 NAPPLAN, the National Literacy and Numeracy Tests, taken by students in years 3, 5, 7 and 9 around the country, is moving from paper based tests to computer based tests. It's a big undertaking and you may be wondering why it's happening. NAPPLAN is a valuable tool that tests literacy and numeracy skills as taught in classrooms, important skills which are needed well into adulthood. It's the only national test that lets you see how your child is growing and achieving in these key areas over a seven year schooling period. Technology is present everywhere and more children have access to it at school or home. So it makes sense that we use it to our advantage when it comes to educating and preparing our children for the future. We'll use the technology to improve the NAPPLAN test through what is called the tailored or adaptive test design. This means students won't all be seeing the same test questions. As they progress through the test, they'll be given questions better suited to their individual abilities. A child who may be struggling during the assessment will be given questions that better reflect their achievement, building their confidence by allowing them to show us what they know, not just what they don't know. Similarly, high achieving students will be given more challenging questions so they can show us all what they can do. Because of this tailored test design, the results will be more precise and give a lot more insight into your child's achievement. The online test will take advantage of technology in ways that are not possible with paper. We will be able to test not only what students know but whether they can apply this knowledge to solve real world problems. Our research shows that students find these types of questions more engaging and are motivated by the experience of doing their tests on computers. For more information visit www.nap.edu.au or email naplinonline at akara.edu.au