As NAPLAN suffers technical problems, why are major tests done online?

By Jim Tognolini, Director, Centre for Educational Measurement and Assessment, University of Sydney

NAPLAN testing started with a technical glitch on Wednesday morning.

Schools were advised to pause the first day of assessments while a “widespread issue affecting students being able to log on to the online platform” was investigated. As at 11.30 AEDT, testing could resume.

Test administrators said there were measures to ensure students were not disadvantaged as a result of the glitch. But they also acknowledged it had “caused disruptions in a significant…

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