We now have detailed responses to parent questions about adjustments for students with dyslexia and typing skills submitted during our April Q&A with ACARA that we didn't get time to answer on the night. 

We'd like to thank the team at the ACARA for providing these responses.

From Katie on Dyslexia NAPLAN Adjustments

Q: Why are there not adequately organised adjustments for moderate to severe dyslexia students?   - eg: exam scanning pens allowed assisted technology and or a reader in NAPLAN. In this day and age of inclusive education this is truly complete ignorance. Government something has to be done about Dyslexia reforms in the education arena. Other countries have amazing educational dyslexia support yet Australia has only South Australia leading the charge. With government job seekers rising, depression and suicide on the increase especially in the male population (where dyslexia is more dominant), we owe it to our young people to give them every chance possible to succeed. It’s the foundation building blocks where self-esteem is built. It’s every child right to read and write and be given an education, yet our education system is letting so many children down.

A: ACARA regularly reviews the adjustments available during NAPLAN, in consultation with the state/territory test administration authorities (TAAs) responsible for administering NAPLAN in schools. In the move to NAPLAN Online, we undertook research on how to enhance the accessibility of NAPLAN for students with disability or additional learning needs, and we will be continuing research in this area over the next 12 months. ACARA has developed a range of adjustments to support students with disability and those with diverse learning needs. Information about adjustments, including example disability adjustment scenarios, is available on the ‘Adjustments for students with disability’ page of the NAP website. As students’ functional abilities vary, the use of some adjustments involves consultation between the family, school and the state/territory test administration authority.

From Nicola

Q: I think that my daughter in year 5 will be completing the narrative/persuasive task by typing her response on an iPad.  Do you think this will allow the children to be assessed on their reading and writing skills, or just their one-fingered typing skills?  Also, how are responses provided on an iPad or keyboard compared to children who write with a pen or pencil or with a keyboard?  These three ways of responding are extremely different methods and don't seem comparable.

A: The writing test is not about handwriting skills and NAPLAN Online is not about keyboarding skills. There are variations in how fast and well a student can type, just as there are variations in how fast and well a student can write by hand. Ensuring students are familiar with using devices, typing on them and navigating through programs is a part of students’ everyday learning and a requirement of the Australian Curriculum. Students do not have to be able to touch type to successfully complete the test. Students can use wired or wireless keyboards with devices with a touchscreen keyboard, such as iPads. The Online National Assessment Platform website (https://www.assessform.edu.au/layouts/Technology/Devicerequirements.aspx) has up-to-date information about technical requirements and devices for NAPLAN Online. ACARA recommends an external keyboard for students completing the writing test on an iPad, provided the student is familiar with using an external keyboard in their day-to-day lessons. Schools are advised to ensure that students are familiar with the device they plan to use for the NAPLAN Online tests. Between 2012 and 2015, ACARA conducted a number of research trials into student engagement with aspects of online assessments and found that no students reported feeling penalised for typing their responses. Overall, students described typing as being easier for changing and correcting answers. ACARA research shows that online writing is similar to handwriting in terms of the quality of writing produced by students at each year level. It also shows that students generally appreciate the use of online features such as editing tools (noting that online features such as grammar and spell-check are disabled during NAPLAN testing). 

If you missed our Q&A on NAPLAN and the Australian Curriculum Review or would like to share the webinar, it is available on our Facebook page.

For more information for parents on NAPLAN try the following:

• www.nap.edu.au/naplan/parent-carer-support/ - includes information about adjustments for students who need them - which was a topic we received lots of questions about in the Q&

We also welcome your feedback, so please drop us an email if you have further questions - media@austparents.edu.au.