This year's NAPLAN (National Assessment Program - Literacy and Numeracy) results show signs of improvement since 2023 in national numeracy levels for students in years five, seven and nine, but also highlights some areas requiring attention. Released by the Australian Curriculum, Assessment and Reporting Authority (ACARA) on 5 August, the results indicate that year three students did not show similar gains, with the average numeracy score for this level at its lowest since 2023. "Education ministers are addressing this through a range of measures, including the rollout of the national year one numeracy check," ACARA chief executive officer Stephen Gniel said. "ACARA is also playing its part by reviewing the foundation to year two mathematics curriculum at the direction of education ministers, to ensure our youngest learners get the strong grounding in mathematics and numeracy they need to succeed in their education and later in life." The 2026 NAPLAN results also showed that average reading scores in years five, seven and nine are lower than in 2025, and indicated a slight increase since 2023 in students needing additional support in reading and writing. A technical issue with the national NAPLAN platform affected the first day of testing this year, impacting schools on Australia's east coast and affecting the writing test and students in years five, seven and nine. Despite this, national average scores in writing remained similar to last year. Mr Gniel said it was disheartening to see disparities persisting over the years in the attainment of students from our regional and remote areas, Indigenous students, and those from a disadvantaged background. "This needs to be a continuing focus for all in the coming years," he said.
