NAPLAN is cancelled for 2020.
The country’s education ministers have announced the nationwide skills test for students in years three, five, seven and will not proceed due to coronavirus.
The test window was scheduled to be held from March 12-22.
The decision was made at today’s national cabinet meeting of federal, state and territory leaders.
“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,” the Education Council said in a statement.
“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 statement added that education departments and systems would continue to closely monitor the health advice as the coronavirus response develops.
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.
“Education ministers reiterated that the national cabinet has agreed, on the advice of the chief health and medical officers, that ‘pre-emptive closure of schools are not proportionate or effective as a public health intervention to prevent community transmission of COVID-19 at this time’,” the statement said.