Each year some students are chosen to participate in one of the three sample assessments that are an ongoing part of Australia's National Assessment Program (science literacy, civic and citizenship, or information and communication technology literacy).
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What are the NAP sample assessments?
Three sample assessments are administered nationally in Australia: NAP- Civics and Citizenship (NAP-CC), NAP-science literacy (NAP-SL), and NAP-Information and Communication Technology Literacy (NAP-ICTL).
Each assessment is administered once every three years on a rolling basis. Students set NAP- ICTL in 2022 (postponed from 2020 due to the COVID pandemic), followed by NAP- SL (2023) and NAP-CC (2024).
Why do Australian schools participate in the sample assessments?
The NAP sample assessments are part of the National Assessment Program, which is used to monitor and report on student achievement in a comparable and consistent way. The three sample assessments complements NAPLAN and international assessments by providing information on student progress in key learning areas.
Where are sample assessments results reported?
The national reports and data for all sample assessments are available on the National Assessment Program website hosted by the Australian Curriculum, Assessment and Reporting Authority (ACARA).
How are results from the sample assessments reported?
Each year, ACARA releases a detailed national report on the sample assessment from the previous year.
The national report includes a comparison of results for each jurisdiction, and a breakdown of the national results that shows how students in different demographic groups are achieving.
For each NAP sample assessment, the national report shows the results for students who are Indigenous or who come from a non-English speaking background. It also compares the performance of students by gender, where their school is located (major cities, regional, remote, very remote), and according to their parents' occupation and educational background.
More information: NAP-Civics and Citizenship
NAP-CC has been undertaken by a sample of Australian students in Year 6 and Year 10 every three years since 2004. The civics component of the test assesses students' knowledge of Australia's system of governance, such as how the judicial and political systems operate and our democratic processes. Under the citizenship section, students' knowledge of things such as their rights and responsibilities as an Australian citizen will be tested. Education council has determined that the NAP-CC assessment will be expanded to include history from the 2019 cycle.
More information about the civics and citizenship assessment is available on the ACARA website.
More information: NAP-Science Literacy
NAP-SL has been undertaken by a sample of Australian Year 6 students every three years since 2003. Students are assessed on how well they can apply their knowledge of science learnt at school to understand natural phenomena and to interpret reports written by the media and other sources about scientific issues.
More information about the science literacy assessment is available on the ACARA website.
More information: NAP-ICT Literacy
NAP-ICTL has been undertaken by a sample of Australian students in Year 6 and Year 10 every three years since 2005. Students are tested on their general ICT skills and knowledge, such as how to access and evaluate information and communicate with others. ACARA designs the NAP-ICTL assessment with a 'futures perspective' to ensure that the test keeps up to date with technological advances.
More information about the information and communication technology literacy assessment is available on the ACARA website.