 NAPPLAN will be held over three days in May for students in years 3, 5, 7 and 9. NAPPLAN is a vital tool for parents, educators and the public to see how Australia's children are meeting essential literacy and numeracy standards. It's a point-in-time snapshot assessment of a student's achievements in these important areas of learning. It doesn't try to replace tests that are regularly held in classrooms around the country. Rather, it complements these existing tests and adds a valuable national dimension. NAPPLAN has value for parents and teachers alike. Parents receive a detailed report on how their child is fairing in literacy and numeracy and how they compare to others in a year level and across Australia. In some states, the report also shows how a child is going compared to others in that state. Parents can use these reports to discuss any areas of achievement or concern with their child's teacher. For teachers, NAPPLAN gives a national measure of literacy and numeracy skills. It allows them to compare what they already know about the students in their class as a result of their own observations or in classroom assessments with NAPPLAN results. They can also use the results to tailor teaching programs if they wish. This year, NAPPLAN has been aligned to the Australian Curriculum English and the Australian Curriculum Mathematics. This means that teachers and students don't have to do anything different other than teaching and learning the everyday curriculum. What students learn about literacy and numeracy in the classroom is what is tested in NAPPLAN. For more information about NAPPLAN, including FAQs, fact sheets and example tests, visit our website www.NAPPLAN.EDU.AU