NAPLAN returns to pen and paper after digital backlash

The National Assessment Program Literacy and Numeracy (NAPLAN) test assesses students on foundational knowledge in years 3, 5, 7 and 9 but scores have been consistently poor.

From 2028, the year 5 writing test will return to a pen and paper test instead of an online computer-based assessment.

Some experts and lobby groups want ministers to do the same for the writing tests in years 7 and 9 but ministers are yet to reach a decision.

Australia's education ministers have agreed that NAPLAN will return to a pen and paper test for year 5 students from 2028 in response to a growing backlash against technology in the classroom.

"There is a lot of evidence to suggest that excessive screen time has been harmful for students and their outcomes," New South Wales Deputy Premier and Education Minister Prue Car said.

"Ministers across the country have agreed that we work towards year 5 NAPLAN being writing with pen and paper, that will be in addition to year 3 already being pen and paper."

Ms Car is pushing for tests in years 7 and 9 to also be pen and paper tests and the Australian Curriculum Assessment and Reporting Authority (ACARA), which administers NAPLAN, will provide advice on this.

Australian students recorded their worst ever scores on the recent Programme for International Student Assessment (PISA) exams which compares student performance across the globe.

The testing revealed Australian students were spending an average 2.6 hours per day using digital devices compared to the OECD average of 1.7 hours per day.

"It's about the evidence of how children learn and they actually do better when they're writing pen to paper as opposed to typing on screen," Ms Car said.

"So making sure that the assessment is actually pen to paper will then necessitate more classroom time being pen and paper as opposed to a computer."

NAPLAN tests have also consistently shown one third of Australian students aren't meeting challenging but reasonable expectations in foundational literacy and numeracy which one expert called a "national tragedy".

Ms Car said education ministers have also agreed to a wider "digital detox" as part of a move towards evidence-based classroom practices.

"State and territory ministers and the Commonwealth have agreed to start work on a digital detox for Australian classrooms," Ms Car said.

"In New South Wales mandatorily from 2028, we're going forward with screen time limits in classrooms, phased in from preschool to year 12 in the HSC year."

The Heads Up Alliance, a grassroots movement of parents lobbying against screen time, urged ministers to go further.

"New South Wales' recently announced screen time parameters and proposed NAPLAN reforms are welcome steps in the right direction," founder Dany Elachi said.

"However, more will be needed to reverse the decline in Australian educational standards. It turns out that Australia's Digital Education Revolution of 2008 was, in effect, a vast experiment on our children. Today, the results of that experiment have become impossible to ignore."

Later today, education ministers will release a communique which is expected to endorse a new federal super commission in part to address concerning year 12 drop out rates.

Ministers were also considering reforms to the primary school maths curriculum and new additions to the national curriculum to address anti-Semitism.