Understanding the NAPLAN test results
The NAPLAN test - National Assessment Program - Literacy and Numeracy - is a nationwide assessment that all Australian kids do in school. Its purpose is to identify strengths and weaknesses so that schools can address issues and improve learning outcomes. Children take part in the testing in Year 3, 5, 7 and 9 - find out more info about the NAPLAN test itself.
When do the NAPLAN results come out?
Your child's individual NAPLAN results are sent to their school from the start of Term 3, but the exact date depends on your test administration authority. This is a lot earlier in the school year than it was previously; the reasoning behind this is to give teachers more time to implement the necessary changes before the end of the school year. Each school will then send the report to parents. If you don't receive a NAPLAN report and your child is in Year 3, 5, 7, or 9, contact your child's school directly.
How do I interpret the NAPLAN results?
The report shows your child's proficiency level in each of the assessment areas, with their individual result shown as a black dot on the scale. The triangle shows the national average score, and the lighter coloured bar shows the range of achievement for the middle 60% of students in their year level. The following image is a sample report from
For example, the student above achieves a 'strong' in each of the assessment areas. While we can see that they are performing around the national average for Reading and Conventions of Language, they are well above the national average in the Numeracy and Writing assessment areas.
Results at a whole-school level are available on the My School website.
What do my child's NAPLAN results mean?
If your child is in the 'exceeding' or 'strong' proficiency levels, then you just need to keep doing what you've been doing! Children in these levels are meeting or surpassing expectations for their age group, so don't be afraid to praise the effort your child has put in to get there!
What happens if my child gets a low NAPLAN score?
If your child gets a score in one of the bottom two proficiency levels, parents can help to put the results in context, and reinforce that this narrow skills testing doesn't define the child or their abilities. What a low score does indicate is that your child might need a little bit of extra support to meet their literacy and numeracy goals.
If they are in the 'needs additional support' category, schools should put in measures to help your child improve so they can reach their targets. However, research suggests that parental involvement is key for children's learning success, so you may find that a little extra support at home will really enhance anything the school is doing.
Easy wins like encouraging your child to read, practising times tables and learning how to supercharge your conversations are a good start. You could also try an online numeracy and literacy learning program like Komodo Learning, which is a personalised, designed to complement schoolwork, and makes parental involvement easy. Find out more about the program or start your free 14 day trial here.
And remember…
Children sitting the NAPLAN test are of an age where they need a wide range of activities to keep their growing minds and bodies healthy. With this in mind, keep a variety of other play and activities on their schedules rather than wall to wall study.
About Komodo - Komodo is a fun and effective way to boost primary maths and literacy skills. Designed for 4 to 11-year-olds to use at home, Komodo uses a 'little and often' approach to learning that fits into busy family life. Komodo helps users develop fluency and confidence in maths and English - without keeping them at the screen for long.
