This year’s NAPLAN tests have been cancelled to help principals and teachers focus on the wellbeing of students amid the outbreak of the COVID-19 virus, which has now infected more than 700 people in Australia.
The NAPLAN test window was scheduled to be held from 12 to 22 May but will be postponed until next year.
In a statement today, the Education Council said 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, will not proceed,” the Education Council said.
The Council said education departments and systems will “continue to closely monitor health advice and work with schools to ensure appropriate support for students and staff as the response to COVID-19 develops”.