NAPLAN testing underway

The first annual NAPLAN tests, including in Hume and Whittlesea,, officially begin on March 13, with more than 300,000 students at 2350 Victorian schools set to participate.

Education Minister Ben Carroll wished students in Years 3, 5, 7 and 9 the best of luck with the assessments, which aim to assess how each child is tracking on a national scale.

“Today marks an exciting day for students across the state and I wish each and every one of them the best of luck as they take on this year’s NAPLAN tests,” he said.

“I’m confident our students will continue to deliver excellent NAPLAN results, which not only comes down to their hard work, but the dedication of teachers, support staff and families who support their educational journey.

“The changes we introduced last year to NAPLAN reporting and timing will provide critical information for schools, parents and carers, to see how each child is tracking and how they can be best supported.”

In 2023, students across Victoria topped the nation’s NAPLAN results– ranking first or second in 16 of the 20 NAPLAN categories– which was one of the state’s best-ever results.

The recent NAPLAN results was a resounding endorsement of Victorian students’ hard work and world class teachers.

Last year, the government introduced changes to improve and modernise NAPLAN, which included moving the tests forward so that the results and data could better support students earlier in the year.

New proficiency standards with four levels of achievement replaced the old national standard and 10-band structure which was set in 2008 when tests were on paper.

The updated NAPLAN reports now show how each child is tracking against their peers using four easy-to-understand standards: exceeding, strong, developing and needs additional support.