As NAPLAN suffers technical problems, why are major tests done online?

NAPLAN testing started with a technical glitch on Wednesday morning.

Schools were advised to pause the first day of assessments while a “widespread issue affecting students being able to log on to the online platform” was investigated. As at 11.30 AEDT, testing could resume.

Test administrators said there were measures to ensure students were not disadvantaged as a result of the glitch. But they also acknowledged it had “caused disruptions in a significant number of schools”.

NAPLAN has been done fully online since 2022. Why is this?

Remind me, what is NAPLAN?

NAPLAN tests Australian students’ literacy and maths skills in years 3, 5, 7 and 9. There are four tests: writing, reading, conventions of language (which involves grammar, punctuation and spelling), and numeracy.

There is a nine-day testing window for schools, that began on March 11 this year.

On the first day of testing, schools need to prioritise writing tests. Students are given an idea or topic and asked to write a response in a particular text type (narrative or persuasive writing).

Year 3 writing is the only component of the test still done on paper, so was not impacted by the IT pause.

Why are the tests online?

The Australian Curriculum, Assessment and Reporting Authority (also known as “ACARA”) administers NAPLAN. On its website, the authority explains the online tests are designed to “provide precise results and be engaging for students”.

This means the tests adapt to the student taking the test, and will ask questions that will be more or less difficult depending on a student’s responses.

“This helps students remain engaged with the assessment,” the authority says.

A student’s overall NAPLAN result is based on both the number and complexity of questions they answer correctly.

Isn’t paper better?

When a major online test runs into technical difficulties, I am often asked, “would it be better to stick with paper-and-pencil tests for high-stakes tests?”

Last year, there was chaos when NSW selective entrance exams suffered technical problems.

But it is hard to make the case that important tests should be done on paper when students now do significant amounts of school work online and on devices – particularly as they progress through high school.

We currently have the bizarre situation in which some senior students have to stop working online part way through Year 12. This is to strengthen their wrists to write in their three-hour paper-and-pencil final exams.

What is useful?

Research shows online testing can produce more useful evidence than a simple paper test.

It can improve feedback, involve richer tasks, and better fit with how students learn. Although to do so, it needs clear criteria and robust design.

So good online testing is not using technology for technology’s sake. It can improve the fairness (or validity) of the evidence available to schools, systems and parents.

What about Year 12 exams?

Currently, most year 12 exams in states such as Victoria and New South Wales are conducted with pen and paper.

There has been some movement towards the online delivery of HSC examinations in NSW. For example, in 2027 Extension English will be done online.

Here the reasons for the relatively slow progress are structural rather than technological or educational.

Given the high-stakes nature of Year 12 exams, it’s not surprising school systems prioritise stability, security and equity before changing the delivery mode.

But the circumstances for NAPLAN are different. NAPLAN moved online because the focus was on quick results and providing information to improve students learning.

Year 12 exams cater for a wide range of different subjects and so are more challenging and risky to do online. Any transition would require a multi-year, carefully staged plan with extensive piloting and equity safeguards.

But whatever the challenges and the technical glitches we might face along the way, the journey towards online testing will continue. This is where our children are continuing to learn and it is also where they will work.