Australian NAPLAN Testing Halted by Tech Issues

Australia's national NAPLAN standardized testing for 1.4 million students was paused on its first day, Wednesday, due to widespread technology issues preventing students from logging onto the online platform. The Australian Curriculum, Assessment and Reporting Authority (Acara) confirmed the disruption, which affected schools nationwide.

The technical difficulties stemmed from the online platform managed by Education Services Australia. Acara advised schools to halt testing while the issue was investigated, providing support to minimize student impact. This year marks the full transition of NAPLAN tests to an online format, a process that began with trials in 2016 and became fully online in 2022, with the exception of Year 3 writing tests which remain paper-based.

Previous online NAPLAN tests in 2019 also experienced computer glitches, leading the Victorian government to permit a return to pen-and-paper assessments. Schools across Australia, including Erskine Park High School and Rooty Hill Public School in Western Sydney, communicated delays to parents, citing server issues and platform slowness.