MARCH 2019

NAPLAN is less than two months away, and your child's teacher may soon be sending information home about the annual literacy and numeracy tests for all Year 3, 5, 7 and 9 students. At ACARA, we develop the tests, based on the content of the Australian Curriculum. So there's really no need for any special preparation - what students learn in the classroom is what they're tested on in NAPLAN. 

When NAPLAN comes around each year, there's always a lot of talk around it on social media and in the news, and sometimes this can cause anxiety. The adults in children's lives can lessen any anxiousness by putting NAPLAN in perspective. You can remind your child that NAPLAN is a simple check to see how they’re going with writing, spelling, reading and maths. That it’s okay to be a bit nervous – a bit like being nervous before a swimming carnival or soccer game. And that all they can do is their best.

Read the information brochure for parents and carers about NAPLAN. 

Did you know? 

This year, around 50 per cent of schools across Australia will be taking NAPLAN online. This means students in these schools will be doing the literacy and numeracy tests on a computer, tablet or laptop. We’re not the first ones in Australia to do online testing – for example, in Western Australia, students participate in an online literacy and numeracy assessment (OLNA) and in NSW, students participate in HSC minimum standard online tests. You can check with your child's teacher whether your son/daughter will be doing NAPLAN Online or on paper.  

Read the information brochure for parents and carers about NAPLAN Online.

Watch this video that explains more about NAPLAN Online: 

LATEST NEWS

What do parents think about NAPLAN?

Last year, we commissioned Colmar Brunton to do some research for us on how parents feel about NAPLAN. 1,200 parents in all states and territories participated. Some of the key findings from the research include: 

• The majority of parents (three out of five) believe that NAPLAN is valuable. NAPLAN is valued for providing parents with a snapshot of their child’s progress. 
• Some negative views remain and parents note a lack of familiarity with the format and content of NAPLAN tests.
• Parental attitudes toward NAPLAN are influenced by the way in which their child's school positions the tests.
• In general, parents are accepting of the move to NAPLAN Online. The main reason for supporting the move online is as it is seen as a natural progression.​

Read the research report on our website. 

Do you have a curious kid? 

Are robots smarter than humans? What happens when fruit ripens? Why do we have a drought? Academic news website The Conversation encourages children to send questions they'd like an expert to answer, and publishes the articles in child-friendly language. It's a great way for parents to bond with older children about current issues, and encourage them to exercise their ICT and critical and creative thinking skills (Is this information evidence-based? How do I know I can trust the author? What other questions do I have about this topic?). 

What do you think of the Australian Curriculum website? 

Our Curriculum team want to know what you think of their website. There's a parent section that links to resources and FAQs, but how can we improve? What would you like to see/know/read about? Do you find it easy to navigate? Feel free to share your thoughts with the team by completing the survey. 

Do you have tips for parents on engaging with children’s learning? Ideas on how your child’s education can be improved at the parent/teacher level? We’d love you to contribute to our newsletter and be published on our soon-to-be-relaunched ACARA blog. Email us at parentupdate@acara.edu.au.