Schools should discuss access arrangements and reasonable adjustments (AARA) with students, parents/carers, school staff and specialist personnel prior to the start of the NAPLAN tests to allow proper consideration of adjustments.
A Record of adjustment for disability form needs to be completed and signed by the principal and parent/carer after discussing the appropriate adjustment/s for the student. A copy of the completed and signed form must be given to parents/carers and the original form must be retained in the student’s file. The Record of adjustment for disability (school use only) form is available in the NAPLAN administration app (on the Forms and resources tab) and the NAPLAN AARA app (on the Home page).
- Principals and their delegates are expected to have read Section 6 of the National protocols for test administration .
- Principals may also consult the Guide for schools to assist students with disability to access NAPLAN for further advice.
- Schools are encouraged to use the NAPLAN public demonstration site to determine whether adjustments built into the NAP locked down browser (e.g. the magnification tool) can enable students with disability to access the tests on the same basis as other students.
The information below summarises school-approved AARA and is not a comprehensive guide. If you require assistance for adjustments not listed here, contact the QCAA.
Alternative items
Audio alternative items can be applied to the platform for students with disability. This will replace the audio files used in some spelling items with text passages.
Visual alternative items can be applied for students with disability who require simplified or enlarged images for easier viewing.
See Protocol 6.15 of the National protocols for test administration for more information.
Colour themes
Colour themes can be assigned to a student with disability who would normally access assessments copied onto coloured paper or used with colour overlays. Available themes contain black text and one of the following background colours:
- white
- blue
- lilac
- green
- yellow
See Protocol 6.15 of the National protocols for test administration for more information.
Extra time
Extra time may be provided for students with disability who normally require additional time to complete assessments.
The school-approved extra time adjustments for NAPLAN are:
- Extra time — one minute for every two minutes of test time
- Extra time — one minute for every three minutes of test time
- Extra time — one minute for every six minutes of test time.
Extra time — double the total test time does require QCAA approval.
Please note that only one type of extra time adjustment should be provided for a student.
See Protocol 6.13 of the National protocols for test administration for more information.
NAPLAN support person
A NAPLAN support person may be provided for students with disability to access the reading, conventions of language or numeracy tests. The support person may click or drag answers or type short responses or answers dictated by the student.
The NAPLAN support person must be a teacher or person officially engaged by the school to assist a student with disability.
See Protocol 6.12 of the National protocols for test administration for more information.
Oral/sign support
Students who are deaf, have a hearing impairment or are hard of hearing may access oral or signed communication. This support person must be a skilled and familiar communication partner for the student. They are permitted to read or sign the instructions in all tests.
Signing is only permitted in sections that can be read aloud to all students.
See Protocol 6.14 of the National protocols for test administration for more information.
Rest breaks
Rest breaks may be provided for students with disability who suffer fatigue, chronic pain or other health and medical issues that may require a break during the assessment.
It is recommended that no more than 10 minutes of rest time per half hour is applied.
The student must not have access to the test, working out paper, writing implements or devices (other than those that may be required for medical purposes) during this time.
See Protocol 6.13 of the National protocols for test administration for more information.
Key dates
For closing dates for specific NAPLAN AARA applications, please check the latest NAPLAN checklist. Subscribe to NAPLAN memos for notification of future updates.
- Last updated:
- 17 January 2024
