The Assessment Platform enables assessments to be delivered online to students nationally. It will be used to support delivery of the National Assessment Program (NAP), and in particular National Assessment Program for Literacy and Numeracy (NAPLAN) and NAP sample assessments in science literacy, civics and citizenship and information and communication technology.

It will deliver assessments for up to 1 million students across 10,000 schools simultaneously for NAPLAN Online.

The platform’s technical components include:

  • student registration and management
  • assessment delivery, including item authoring, test construction, test administration and delivery and event reporting
  • automated essay scoring (artificial intelligence scoring)
  • longitudinal data storage, including long term reporting and analytics.

Benefits include:

  • adaptive tests that deliver targeted assessments, including the opportunity to broaden the range of skills and content currently assessed, with increased measurement precision
  • auto scoring and marking capability for enhanced items
  • support for students with disabilities including WCAG 2.0AA compliance and the ability to deliver alternative test items depending on individual student needs
  • support for multiple student devices types (Windows, Mac, iOS, Android and Chromebook)
  • multi-tenanted system in which each jurisdiction will own and have access to its own data
  • faster turnaround for reporting.

The platform adheres to high levels of data privacy and security, including Information Security Manual compliance. It has undergone an Information Security Registered Assessors Program (IRAP) assessment for certification.

ACARA logo   Australian Government Department of Education logo   NAP logo

Product history

The Australian Government Department of Education and Training is funding Education Services Australia to provide and develop the Assessment Platform to support delivery of the NAP and NAPLAN, including related trialing and research assessments.

Beginning in late 2014 the majority of the platform has now been developed and tested by jurisdictions. It has been used operationally to run NAP Sample, ACARA research and item trials and is due to be used for NAPLAN Online in 2018.

The project includes extensive national consultation with states and territories, via the Online Assessment Working Group and Program Managers Working Group for NAPLAN Online, to ensure that jurisdictions are informed and ready to integrate their existing systems and processes. It also includes consultation with ACARA, who are responsible for delivering NAP assessment and reporting services, including research projects.

Contact us

ESA can deliver:

  • product development services: program and contract management and outsourced development of multiple, integrated technical components
  • consultancy services: operational management of assessment events, including research and trials.

Email us at enquiries@esa.edu.au for more information.