From today, nearly 1.3 million students across Australia begin sitting their NAPLAN tests to assess whether they are meeting important educational outcomes.
This will be the third year that schools will sit tests in Term 1 instead of Term 2 and be assessed against more robust literacy and numeracy standards.
The assessment, which runs between March 12-24, assesses students in Years 3, 5, 7 and 9 on their reading, writing, grammar and punctuation, spelling, and numeracy.
Under the new model, introduced in 2023, students in Years 5, 7, and 9 will now complete their second NAPLAN cycle since its shift to March and the introduction of new proficiency levels.
The changes were designed to ensure that schools receive preliminary results in early Term 2, giving teachers more time to analyse data and adjust teaching strategies to improve student learning within the same school year.
In the wake of ex-Tropical Cyclone Alfred in Queensland and northern NSW, ACARA and the Queensland Curriculum and Assessment Authority (QCAA) and the NSW Education Standards Authority (NESA) have been working to support impacted schools.
Gniel said ACARA has “tried and tested” procedures in place to manage disruptions, adding that impacted schools in Queensland and northern NSW can delay the start of testing to Monday 17 March 2025.
“A big thank you to our fantastic teachers and schools across all jurisdictions and sectors for all their efforts to get ready for NAPLAN, especially in those areas impacted by ex-Tropical Cyclone Alfred,” he said, also extending his appreciation to parents and carers for supporting their child during the NAPLAN test period.
‘We need to focus on the endgame’
Associate Professor Steven Lewis, of ACU’s Institute for Learning Sciences and Teacher Education, said teaching to any test is “never going to work to create long-lasting, rich learning among students”.
“Evidence-based practices addressing the needs of each student are always the way to go,” he said.
“And we need to focus on the end-game – how are school systems and policy makers using results to not only identify areas of need and disadvantage, but also to act upon this with real measures to level the playing field for primary and secondary school students wherever they are and whatever their background is?”
Associate Professor Lewis wished students and educators well during the NAPLAN testing window and called for an approach that supported, encouraged, and comforted students, particularly those feeling anxious about the testing regime.
“Educators know that the way to get the best out of any student is to have strong bonds and to focus on the whole child. Reassure students that this isn’t the be all and end all, encourage them to do their best, and congratulate their efforts,” he said.
“We all know that whether it’s NAPLAN or senior school exam results or the Australian Tertiary Admissions Rank, every child is more than a number.”
Preliminary results will be provided to schools in all domains except writing, which takes longer to mark. Schools will receive their full results, including writing, from June 2025, after which parents and carers receive their child’s Individual Student Report at the start of Term 3.
ACARA is expecting to publish the National Results in late July/early August 2025.