NAPLAN – COVID-19

Education ministers made the decision to cancel NAPLAN in 2020 due to the COVID-19 pandemic. This means students in Years 3, 5, 7 and 9 in 2020 did not undertake the assessment in 2020 and will not do a ‘catch-up’ test in 2021. Those in Years 3, 5, 7 and 9 in 2021 will sit the NAPLAN assessments. Any change to this and to the year levels that participate in the annual NAPLAN assessments would need to be agreed by all education ministers.

Click here to read the communique announcing the cancellation of NAPLAN 2020.

Schools are supported by their respective state/territory governments to implement plans in relation to COVID-19, ensuring a safe environment for students and staff.

Schools will give due consideration to the necessary distancing or hygiene requirements, including space between students and cleaning of shared devices. The measures will be directed by the requirements of COVID-safe plans in each jurisdiction. Schools may also review their test schedules to reduce the number of students in each test session and/or provide more time between tests, as necessary.

Schools and students will have had access to familiarisation and training opportunities. Previous years’ test papers are available on the ACARA website, and the NAPLAN Online public demonstration site is also available for schools and students to become familiar with the types of questions in NAPLAN tests.

As students progress through their school years, it is very important that checks are made along the way to see how well they are learning the essential skills of reading, writing and mathematics – skills that will set them upon the path to success as adults. NAPLAN results assist schools and governments in their planning and support for students.

For individual students who are absent at the time of testing, schools can organise for the student to complete missed tests at another time during the testing window. If a student has been unable to attend school due to COVID-19 or any other illness, they are counted as absent.

Schools facing closures during the NAPLAN test window will need to contact their test administration authority to discuss alternative scheduling opportunities.

Students at schools that are closed for the test window, including the extended test security period, will not have an opportunity to sit the tests at a later date; however, schools may wish to utilise other assessments to gauge student achievement. Students will be marked as absent and not receive NAPLAN results for any tests they are absent for.

There are comprehensive NAPLAN test administration and security procedures that need to be followed for NAPLAN assessments, and the tests are overseen by teachers to ensure results are credible. It is not practical to administer a secure test in a home environment.

Students, staff and the broader school community’s health and safety are of upmost importance. Schools will be supported by their state and territory governments in preparing and responding to the COVID-19 pandemic.

As students progress through their school years, it is very important that checks are made along the way to see how well they are learning the essential skills of reading, writing and mathematics – skills that will set them upon the path to success as adults. Schools concerned about their capacity or students’ health should contact their test administration authority to consider options concerning NAPLAN testing.

Students, staff and the broader school community’s health and safety are of upmost importance. Schools will be supported by their state and territory governments in preparing and responding to the COVID-19 pandemic.

As part of NAPLAN planning and preparation, it is recommended that schools train additional staff to provide back-up test session administration support.

The use of NAPLAN data for other purposes, such as linking it to the WACE requirements, is subject to the decisions of local education authorities.

We are aware that some schools may ask for NAPLAN reports in addition to school reports as part of their admissions process. NAPLAN assessments are not designed to be a school admission test.

No child will have a NAPLAN result for 2020. NAPLAN results can assist teachers by providing additional information to support their professional judgement about students’ levels of literacy and numeracy attainment and progress. NAPLAN tests are only one aspect of each school’s assessment and reporting process; they do not replace the extensive ongoing assessments made by teachers about each student’s performance. Your child’s teacher will have the best insight into your child’s educational progress.