Sitting NAPLAN has become a rite of passage for Australian children. But it remains controversial, with regular calls from some teachers, parents, and education unions to boycott the test or scrap it altogether.

This would be a grave mistake. The National Assessment Program – Literacy and Numeracy assesses achievement in numeracy, reading, writing, as well as spelling and grammar for students in years 3, 5, 7, and 9 and provides an important health check for our schools and school systems. And this year, after unprecedented disruptions because of COVID-19, NAPLAN is more important than ever.