This year’s NAPLAN testing has been scrapped, as the Education Council (EC) moves to ease some of the pressure on teachers, students and the wider education sector in wake of the Coronavirus.
EC Secretariat, Greg Donaghue, said education ministers met on March 20 to decide the fate of the standardised testing, as schools and governments around the country stare down the pandemic.
Scheduled to take place from mid-May, Donaghue said ministers made the decision to abandon the testing this year following expert advice and to boost wellbeing.
“The decision to not proceed with NAPLAN in 2020 has been taken to assist school leaders, teachers and support staff to focus on the wellbeing of students and continuity of education, including potential online and remote learning.
“Further, the impact of responses to the COVID-19 virus may affect the delivery of NAPLAN testing, including the operation of centralised marking centres and the implications for nationally comparable data if an insufficient number of students are available to do the test.
“The decision to not proceed with NAPLAN in 2020 also means that the scheduled testing of the NAPLAN Online platform, known as the Coordinated Practice Test (CPT), will not proceed,” Donaghue said.
The decision came days before NSW Premier, Gladys Berejiklian, confirmed that schools would be transitioning to online learning, with current advice to keep children home where possible.
Source:
Media statement, Mar 20
Greg Donaghue, Education Council
Reporter: Dilon Luke