As you may be aware, the NAPLAN testing was cancelled for 2020 due to the COVID-19 restrictions. NAPLAN is usually a great opportunity for Year 9 students to demonstrate their literacy and numeracy standard for their progress towards the achievement of the Western Australian Certificate of Education (WACE), if they can succeed in obtaining Band 8 or higher. Students that do not reach this Band level are required to sit the Online Literacy and Numeracy Assessment (OLNA) testing twice-yearly in Years 10, 11 and 12 until the literacy and numeracy standard is reached.
Rather than miss this opportunity to demonstrate the NAPLAN Band 8 achievement in Year 9, the School Curriculum and Standards Authority (SCSA) has made a special round of OLNA testing dates just for the Year 9 students:
Writing: Monday 10 August period 3 & 4 and on Tuesday 11 for those that missed out Monday
Reading: Monday 17 August period 3
Numeracy: Tuesday 18 August period 3
This is a wonderful chance for students to have ‘a free shot’ at the OLNA in 2020 and try hard to reach the literacy and numeracy test standard if they can. SCSA has made the opportunity to sit this OLNA testing in Year 9 2020 optional, however at Balga SHS we will assume that all Year 9 students would gain by taking this opportunity, and we would like you to encourage your children to see the value in:
- giving it their best effort so they can avoid testing at least one or more components of OLNA in the future.
- gaining experience in the OLNA format of testing, if they need to complete testing in Year 10, 11 or 12
- the school getting the diagnostic information that will help students pass OLNA in Year 10, 11 or 12 should they need to re-sit the tests
Alternative test dates are not available for schools or individuals who make arrangements to undertake camps, travel, work experience or other activities that prevent completion of the OLNA during the testing window of –
Writing: Monday 10 August – Tuesday 11 August 2020
Numeracy and Reading: Monday 10 August – Friday 28 August 2020
