We are nearly at the end of NAPLAN for 2019. There have been some serious interruptions in some tests, especially in the Year 7 Writing Test on Tuesday 14 and, to a lesser extent, the Year 9 Writing Test on the same day. Most of these problems were due to many boys being unable to maintain a connection with the ACARA website due to traffic issues.
The testing authority issued this statement for parents on that day:
“As you are aware, today was the first day of NAPLAN, which our school is doing online. Unfortunately some connectivity issues were experienced during the test and these issues are currently being investigated. While this isn’t ideal, please be assured we have procedures to follow to minimise any impacts on our students, including rescheduling the test if required. National test authorities have advised they regret any inconvenience this has caused to schools and students, and are working to rectify the issue as soon as possible.”
I am told that meetings are being held at the “ministerial level” about what to do with the data generated from the Writing tests on Tuesday. As there will be no Federal Minister until the new Ministry is announced, goodness knows what that will entail.
Since the Tuesday, things have gone quite smoothly. We have run, and will continue to run, a small number of catch-up tests for those that miss scheduled sittings.
Edward Mickleburgh (Head of Mathematics – Assistant Director of Teaching and Learning)