NAP Opt-in assessment – information for schools

Australian schools can enrol Year 6 and Year 10 students in NAP Opt-in assessments across key curriculum areas that are informed by aspects of the Australian Curriculum:  

  • science literacy 

  • civics and citizenship  

  • information and communication technology (ICT) literacy

These new assessments are derived from the National Assessment Program (NAP) and are completely optional for schools. These new assessments will be phased in over 3 years. In May 2024 the first optional science literacy (SL) assessment was successfully completed. In 2025, schools could participate in 2 domains: science literacy (SL) and civics and citizenship (CC) .

Schools that participated in the first two rollouts provided valuable and positive feedback which is informing the improvement to the third NAP Opt-in assessment, scheduled in 2026. Starting in 2026, NAP Opt-in assessments in all 3 domains will be available each year.

The value to schools

Schools taking part in NAP Opt-in assessment will be able to: 

  1. Measure student performance against national standards in key curriculum areas beyond literacy and numeracy. 
  2. Use the results (available only to the participating school and no one else) to review, plan and adapt teaching and learning programs, and share with the school community if they wish. 
  3. Run the assessments using a self-service platform at a time that suits them in the testing window. 

Registering for NAP Opt-in assessment 2026

Schools can register between 24 March and 28 April 2026. There is no fee for schools to take part in this assessment. 

School principals can register their school at www.assessform.edu.au. ACARA will verify the school’s registration details and send confirmation to the email address provided.

See the 2026 NAP Opt-in Principal registration quick guide (PDF 223 KB)

NAP Opt-in helpdesk

Email: [email protected]
Phone: 1800 950 135

Preparing for NAP Opt-in assessment 2026

Principals use the platform (www.assessform.edu.au) to:

  • nominate their school technical support officer, NAP coordinator and test administrator.

Ahead of the testing window, schools will be able to:

  • access training manuals and guides on this website
  • access training manuals and guides on this website
  • carry out technical preparation including device checks 
  • select their preferred assessment dates
  • enrol students.

Schools do not have to enrol all students in Years 6 and 10. Schools can enrol both years, or one year, or individual classes within either year. When schools enrol full-year cohorts, they benefit from more data for school-wide planning. 

All students are enrolled in all 3 domains by default. Schools can choose to participate in any or all of the 3 domains. If completing more than one domain, schools can complete the assessments simultaneously or at a different time during the test window, depending on the school setting and school preference. 

Please note

We recommend that schools complete student enrolment as soon as possible after registering and before 30 April to ensure smooth test delivery.

The ICT literacy test will be delivered on a different platform. Instructions for ICTL test administration will be provided to you separately in early May if you have enrolled students before 30 April.

If you plan to take part in ICTL test but complete or update student enrolment after 30 April, then you must inform the helpdesk please by email to [email protected] and wait for further instructions.

Assessment online delivery

Schools self-administer the NAP Opt-in assessments. 

  • For SL and CC, schools will administer the test sessions via the platform www.assessform.edu.au. This is the same platform schools use for their NAPLAN assessments and so it will be familiar.  

  • The ICT literacy will be delivered on a different platform. Detailed instructions will be provided to schools in the training materials.

Receiving results

ACARA will: 

  • mark the assessments and analyse the assessment data 

  • provide principals with school-level reports which can be accessed from the platform  

Note: ACARA will not make a school's results public – only a participating school can see its results. Schools can use the information to review, plan and adapt teaching and learning programs.  

Privacy

Personal information about students and school staff is collected to enable the administration of NAP Opt-in tests. See:

2026 Key dates 

  • School registration and enrolment window: Tuesday 24 March 2026 – Tuesday 28 April 2026

  • Test window: Monday 4 May 2026 – Friday 29 May 2026  

  • School Report window:  August 2026

More information

Schools can find more information and Frequently Asked Questions in our NAP Opt-In-assessments 2026 information sheet PDF (457 KB)

NAP Opt-in webinar

Wondering whether your school should take part in our NAP Opt-in assessments?

ACARA hosted 2 webinars to help you decide. In the webinars we discussed

  • the benefits of taking part
  • the reports you'll receive
  • how you can use the reports to inform future teaching and learning programs at your school.