The National Assessment Program – Literacy and Numeracy (NAPLAN) has been a cornerstone of Australian education since its introduction in 2008. This standardised assessment, administered annually to students in Years 3, 5, 7, and 9, serves a variety of purposes, including evaluating student progress and informing policy decisions.
While each state has their own end examination and reporting processes for the final year of secondary school, NAPLAN is the nationwide test that encourages equal participation for every school student. Due to its rigorous preparation, delivery, and reporting, NAPLAN provides a key snapshot into how Australian schoolchildren are developing, with the ability to make comparisons at an individual, school, and national level.
NAPLAN also provides schools, education authorities, and governments with information about how education programs are working and whether young Australians are achieving important educational outcomes in literacy and numeracy.
As we look ahead to 2025, understanding the evolving landscape of NAPLAN assessments, the key changes, and what it means for students, parents, and educators is crucial.
What is NAPLAN?
NAPLAN is a set of standardised tests administered to Australian students in Years 3, 5, 7, and 9. The tests assess students’ abilities in three key areas:
- Literacy (reading, writing, and language conventions such as spelling, grammar, and punctuation)
- Numeracy (basic arithmetic and problem-solving)
When is NAPLAN 2025?
All students are expected to sit NAPLAN, whether they are from government, private, selective, alternative, or religious schools.
NAPLAN TEST Online
Online NAPLAN tests are designed to deliver accurate results while keeping students engaged. These tests are adaptive, meaning the difficulty of questions adjusts based on a student’s responses. This approach helps maintain student engagement and allows for a more precise assessment of their abilities.
Tailored testing enables a broader evaluation of student skills, providing a more accurate measure of achievement. A student’s final NAPLAN result considers both the number of correct answers and the complexity of the questions attempted. If your child encounters challenging questions, it may indicate they are on a more advanced test pathway.
Year 3 students will continue to complete the writing assessment on paper.
Why NAPLAN?
Australia is a large and diverse country that wants to make sure all students are able to develop the literacy and numeracy skills required to thrive in the modern world. Due to its standardised nature, there is no other test that gives comparable information into how students around the country are performing.
Governments can point to areas of improvement or flag the need to provide more funding to certain areas.
Schools can help principals and teachers monitor progress students over time, continuing certain practices that are proving successful while tweaking other ones if needed.
Parents can understand how their child is progressing in relation to their fellow students, and where the school is in relation to others schools with a similar makeup throughout Australia.
Students can identify their individual strengths and weaknesses in order to improve their own learning.
Preparing for NAPLAN 2025
Students are not expected to be prepared for NAPLAN. Parents and carers can support their children by reassuring them that NAPLAN is simply part of their school program and encouraging them to do their best. While understanding the test format may be helpful, teachers will ensure students are familiar with the question types and provide the necessary guidance. For students and parents looking ahead to NAPLAN 2025, there are several steps that can be taken to prepare:
1. Familiarise with the Test Format: Understanding the test structure and types of questions that will appear can help students feel more confident. The ACARA website and school resources often provide sample questions and practice tests. You can access the types of questions and tools available in the online NAPLAN assessments at NAP – Public demonstration site.
2. Maintain a Healthy Routine: Leading up to the test, students should prioritize sleep, healthy eating, and stress management. A well-rested, healthy student is more likely to perform at their best.
3. Stay Positive and Encouraging: Encourage students to see NAPLAN as an opportunity to show what they know, rather than as a source of stress or anxiety. Positive reinforcement from parents and teachers can boost confidence and reduce test-related anxiety.
4. Maintain Consistent Learning: NAPLAN is not a test that can be effectively prepared for through last-minute cramming. The best approach is steady learning throughout the school year, with a focus on strengthening reading comprehension, writing abilities, and mathematical fluency.
How is Performance Reported?
From 2023 onwards, NAPLAN results will be reported against proficiency standards. Each assessment area has its own standard at each year level. Proficiency standards provide clear information about student achievement. They are set at a challenging but reasonable level for the child to achieve during NAPLAN testing, based primarily on what has been taught in previous years of schooling. Student achievement is measured against four levels of proficiency: exceeding, strong, developing, and requires additional support.
How are NAPLAN results used?
Monitor Educational Progress: The results allow educators to track the progress of their students over time, identifying areas for improvement and celebrating successes.
Assess School Performance: The aggregated data provides a measure of how well schools are performing on a national scale. This helps policymakers, educators, and parents to evaluate educational quality and standards.
Inform Government Policy: The data collected from NAPLAN helps shape education policy and guide funding decisions. It plays a crucial role in identifying trends in student achievement and addressing disparities across regions and demographics.
- The broader community can view school performance trends over time at myschool.edu.au.
How NAPLAN Results Impact Students and Schools
It’s important to recognise that NAPLAN results are not intended to be the sole measure of a student’s abilities. While the test provides valuable insights, it does not account for the full range of skills and knowledge that a student may possess. NAPLAN is just one tool in the educational toolkit.
Students: For individual students, NAPLAN results can highlight areas of strength and areas that may need more attention. It provides an opportunity for feedback that can help students focus their efforts on areas where improvement is needed.
Parents: Parents can use NAPLAN results to understand how their child is progressing in key areas of learning. However, it’s important for parents to engage in ongoing conversations with teachers about their child’s overall development and not to base conclusions solely on NAPLAN results.
Teachers: For educators, NAPLAN serves as an important diagnostic tool. Teachers can use the data to adjust their teaching methods, provide targeted support, and set learning goals that address the specific needs of their students.
Schools and Policy: At a school-wide level, NAPLAN results help assess the effectiveness of teaching programs and overall student achievement. This information informs decisions about curriculum adjustments, professional development for teachers, and strategic planning to improve student outcomes.
How to get NAPLAN results?
Individual results are sent straight to the school by the state or territory’s department of education, while schoolwide results can be accessed on the MySchool website (link provided in the section Where to get important NAPLAN info).
Where to get important NAPLAN info?
Whether you’re a parent, teacher, or principal, you may find these links helpful for gathering further information.
Key dates – All information about the upcoming year’s test window can be found here.
NAPLAN FAQs – Answers to all your NAPLAN-related questions.
NAPLAN national reports – By looking up your current year’s national NAPLAN report, you can see the conclusions drawn from results Australia-wide.
School results and info – The MySchool website is a tool for parents and teachers to get up to date data on their specific school. Along with NAPLAN results and comparison tools, you can also examine how much funding schools have received, attendance rates, levels of Socio-Educational Advantage (SEA) and other metrics.
NAPLAN Public Demonstration Site – An environment that allows students to familiarise themselves with the online test.
NAPLAN past papers – Although the paper test is not used anymore, looking at past papers can give you a sense of the questions that are likely to be asked in the test.
For further enquiries – While the Australian Curriculum Assessment and Reporting Authority (ACARA) create the test, its delivery is the responsibility of the test administration authorities (TAAs), who are the education departments of each state and territory. For any specific enquiries about a certain school or region, look up who the jurisdiction’s TAA and call or email to get a timely response.
