital test and now has no physical/paper copy that can be completed. This has a number of benefits, such as:
- Adaptive, targeted questioning to help determine specific skills that can be identified and focussed on by the college.
- Accessibility options, with visual and audio support tools to help all students access the assessment equally.
- Faster access to data so that schools can use NAPLAN results to support students faster.
With this shift to digital delivery, it is important that we provide our students with as much support as we can to ensure that test day runs smoothly. With each student having been supplied a laptop in Year 7, ensuring that the laptop is working and ready is very important. Please check with your child to make sure their laptop is ready to go by asking:
- Are you making sure your laptop is charged each day?
- Is your laptop working properly, turning on and running efficiently?
- Can you hear sound through corded headphones when plugged into the laptop?
- Do you have a VPN running and need to make sure it's uninstalled before you return to school?
One of our biggest challenges at NAPLAN time is VPNs. While VPNs can have a benefit at home, they interfere with the school's security and programs and can cause major issues your child's ability to complete the NAPLAN sessions, usually resulting in a lot of lost time during their test window. Our college is moving towards eliminating VPN use at school to both help keep our network secure and to protect students from explicit content, which VPNs allow them to access on site.
Below is an information poster around VPNs, created by our eSmart team, if you would like more information on VPNs.
