Online NAPLAN tests can be compared with traditional ones, authority says

AUSTRALIA’S national assessment authority has reassured parents, teachers and education bosses over the quality of NAPLAN testing results, after the system was labelled a “disaster”.

AUSTRALIA’S national assessment authority has reassured parents, teachers and education bosses over the quality of NAPLAN testing results, after the system was labelled a “disaster”.

Parents and teachers will be able to compare the standardised NAPLAN test results of students who took the exams online with those who used traditional pen and paper.

The national assessment body says its data analysts have confirmed the two data sets can be compared, following reports some state and territory education department bosses due to meet in Canberra on Wednesday have concerns about the comparability of the online test and the traditional test.

One in five students in years three, five, seven and nine who took the standardised tests did so online in the first year of a three-year rollout of online testing.

“As this is the first year of online assessment extra attention has been given to reviewing the data and ensuring it is comparable with previous years and between online and paper test modes,” the Australian Curriculum, Assessment and Reporting Authority said on Wednesday.

Some education heads have raised concerns at a meeting earlier this month about how the data would be released.

A number of options had been considered, including one combined public report, two separate reports or no report at all.

The authority also rejected suggestions there could be delays in releasing the results, confirming they’re “on track” to be released soon.

The transition to online testing has received mixed responses.

Labor’s education spokeswoman Tanya Plibersek wants to see the rollout happening faster, saying it was astounding that in 2018 students were still sitting pen and paper tests.

“NAPLAN online, if delivered well, could give students, parents and teachers more accurate and timely information,” she said.

But the Australian Education Union boss Correna Haythorpe said it was a “disaster” and repeated the AEU’s earlier calls for online tests to be scrapped.

“NAPLAN online is fundamentally flawed and must not be implemented,” she said.