NAPLAN stands for The National Assessment Program – Literacy and Numeracy. It is a series of tests focused on basic skills that are administered annually to Australian students. It is mandatory for students in grades 3, 5, 7, and 9 to complete the tests. NAPLAN has introduced an online version of the paper test which was used in some schools in 2018.
Eh Wah Paw and Tish Young had a practice trial on the online version in 2018. Here is what they have to say about the practice trial!
Tish Young: I have done the practice trial before and I have many opinions I would like to share. The most common issue regarding the new online version is that it’s hard to access it when everyone else is using the internet. Another issue is some students may not have their computer ready for the test. That could include accidentally leaving it at home, it not being charged or at the technicians getting repaired. It would be more efficient to use the paper test for those students who don’t have access to a computer. Other students that do have a computer, should be able to choose to do the paper test or the online test. Another issue about the online version is that students are able to access their games on their computer, Google for answers and watch YouTube instead of doing the test. I think doing this online could most likely be a huge problem.
Eh Wah Paw: I have some opinions that I would like to say about NAPLAN. The big issue about NAPLAN in online version could be a problem for some people. It’s because some of student’s internet may not work, could be really slow sometimes and they have to wait for too long. This could be a waste of their time. Another issue is that some of them might just search for the answer and copy it down. If students used pen-and- paper tests, it will be much better than the online version. My considered opinion about using NAPLAN in online version is that it could be a big problem.
