Australia’s National Assessment Program – Literacy and Numeracy Tests seek to determine the quality of education provided to children as part of their school curriculum. Students appear in these tests during Year 3, 5, 7 and 9. Student need not be worried or anxious about the NAPLAN tests as it is a tool to measure the student's knowledge gap and help teachers to develop strategies to enhance their knowledge further.
The tests
Through NAPLAN tests students are analysed from their reading, writing, language conventions and numeracy skills. Depending on the school year of the student, spelling, grammar, and punctuation skills are tested on different levels. NAPLAN tests were introduced in 2008, and since 2010 they are being administered by the Australian Curriculum, Assessment and Reporting Authority (ACARA).
While the tests are designed to test specific skills, the types of questions in the tests have varied over the years. These tests comprise of multiple choice questions as well as questions that require students to reference text passages to find the answer.
NAPLAN test preparation
The relevant testing authorities in different states provide a wide variety of resources that aid in NAPLAN test preparations. There are a considerable number of NAPLAN practice tests and past papers that are available online. While ACARA stresses that the questions for each level are different every year, these practice tests provide a sound foundation for students to understand the type of questions being asked in the tests.
It is helpful for students because the fundamental objective of these tests is to find whether the children can grasp the concept of the question. Parents and students should focus on learning how a solution is obtained rather than spending time on solving large amounts of problems.
Online test paper availability
At the start of each school year, bookshops and newspaper stands start displaying resources for NAPLAN tests for various years. Parents are advised to be careful before they opt to purchase these books off the shelf impulsively. There is an enormous amount of preparation material available online and on official websites that offers comprehensive guidance on each section of the tests at each year level. Parents and students can also access NAPLAN practice test online quite effectively because some institutes and organisations have these resources uploaded on their websites.
To prepare appropriately for the NAPLAN tests, parents and students should consult as many sources as they deem necessary. However, it is essential to understand that it is about knowing the concept behind the solution rather than the procedure to get to the answer itself.
The NAPLAN test evaluates the quality of education imparted to students. Also, these tests are not a measure of quantity and knowing this is key to success in these examinations.
Note: NotesEdu's NAPLAN Service is not an endorsed publication of the NAPLAN program. NAPLAN and all other related terms are trademarks of ACARA
