A tech issue has thrown NAPLAN into chaos on its first day, with 1.4million students unable to sit for the test.
Testing was due to begin on Wednesday morning in more than 9,400 schools across the country, but had to be paused at numerous campuses.
Some students struggled to log onto the Australian Curriculum, Assessment and Reporting Authority (ACARA) online platform to complete their exams.
Parents of children at a Melbourne girls’ school were alerted to the technical issue, and assured their daughters would be supported.
‘Students will not be disadvantaged by these delays,’ the director of teaching and learning wrote in an email.
‘To support students, any affected sessions at our school will be paused and rescheduled where needed.’
An ACARA spokesman confirmed at lunchtime the problems had been resolved.
‘We apologise for the disruption to students and schools, and thank them for their patience,’ he said in a statement.
A tech issue has thrown NAPLAN into chaos on its first day, with 1.4million students unable to sit for the test (stock image)
‘NAPLAN testing has now resumed following a widespread issue earlier this morning, which affected students being able to log on to the online platform to complete their assessments.
‘We continue to monitor the platform to ensure students are able to complete their assessments without further issues.’
NAPLAN is a nationwide annual test on literacy and numeracy for Australians in Years 3, 5, 7 and 9.
Year 3 writing assessments were done on paper on Wednesday meaning they were unaffected by the technical issues.
During the chaos, teachers jumped on social media to criticise the system, with one user writing: ‘So frustrating. Waste of time.’
Another said: ‘Glad my Year 3s were writing by hand! Our Year 5s got online eventually, around 11.’
A third teacher added schools should ‘bring back paper tests’, to which one user added that it would solve both technology issues and concerns about cheating.
The National Assessment Program, which develops the tests, has a page on its website that addresses concerns, including what happens if a device stops working.
‘No student is disadvantaged if their device stops working during the test’ it said.
‘In the event the device stops working, all responses will have been saved and the student can complete their test on another device or in a rescheduled test session.’
NAPLAN testing was moved online in 2022 and, a year later, education ministers reformed the assessments – including holding them earlier in March rather than May.
The goal was to carry out the exams earlier so schools had an opportunity to provide additional support for students struggling with literacy and numeracy.
