NAPLAN 2026 Update
12 March 2026 Update from ACARA CEO Stephen Gniel about the disruption caused on Day 1 of NAPLAN testing.
“I want to reiterate our apology for the disruption to testing yesterday and to sincerely thank our teachers and principals for supporting students and families.
“Testing resumed as of 1130 AEDT yesterday, and the system has since been operating as expected, with students successfully logging in and getting on with testing.
“Our NAPLAN technology provider Education Services Australia (ESA) is currently conducting a full and thorough investigation of the issue. Once this has been completed, we will have a fuller picture of the incident, including the number of students and schools impacted.
NAPLAN 2026: Statement from ACARA CEO following incident
11 March 2026 ACARA CEO Stephen Gniel statement apologising unreservedly for the disruption caused on Day 1 of NAPLAN testing.
ACARA became aware of a technical issue at approximately 0920 AEDT on 11 March 2026, which was affecting students being able to log on to the online platform to complete their NAPLAN assessments, which on day 1 is the writing assessment.
The issue was urgently investigated by the technology provider Education Services Australia who provide the platform. As per the tried and tested procedures ACARA has in place for such incidents, schools were advised to pause testing while the issue was investigated. At about 1115 AEDT Education Services Australia, confirmed that the issue had been resolved and provided advice that testing could be resumed. At approximately 1130 AEDT, schools were informed they were able to resume NAPLAN testing.
Schools and students set for 2026 NAPLAN tests
10 March 2026 The annual NAPLAN assessments begin tomorrow (Wednesday 11 March 2026), with around 1.4 million students expected to take the tests in over 9,400 schools and campuses across Australia.
NAPLAN is the only national assessment that helps teachers, parents and carers see how students in Years 3, 5, 7 and 9 are progressing in literacy and numeracy over time.
Once again, students in Years 5, 7 and 9 will be completing a second NAPLAN cycle since the annual test changed to being held in March instead of May and since the introduction of the new proficiency levels. This will give teachers, schools, education authorities and governments more data on how these students are faring as they progress through their schooling.
ACARA CEO Stephen Gniel said that there’s no need for students to study for the NAPLAN tests.
“The best preparation that kids can do is make sure they go to school regularly. Be engaged every day in their classroom learning, listen to their teachers and do their best. Parents and carers know how important literacy and numeracy skills are, so they can give extra support at home. There’s no need to study as it’s not a pass or fail test. This is about knowing where each student is up to.”
Read our media release (PDF 133 KB).
Efforts to raise numeracy skills through targeted review of Foundation to Year 2 Mathematics curriculum
02 March 2026 Education Ministers have accepted the recommendation of the Australian Curriculum, Assessment and Reporting Authority (ACARA) to conduct a targeted iterative review of the Australian Curriculum: Mathematics - Foundation to Year 2, as part of a national effort to improve numeracy skills.
Advice from ACARA, based on feedback from an extensive consultation with key stakeholders and partners, found that while there was considerable support for the current content in F-2 Mathematics, there were also opportunities to make improvements to better guide and support teachers in implementing the curriculum content in their classrooms.
Commenting on the iterative review for the F–2 Mathematics curriculum, ACARA CEO, Stephen Gniel, said:
“Although our initial consultations with stakeholders highlighted overall satisfaction with the current Mathematics curriculum, together we have also identified some key areas for refinement and improvement, which will now be the focus of this iterative review. Ultimately, this will help support our teachers to be more confident in teaching this important learning area, as well as deliver improvements for Australian students.”