 Hi, I'm Stanley Rabinowitz, the General Manager of Assessment and Reporting at Akara. On the 12th, 13th, and 14th of May, around one million students across the country will be participating in the National Assessment Program, Literacy and Numeracy Tests, or NAP plan as it's commonly called. If you're a parent of a student in years 3, 5, 7, or 9, you may be wondering what this means for you and your child. Firstly, NAP plan is about making sure that everything is going okay for your child in the important areas of literacy and numeracy. Good literacy and numeracy levels are fundamental areas of school learning, and if a child isn't going as well as they should in these areas, then adults need to be aware of this as soon as possible. Secondly, NAP plan isn't about surprises. What children learn in the classroom is what ends up in the tests. If you're worried about how your child will cope, remember that tests are not a new idea. Your child already takes regular spelling tests, math quizzes, or end-of-term exams. Before NAP plan, we had basic skills tests in each state and territory. What sets NAP plan apart from school-based testing is that it gives us a national snapshot of how children are performing compared to similar children in other schools. So let's keep NAP plan in perspective. In 13 years of schooling, NAP plan represents less than 16 hours of testing. That's over three days, four times in your child's school life. If your child continues with NAP plan in each opportunity, you can see their growth in literacy and numeracy across a seven-year schooling period. There's no other national school test that does this. Finally, I encourage you to see sample NAP plan tests for yourself on our website, www.NAP.adu.au. Here you can also access frequently asked questions, national reports, and further information on understanding NAP plan results.