NAPLAN

NAPLAN stands for National Assessment Program–Literacy and Numeracy (NAPLAN). It is a series of tests conducted for the skill assessment of students in Years 3, 5, 7, and 9. This standardized test examines the literacy and numeracy skills of the students. It was introduced in 2008, and since 2010, ACARA has been conducting the tests.

Year wise time for each test domain is as below:

• Reading: In the tests, students are provided with a range of texts that illustrate different writing styles. Students read the texts and answer related questions. The format can be sentence-based, short paragraphs, etc. As there is a very wide range of reading ability levels at each school year level, the texts range from short and simple to longer and more complex.
• Writing: In the writing test, students are provided with a ‘writing stimulus’ (also called a ‘prompt’ – an idea or topic) and asked to write a response in a particular text type. The text type – which could be narrative or persuasive – is revealed on the day of the assessment.
• Convention of languages: The conventions of language tests assess spelling, grammar, and punctuation. Literacy knowledge and skills are essential to effective communication across all learning areas. The tests contain multiple-choice, text entry, and technology-enhanced questions such as drag-and-drop and hot-text.

Numeracy: The NAPLAN numeracy tests measure the achievement of students in numeracy, including mathematical knowledge, skills and understanding as outlined in the Australian Curriculum: Mathematics. The numeracy tests contain multiple-choice, text entry, and technology-enhanced questions such as drag-and-drop and hot-text. Students are allowed to access online numeracy tools like a ruler, calculator, protractor, and graphs as required.