More than 200 000 students across Queensland will take part in the first national literacy and numeracy tests this year.
The tests will see all students in Years 3, 5, 7 and 9 sitting the same tests as their interstate counterparts, replacing the current state-based tests.
The tests, to be held in schools on 13, 14 and 15 May, will involve more than a million schoolchildren across Australia.
The move to national literacy and numeracy testing will involve Queensland Year 9 students for the first time. The test results will provide important information about how all state and non-state school students are performing in literacy and numeracy against national benchmarks.
However, they should be recognised as a one off, point-in-time result to be read in conjunction with ongoing teacher feedback and the semester report from the school as a more comprehensive record of student achievement.
Students will be familiar with the test formats and the type of questions they have to answer, as they will be similar to other types of assessment currently undertaken in schools.
The literacy assessment will focus on areas of reading, writing, spelling, punctuation and grammar.
Numeracy testing will cover measurement, chance and data, space, working mathematically, algebra function and pattern.
Parents and carers can best assist students by making them feel comfortable about the nature and purpose of the tests. They can assure their child that the assessments will give them an opportunity to show what they have learned in class.
Results from the tests will be used for reporting to parents, school reporting to their communities, and reporting by states and territories to form a national overview.
Holding the tests in May, which is earlier in the year than the former state-based assessment, will also help teachers identify key areas for learning during the rest of the school year.
The support that currently exists for students with special needs will be maintained to meet the needs of individual students.
Schools will make arrangements with the Test Administration Authority prior to the test period to ensure special provisions, such as test papers in Braille, can be arranged.
The decision to replace the state-based tests with the national tests was agreed to by all Australian education ministers last year.
The Queensland Studies Authority will administer the tests across Queensland in much the same way it manages the process for state-based assessment of numeracy and literacy standards.
For more information visit the Queensland Studies Authority - General information website 
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