NAPLAN testing is the national standardised test for numeracy and literacy taken by students in Years 3, 5, 7, and 9 in Australia.
NAPLAN testing was first introduced in 2008 and though some see the tests as ineffective or a waste of time, they don't seem to be going anywhere at the minute.
Let's see what topics NAPLAN testing covers and some of the other common questions regularly asked about NAPLAN testing.
Reading
The reading part of NAPLAN tests a student's reading comprehension of the English language. There are both multiple-choice and technology-based questions.
As the name suggests, these tests focus on the written language and don't include listening comprehension. The reading section of the NAPLAN test is aligned with the Australian Curriculum: English.
The texts and their level naturally to the students taking the tests with more complex texts being used as their reading skills improve.
Writing
The writing test in NAPLAN is aligned closely to the Australian Curriculum: English and covers three text types: imaginative or narrative writing, informative writing, and persuasive writing.
Students are given a prompt or a topic and tasked with writing a text in that particular style. The prompts, much like the texts in the “reading” part, differ for the student's level and the day of testing to avoid cheating, we imagine.
While there are different prompt types to prepare for, students won't know which one they're getting until the day of the test and students are not given a choice of text type.
The test will be assessed according to a mark scheme (known as the marking rubric) with 10 criteria. Authorities in the various states and territories are responsible for this and undergo the same training in an attempt to standardise the marking. Whether or not this truly happens in practice is an issue every testing can have.
For the writing part of the NAPLAN testing, guides are available from the NAP website, but these are more for educators and students would do better to find study guides or past papers to prepare.
Conventions of Language (Spelling, Grammar, and Punctuation)
The conventions of language tests are also aligned with the English curriculum and focus on written language. Naturally, this tests students on Australian English, though not just the areas in which it differs from other regional and national forms of English.
The tests include multiple-choice questions as well as drag-and-drop and hot-text questions, though there are adapted accessibility features for students with disabilities who may not be able to do the “technology-enhanced” questions.
Numeracy
Finally, the last subject in the NAPLAN testing is numeracy, which aligns with the Australian Curriculum: Mathematics. This includes mathematical comprehension, problem-solving, and reasoning in a few key areas of mathematics.
The key areas of mathematics being tested are number and algebra, measurement and geometry, and statistics and probability.
Much like with the conventions of language tests, the numeracy tests include multiple-choice questions as well as the drag-and-drop and hot-text question types.
In Years 7 and 9, students will take numeracy tests with 2 sections and a non-calculator section during which they're tested on their mental arithmetic. Calculators are allowed for the rest of the tests, though most questions don't actually require the use of them.
Do Any Other Countries Do NAPLAN?
NAPLAN, which stands for National Assessment Program – Literacy and Numeracy, is a national program and, therefore, only exists in Australia.
The program exists predominantly to standardise Australian education across states and territories with a single program rather than trying to compare differing standardised tests across different educational authorities as they used to in the past.
There are certainly other countries with similar educational programs including the heavily-criticised No Child Left Behind (NCLB) that NAPLAN was loosely based on.
New Zealand also had a similar program called “National Standards” that were introduced in 2010 but scrapped before the end of the decade due to being a “distraction”. At the time, reading levels for children in New Zealand were the lowest on record.
There are international versions such as the Programme for International Student Assessment (PISA), which tests 15-year-olds on a similar range of skills. However, the questions asked and how students are expected to answer them differ between the two testing systems.
How Are NAPLAN Tests Scored?
NAPLAN testing uses Assessment Scales with results being within one of five different scales. Results are presented in numbered bands rather than a numerical score or a lettered grade as in other tests.
The bands used aren't the same for different school years, either, so while a Band 5 would be considered a good result in Year 3, it would be considered below the national minimum standard.
One way to interpret the NAPLAN bands is to remember that the lowest band in the range is always considered below the national minimum standard and the second lowest is considered to be the national minimum standard. Every other band is considered to be above the national minimum standard.
However, as we mentioned, there are different bands for each school year taking the tests so here they are.
- Year 3: Band 1-Band 6
- Year 5: Band 3-Band 8
- Year 7: Band 4-Band 9
- Year 9: Band 5-Band 10
As every year is graded across six different bands, you could easily give these numerical or letter grades, but the scoring might be like this to indicate that the child's level in numeracy and literacy will be higher as they progress through their schooling.
There are certainly pros and cons to doing it this way, but even though there's no “fail” in NAPLAN testing, in practice, teachers, parents, and students will have expected results and results they likely want to avoid so some bands will still feel like failing.
Is NAPLAN Testing an IQ Test?
NAPLAN testing is not supposed to be an IQ test and only tests a very narrow range of skills in a very specific way.
Any student taking the NAPLAN tests should know that the only thing NAPLAN can comfortably indicate is how well a student did on that particular NAPLAN test in comparison to other students of their age around the country.
The results of the test should not be used to determine a student's intelligence and are only indicative of their performance in that particular test on that particular day.
Of course, if the student has performed poorly or not as expected, parents, educators, and the students themselves can check to see if it's a sign of a more significant underlying issue with numeracy or literacy. The results can highlight the possibility of strengths and weaknesses in certain areas of numeracy and literacy but very little else.
Think of them as a “check engine” light. There may be something worth looking into, but it doesn't necessarily mean that there's anything to worry about.
Do Universities Care About NAPLAN Testing?
Universities couldn't care less about NAPLAN testing and it's very rare that admissions even look at a prospective student's NAPLAN results at all.
There are plenty of other things that a student will have done during their education that better indicate their academic ability and whether or not a given university program is right for them.
Again, NAPLAN testing is primarily an early-warning system for parents, teachers, and students and just a snapshot of a student's possible ability in maths and English at a given age. The tests are really for the government and policymakers to see a bigger picture of how students are performing across the country.
Should Students Study for NAPLAN?
Even NAPLAN's own website says that excessive study isn't necessary for the tests. Students should be familiar with what to expect and the kinds of questions that they'll encounter, but they don't need to memorise anything or do any kind of drilling.
NAPLAN isn't a particularly important test for the students themselves and while preparation is key for doing well on any test, there's no need to obsess over it.
Do an adequate amount of preparation and you'll be fine.
Is NAPLAN Stressful?
NAPLAN can be stressful, but it shouldn't be. NAPLAN testing won't make a difference for university applications and isn't going to set a student on any particular career path.
It's a maths and English checkup that students have to do every couple of years so that the government can see how well policies are working and which areas may need more funding and resources.
For the individual student, they needn't worry too much about it and even if they do poorly on their NAPLAN testing, it's an opportunity to discover any underlying issues before it's too late.
Similarly, parents and teachers shouldn't put too much pressure on the students taking the test and if they are, this is more about schools and teachers being incentivised to get better NAPLAN results than it is for the individual students to perform well on them.
Don't worry about it!
In the event a student doesn't do great on their NAPLAN tests, there's always help available from their school or from private tutors.
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