Education ministers have agreed to scrap online NAPLAN testing for all primary school students, with Year 5 moving back to pen and paper. The change is presented as a response to declining performance and backlash over using devices for tests.
Across the outlets, the emphasis is on the broader decision to reverse online testing and implement a pen-and-paper format from 2028. Several reports frame the shift as a national approach to address concerns about writing skills and test outcomes. One outlet also adds detail about the timing, saying the decision was made during a meeting.
One report focuses on the NSW government’s push to revert to pen-and-paper NAPLAN, describing support from experts and linking the reform to attempts to address a decline in writing skills. Overall, the coverage largely aligns on the direction of travel—away from online primary testing and back to paper—while varying in how much process detail is provided.
