26 September 2023

NAPLAN numbers add up for families

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The Department for Education has published advice to parents and carers on how to read their children’s NAPLAN report.

The Department said that while it was reassuring to know the State had recorded its highest ever NAPLAN mean scores in reading and spelling for Years 3 and 5, parents and carers may need more information about what the numbers meant for their child.

It said families with children in Years 3, 5, 7 or 9 who sat NAPLAN tests this year would receive the results in mid to late September.

The Department said the NAPLAN student report contained important information about a child’s current capability in the foundational learning areas of reading, writing, grammar, punctuation, spelling and numeracy.

It said schools and teachers used this information to judge how effectively they were working and how they may adjust their approaches to help students improve and grow.

“The results can also help you to understand your child’s strengths and weaknesses so you can work on some things at home and have an informed conversations with teachers about how your child can progress to the next level,” the Department said.

“For each of the five test areas, your child will receive their individual result placing them within a ‘band’ that indicates their level of knowledge, understanding and skills in the subject area,” it said.

“The report includes information on what each ‘band’ means so you can get a clear picture of your child’s current capabilities.”

The Department said families would also receive an indication of the national average result for subject and year level, so they could see broadly where their child stood in comparison with their peers.

It said the results were designed to help identify areas for students, classes and schools to focus on, not to create competition or anxiety between families.

Further information on NAPLAN student reports, including guidance on how to read them, can be accessed on the National Assessments Program website at this PS News link.

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