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National Assessment Program Literacy and Numeracy

Naplan otherwise also known as the National Assessment Program - Literacy and Numeracy is an assessment that is conducted most commonly for the students studying in Australia. The Naplan test is conducted for the students of year 3,5,7,and 9. As per the education board of Australia, giving the Naplan exams is compulsory for all these students because it gives the teachers, parents, students and the education authorities the understanding of how capable and well versed a student is in terms of literacy and numeracy.

More than anything else the Naplan test gives a window of opportunity to the parents to map the progress of their children and see where they are good and where they need more attention. It is imperative to understand that along with the regular tests that are conducted in school, the Naplan exam also needs to be conducted. The Naplan results that are released are merely to understand the students progress chart and is not an overall quality of the school.

As per the Naplan information that we have and that is released by the education authority of Australia, the Naplan tests are conducted each year in the second week of May. As per the Naplan guidelines registered it is important for the students to know what the Naplan exams will consist of which is why, if you are a parent or a student who is gearing up to give the Naplan exam you need to be aware of the breakdown of the test. The Naplan exam is made up of domains such as:

  • Reading
  • Writing
  • Language ( spelling, grammar and punctuation)
  • Numeracy

If you want to get a step ahead and prepare better one can also find several Naplan test paper samples on the website https://www.nap.edu.au/naplan. Solving a few of these sample Naplan test papers will give the student a thorough idea of how to deal with the paper and will also give them a generic idea of the kind of questions asked.

It is understandable that despite all this information given above, there may be a few questions that one may have in mind regarding the Naplan test. Compiled below are some of the most frequently asked questions regarding the Naplan which will help you gain a little more perspective regarding the Naplan information and Naplan guidelines as well.

What are the advantages and benefits of taking the Naplan?

The best part of the Naplan is that this is probably one by test which has no pass or fail or good or bad marks. This is one test that is entirely carried out only to map the progress of the students and see where they stand. From the perspective of the teachers the Naplan test acts as a benchmark with which they can conduct an instant SWOT analysis and find out which students are the star performers and which are the ones who need more assistance. It will be safe to assume and say that the Naplan test is more like a litmus test that is conducted to see the threshold of the students and their performance academically. This is the only advantage and benefit of taking the Naplan exam

When are the Naplan results released?

We all are aware that the Naplan is conducted in May every year, and the next question that everyone asks is when the Naplan results are released. The individual results of the students are passed down to all the parents and in general the bulk results of all the students of particular schools are sent to the school management around the month of August and December.

Is the Naplan exam compulsory?

It is true that the Naplan test is crucially important, however there is no transparent information available as to understanding whether or not the Naplan is compulsory or not. As per the information available on the Naplan website, it is clearly mentioned that though it is advised that all students take the Naplan exams, students can be withdrawn by their parents.

Who introduced the Naplan?

The Naplan test which has been a part of the Australian education system since the year 2008, was introduced by the then Education Minister Julia Gillard.

What sort of questions are asked in the Naplan test paper?

As per the previous Naplan test papers seen and studied it has been observed that Naplan exam mostly consists of multiple choice questions and certain short written questions and answers. This makes the Naplan a little easy and comprehensible by the students from year 3,5,7,and 9.

Do the schools provide the copies of the Naplan test?

As per the Naplan guidelines there is a strict advice to all schools and educational institutions against the sharing of the Naplan test papers. As per the Naplan information provided on their official website, they have clearly stated that under no circumstances will the school management have any authority to share the Naplan test papers with any of the parents, students or even the media agencies. Along with this they have also categorically stated that the only time when the school management is allowed to discuss the paper is when the results are out and they want to share it with the parents and the students.

Who introduced the Naplan?

The Naplan test which has been a part of the Australian education system since the year 2008, was introduced by the then Education Minister Julia Gillard.

What is the duration of the Naplan tests?

The Naplan is more or less a multiple choice question with a few short length questions and answers as well. Considering the paper format and the type of questions asked the Naplan exams are not very lengthy and the duration is as follows:

  • Language conventions - 45 minutes
  • Writing section - 40 minutes

How to read and interpret the Naplan results?

If you were to take a closer look at the Naplan guidelines you will understand that the Naplan test has two parameters on which they can be read and understood. There are two ways of reading the Naplan results and they are either on the basis of Scales and the Standards.

The scales of the Naplan exam is measured as per the performance of every student in the year 3 to 9. The scales on the whole are divided into 10 bands, and it is a collective reading of these 10 bands that is viewed and understood in the scales of the Naplan test.

The next parameter to read and understand the Naplan result is by taking a look at the standards. For the Naplan test a basic standard of measuring is set aside for each different school year. The specific bands for each of the years is as followed:

  • Band 2 minimum standard for year 3
  • Band 4 minimum standard for year 5
  • Band 5 minimum standard for year 7
  • Band 6 minimum standard for year 9

This is how the Naplan results are to be read and understood.

What is it that the Naplan test does not measure?

As understood the Naplan exam tests the students on their language, literacy and numeric abilities. However, the few thresholds that have been left out in the Naplan is the ability of the test to test the students creativity and engagement. These are the two factors that can’t be studied with the help of the Naplan test.

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