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National Assessment Program (NAP)

Literacy and Numeracy (NAPLAN)

In 2008 the National Assessment Program - Literacy and Numeracy (NAPLAN) commenced. National testing of reading, writing, language conventions (spelling and grammar and punctuation) and numeracy in years 3, 5, 7 and 9 occurs in the second week in May each year.

From 2011 The Australian Curriculum, Assessment and Reporting Authority (ACARA) will be responsible for the delivery of a national assessment program aligned to the national curriculum that measures students’ progress. ACARA will also be responsible for the national data collection and reporting program that supports NAPLAN. The ACARA website is now live: www.acara.edu.au.

Communications

Schools:

Newsletters:

Parents:

Communication to parents has been achieved through a parent information brochure (630kb) and a website. The website located at www.naplan.edu.au provides parents and schools with test samples.

All parents of students in years 3,5 7 and 9 will receive a parent brochure at the commencement of the 2009 year.

Permitted Use and Copyright Requirements for NAPLAN 2009 Tests.

Use of NAPLAN test papers (61kb)

Scientific Literacy (NAP-SL)

The NAP-SL program assesses and reports on the scientific literacy of year 6 students. NAP-SL tests students' grasp of basic concepts and scientific processes. It assesses practical problem-solving investigation as well as open-ended short-answer items and multiple choice items in a variety of themes: earth and beyond, energy and change, life and living and natural and processed materials.

The next NAP—Science Literacy will be undertaken by a sample of Year 6 students in October 2009. The test will comprise a 60-minute pencil and paper section and a 45-minute practical task. Further information on the 2009 NAP—Science Literacy can be found in the following website www.mceetya.edu.au

The NAP-SL assessment was implemented in the ACT in October 2003 and occurs every three years.

For more information see the MCEETA Taskforce website for Scientific Literacy.

The attached document from the 2003 PSAP provides information on the scope of the assessment, examples of questions, administration instructions and resource materials. Schools can use this information for evaluation and planning purposes.

Primary Science Assessment Project 2003 School Release Materials (3.6mb)

Primary Science 2006 School Release Material

Civics and Citizenship (NAP-CC)

The NAP-CC program assesses and reports on student achievements in civics and citizenship through a representative national sample survey of year 6 and year 10 students. NAP-CC tests the knowledge a student has gained from their civics and citizenship education program, which looks at their rights and responsibilities as citizens and enables them to analyse our history. In the ACT, civics and citizenship education can be integrated through all the Key Learning Areas, and is ideally suited to the ACT Essential Learning Achievements.

The NAP-CC assessment was first implemented in the ACT in October/November 2004, and will occur every three years.

The next NAP—Civics and Citizenship will be undertaken by samples of Year 6 and Year 10 students in 2010.

For more information on civics and citizenship education see the DET Civics and Citizenship page, and for further information on the assessment project see the Curriculum Corporation's Discovering Democracy website.

For more information visit the MCEETYA Taskforce website for Civics and Citizenship .

2007 Year 6 Civics and Citizenship School Release Materials

2007 Year 10 Civics and Citizenship School Release Materials

Information and Communication Technology Literacy (ICT) Literacy

The NAP-ICT Literacy program assesses and reports on a range of student achievement in general information and communication technology (ICT) skills and knowledge in a cross curricular context (i.e. ICT literacy), rather than the more technical skills and knowledge developed through specialist ICT courses. Reporting of student achievement in NAP-ICT Literacy is in terms of bands of performance and two of these bands will become the performance standard at year 6 and year 10. The final standard was developed after the first national sample assessment of ICT literacy in 2005.

The NAP-ICT Literacy assessment was first implemented in the ACT in 2005 at year 6 and year 10 level, and will occur every three years. Add

The next NAP ICT Literacy assessment will be undertaken by a sample of Year 6 and Year 10 students in 2011.

For more information visit the MCEETYA Taskforce website for Information and Communication Technology Literacy .

2005 Information and Communication Technology Literacy School Release Materials

Program for International Student Assessment (PISA)

The OECD PISA Project is a study targeting 15-year-old students, which compares student achievement in different countries. The project aims to assess the knowledge and skills that students possess which will enable them to participate fully in adult life, rather than to assess them on particular school curricula.

PISA assessments are conducted every three years. The focus of the assessment may change. In 2000 the focus was on Reading Literacy, while in 2003 Mathematical Literacy was the major domain, with Scientific Literacy and Problem Solving skills also assessed. In 2006, Scientific Literacy was the main focus.
The next PISA assessment will occur between July and September in 2009.

Education authorities, principals and teachers throughout the world have found the results from PISA to be very informative and have used those results to guide future planning. In Australia, the Ministerial Council on Education, Employment, Training and Youth Affairs (MCEETYA) is using the results from PISA to monitor student progress and to make comparisons and plot trends across states and territories. The Australian Bureau of Statistics now also includes data from PISA in their reports relating to education and schools.

More information can be found at the OECD PISA website.

Trends in International Mathematics and Science Study (TIMSS)

TIMSS is an internationally conducted testing program, occurring every four years. It assesses the mathematical and scientific abilities of year 4 and year 8 students around the world. TIMSS was first conducted in the ACT in 1998. TIMSS provides valuable results, which inform policy makers and curriculum designers across the developed world. Schools in the ACT are randomly selected to take part in this study.For more information see the TIMSS 2006/07 website.
The next TIMSS assessment will occur in 2010. A sample of students in years 4 and 8 will participate

Publications

Publications relating to the National report on schooling, National benchmark results (set minimum standards for reading, writing, spelling and numeracy) and the assessment of student achievement can be found on the MCEETYA Publications website.