Making good use of NAPLAN practice tools
Why practise for NAPLAN?
While ACARA suggests that students don’t need to prepare for the tests, with the main intention of NAPLAN being to provide a snapshot of how schools and students in different areas are performing in relation to the rest of the country, it still helps to be prepared for assessment day.
After all, NAPLAN online results are used as a benchmark for entry into many selective schools across the country – and studying for them can be good practice for sitting the Higher School Certificate in later years.
Even if students are high achieving at school, it’s helpful for them to familiarise themselves with how the online test works. Many of the questions are multiple choice, while some require students to work out equations or to write short samples of text. Online practice – as well as building the core literacy and numeracy skills that are to be tested – will together create good results.
Is the NAPLAN test taken online?
Yes, the NAPLAN test can be delivered online or in a paper-based format. It is designed to evaluate students’ reading, writing, language conventions (spelling, grammar and punctuation) and numeracy.
The online test is adaptive – meaning that as students progress they’ll be given questions better suited to their individual abilities. A child who may be struggling during the assessment will be given questions that better reflect their achievement. This builds their confidence by allowing them to show what they know – not just what they don’t know. Similarly, high achieving students will be given more challenging questions so they can show the extent of their literacy and numeracy skills. Because of this tailored test design, NAPLAN’s online test provides precise results and gives a lot more insight into a child’s achievement.
Why use Education Perfect for NAPLAN practice?
To prepare for NAPLAN online, students should become familiar with the types of questions and the testing format. This is often an element of NAPLAN that trips students up.
As an online learning platform with a wide range of teacher-designed resources to help students improve their literacy and numeracy skills, EP is a good source of both NAPLAN prep material and online test practice.
- It’s individualised: Education Perfect adapts to each student’s level of literacy and numeracy ability, providing them with targeted learning resources and feedback
- It makes NAPLAN practice fun: With gamified elements, students will want to keep trying to beat their scores.
- It’s accessible: Students can log on to Education Perfect from any device with an internet connection, and teachers or parents can easily set content, monitor progress and provide feedback.
Online literacy and numeracy practice
Education Perfect is a useful resource for practising the core skills that NAPLAN is designed to test. It provides a wide variety of test questions and formats for students to learn and rehearse with. These are not past papers – which were no longer published after 2016 – but material that is aligned to NAPLAN, allowing students to familiarise themselves with the test format and content.
To access the NAPLAN practice tools, you’ll first need to create an account on the Education Perfect website. Once you’ve signed up, you can search for ‘NAPLAN practice’ within the content. There is material available for both literacy and numeracy, as well as for different year levels.
Encourage your child to practise regularly with the tests to build their confidence and improve their skills. Monitor their progress and identify areas where they may need more support. Parents may also wish to set up exam conditions at home in a quiet space to give the full NAPLAN experience for their children. This may help them to become accustomed with the atmosphere on testing day.
Online practice for online success
With many school assessments now moving online, including NAPLAN, it’s important to find the right preparation tools and resources. EP offers timed practice tests and NAPLAN-aligned learning content that allow parents to see a clear snapshot of a child’s progress before or after test day.
Through online tools like Education Perfect, you can help your child improve literacy and numeracy skills while also supporting their confidence and motivation. Showing your children how to achieve great results through practice and targeted study are priceless skills that they will carry through into higher education – and something they are sure to thank you for later down the track.
