From the APA's desk

Dear Parents and Guardians

NAPLAN (The National Assessment Program – Literacy and Numeracy) is an annual national assessment for all students in Years 3, 5, 7, and 9, and is the only nationwide assessment that all Australian children undertake.  This year the dates for Naplan for Year 3 and 5 students will be in Week 8 and 9 from Wed the 13^th of March.  The students sit four separate assessments, Writing, Reading, Conventions of Language and Numeracy, and results are reported on using four levels of achievement; exceeding, strong, developing or needs additional support.

The descriptors for each category of achievement will make it clear to parents what their child’s literacy and numeracy skills are at the time of NAPLAN testing.  Ultimately, these assessments are point in time assessments that are designed to give feedback to parents and schools around how students are travelling in their learning journey. The best way you can support your child is to reassure them that NAPLAN is just one part of their school program and all they need to do is try their best.  Students in Year 3 and 5 have and will participate in two practice tests over the next two weeks in preparation. This will give students a chance to become familiar with how the online assessment is structured, what to expect and how to navigate the online space.  It will also enable the school to test the infrastructure needed for the assessments to work efficiently.  

Please speak with your child’s teacher, Caley Croft our learning support teacher, or myself if you have any questions or concerns.