Why do we need NAPLAN tests in school?

Published by Excel Test Zone on 11/08/2022

Over one million students take the National Assessment Program – Literacy and Numeracy (NAPLAN). It is an annual assessment for students in Years 3, 5, 7 and 9. Have you ever wondered, why do we need NAPLAN tests in schools?

There have been mixed reviews in the past as to whether NAPLAN is actually helpful for schools and whether it is detrimental for students. But it has been shown that assessment is an integral part of education and important for both school systems and individual students.

Studies have shown that there are three major benefits of NAPLAN:

1. A great tool to reform schools and teaching

The NAPLAN Test creates nationwide results to help determine whether there are problems in the school system over time.

Using this tool allows education authorities, schools, teachers and parents to determine whether children are reaching above or below the national minimum standards (NMS). NMS refers to the basic level of knowledge and understanding needed to perform at that particular year level.

If students across a wide scale are not reaching the NMS, an evaluation of plausible solutions will be made to reform schools and teaching.

2. Gives parents a clear progress report

Results are available for parents to see their child’s progress against the national benchmark. The Literacy and Numeracy Test results show data from a national, territory and state level.

Having this progress report allows parents to decide whether their child needs additional assistance to enable them to achieve their full potential.

3. Creates transparency in education

Having a clear report enables parents to form decisions concerning their child’s education.

Parents can see whether specific schools are excelling or underperforming which can help in deciding their child's next steps in their education journey.

Sign up for a 7-Day FREE trial*!

Our free trials are specially designed Australian Curriculum diagnostic tests. There are separate tests on subjects in English including Reading, Spelling, Grammar & Punctuation, Writing and Mathematics in topics like Number & Algebra, Measurement & Geometry and Statistics & Probability.