NAPLAN commenced last week in our schools – I extend my thanks to you and your coordinators and teachers in your schools for setting this assessment up for your Year 3 and Year 5 students.  The adjustment and variation to routine at this time is stretched to say the least.

NAPLAN will be held in mid-March from 2023. Moving the test forward means this valuable data set will be available earlier in the year to inform teaching and learning programs and to give parents information about their child's performance earlier in the year.

Nationally, Education Ministers agree on these conditions.

• All results except for writing returned to jurisdictions within weeks
• in addition to the triennial program of sample assessments in science, civics and citizenship, and digital literacy, new assessments in these domains for Year 6 and Year 10 students will be available as opt-in assessments for all schools, starting with science in 2024
• results of opt-in assessments will be available to participating schools in order to support their teaching and learning programs, but will not be reported publicly
• from 2023, the existing NAP sample program will move from October to Term Two and will be undertaken at the same time as the opt-in assessments, allowing results from the opt-in tests to be compared against the national scale and results from the NAP Sample program.