Understanding NAPLAN: A brief guide for Australian Parents

If you’re a parent in Australia, you’re probably familiar with NAPLAN. Just in case, though, here’s a quick explainer: The National Assessment Program – Literacy and Numeracy (NAPLAN) is a standardised test for Australian students in Years 3, 5, 7 and 9. 

Taken by children in every state and territory across the country, the online test is designed to evaluate students’ skills in reading, writing, language conventions (spelling, grammar and punctuation) and numeracy. Many of the questions are multiple choice, while some require students to work out equations and to write short samples of text.

For many students and their parents beginning with NAPLAN testing, the assessment can seem daunting. Knowing the reasoning behind NAPLAN and its content – as well as how you can boost your child’s results – will help to calm nerves on testing days.

What are the content areas in NAPLAN?

NAPLAN tests students’ abilities and knowledge in the following content areas, against the expected level for each year group:

  • Reading: a student’s comprehension skills and their ability to understand and analyse different text types, such as narratives, persuasive texts, and informative texts.
  • Writing: a student’s ability to write effectively, use a range of different text types and structures, and to demonstrate their knowledge of spelling, grammar, and punctuation.
  • Language conventions: tests spelling, grammar, and punctuation knowledge and how well they can apply that knowledge to different writing tasks.
  • Numeracy: a student’s problem-solving and mathematical reasoning skills, including concepts like number and algebra, measurement, geometry, and statistics and probability.

What do NAPLAN Results Mean?

The main reason for carrying out NAPLAN assessments is to provide a snapshot of student achievement across Australia and to ensure that schools are meeting national standards.

On an individual student level, the tests are also a useful way to identify strengths and weaknesses, as well as gaps in learning and areas for improvement. This can then be used by teachers to tailor their lessons for individual students.

NAPLAN test results are reported on a scale from band 1 (the lowest) to band 10 (the highest). Getting a high band score means that a student is performing above the national minimum standard for their year level, while a low band score indicates that a student may need extra support to improve their skills.

It’s important to remember that while NAPLAN results are important, they shouldn’t be the only measure of a student’s progress. Schools and teachers use a range of different assessments to evaluate student learning in much more detail across many areas of the curriculum.

Tips for preparing for NAPLAN

If you want your child to succeed in NAPLAN, there are many ways you can help them prepare. Here are some tips:

  • Read, read and read some more: Reading widely and regularly is one of the best ways to improve comprehension skills and vocabulary. Encourage your child to read for pleasure, and give them access to a variety of different texts, such as books, magazines, and newspapers. Younger (and older!) children can also be read to, which is proven to be an excellent way to gain exposure to vocabulary and to gain a love of reading and books.

 

  • Put pen to paper (and get fingers on keyboards): Some children may be reluctant writers while others may find a love for the creative side of writing. Either way, it’s important to know that writing is a skill that can be improved with practice. Encourage your child to write regularly on a variety of topics and subject matters and in a range of text types, such as letters, diary entries, prose, and essays. You can also use online writing prompts and exercises to help your child practice and to get new ideas for writing.

 

  • Brush up on grammar and punctuation: While the creative nature of writing can be partially based on talent, grammar and punctuation have clear cut rules that can be learned and practised. Use online resources or workbooks to help your child gain knowledge of different grammar and punctuation concepts.

Do your numbers: Maths skills can also be improved through regular practice. Encourage your child to practise using problem-solving strategies and to apply mathematical concepts to real-world situations, such as shopping trips, baking or trip planning. Again, online programmes can work wonders here by tracking skills and allowing plenty of opportunity for repetition.

Using Education Perfect as preparation for NAPLAN

As an online learning platform with a wide range of teacher-designed resources to help students improve their literacy and numeracy skills, Education Perfect is a good source of NAPLAN prep material. Here are a few of the main benefits of using the platform:

  • Individualised: Education Perfect adapts to each student’s level of ability, providing them with targeted learning resources and feedback.
  •  It’s fun: With gamified elements, students will want to keep trying to beat their scores.
  • Accessible: Students can log on to Education Perfect from any device with an internet connection, and teachers can monitor their progress and provide feedback.

While NAPLAN can seem a daunting prospect for parents and students alike, with the right preparation and resources, it can be a valuable learning experience that allows a clear snapshot of a child’s progress. By using online tools like Education Perfect, you can help your child improve their literacy and numeracy skills while also supporting their confidence and motivation.