Australia's education ministers have agreed that NAPLAN will return to a pen and paper test for year 5 students from 2028, with Car citing a lot of evidence suggesting 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 had agreed to shift year 5 NAPLAN writing to pen and paper, in addition to year 3 already using that format. Car is also pushing for tests in years 7 and 9 to follow suit, and the Australian Curriculum Assessment and Reporting Authority (ACARA), which administers NAPLAN, will provide advice on the matter.
"There is a lot of evidence to suggest that excessive screen time has been harmful for students and their outcomes," 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."
Australian students recorded their worst ever scores on the recent Programme for International Student Assessment (PISA) exams, which compare student performance globally. The testing showed Australian students were spending an average 2.6 hours per day using digital devices, compared to the OECD average of 1.7 hours.
Car said the change was about the evidence of how children learn. "They actually do better when they're writing pen to paper as opposed to typing on screen," she 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."
The 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," Car said, noting that from 2028, New South Wales will mandate screen time limits in classrooms, phased in from preschool to year 12 in the HSC year.
NAPLAN tests have consistently shown one third of Australian students are not meeting challenging but reasonable expectations in foundational literacy and numeracy, which one expert called a "national tragedy".
The Heads Up Alliance, a grassroots movement of parents lobbying against screen time, urged ministers to go further. Founder Dany Elachi said the state's announced screen time parameters and proposed NAPLAN reforms were “welcome steps in the right direction”, but added that “more will be needed to reverse the decline in Australian educational standards”. Elachi described the 2008 Digital Education Revolution as “in effect, a vast experiment on our children”, saying its results have become impossible to ignore.
Later today, education ministers are expected to release a communique which is expected to endorse a new federal super commission in part to address concerning year 12 dropout rates. Ministers were also considering reforms to the primary school maths curriculum and new additions to the national curriculum to address anti-Semitism.
Analysis
Why This Matters
- The shift back to pen and paper marks a significant reversal of the digital-first approach in Australian education, affecting how millions of students are assessed.
- The decision reflects growing parental and political concern about screen time's impact on learning, with potential implications for classroom technology policies nationwide.
- The broader digital detox agenda could reshape how schools integrate devices, with New South Wales leading mandatory screen time limits from preschool to Year 12.
Background
Australia's NAPLAN tests, administered by ACARA, assess students in years 3, 5, 7 and 9 in literacy and numeracy. The tests moved to an online platform in recent years, but concerns about screen time's effects on learning outcomes have been mounting, particularly after Australian students recorded their worst ever scores on the PISA exams. The 2008 Digital Education Revolution saw widespread introduction of computers and digital devices in Australian schools.
Key Perspectives
Prue Car (NSW Deputy Premier and Education Minister): says there is evidence that excessive screen time has been harmful to students, that students do better writing pen to paper, and that the assessment change will necessitate more classroom time being pen and paper rather than on computers. She confirmed the agreement includes working on a digital detox for Australian classrooms.
Heads Up Alliance (grassroots parent movement): says the screen time parameters and NAPLAN reforms are welcome but insufficient, and that more is needed to reverse declining educational standards. Founder Dany Elachi described the Digital Education Revolution of 2008 as a vast experiment on children whose results are now impossible to ignore.
What to Watch
- ACARA's advice on whether years 7 and 9 NAPLAN tests will also return to pen and paper.
- The formal communique from education ministers, expected later today, which may include details on the new federal super commission and curriculum reforms.
- The rollout of New South Wales' mandatory screen time limits from 2028 and whether other states follow its lead.
Checked
12 claims in this story checked against 1 source: 11 supported.
Show each claim
- SupportedNAPLAN year 5 testing will return to pen and paper from 2028.Just In: “Australia's education ministers have agreed that NAPLAN will return to a pen and paper test for year 5 students from 2028”
- Partly supportedEducation ministers agreed to work on a classroom digital detox.Just In: “Ms Car said education ministers have also agreed to a wider "digital detox" as part of a move towards evidence-based classroom practices.”
- SupportedNSW will introduce classroom screen-time limits from 2028, phased in from preschool to year 12 in the HSC year.Just In: “"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."”
- SupportedCar said there is a lot of evidence that excessive screen time has harmed students and their outcomes.Just In: “"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.”
- SupportedCar said ministers agreed to year 5 NAPLAN writing by pen and paper, in addition to year 3 already using that format.Just In: “"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."”
- SupportedCar is pushing for years 7 and 9 tests to be pen and paper, and ACARA will provide advice.Just In: “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.”
- SupportedAustralian students recorded their worst-ever scores on the recent PISA exams.Just In: “Australian students recorded their worst ever scores on the recent Programme for International Student Assessment (PISA) exams”
- SupportedAustralian students spent an average of 2.6 hours per day using digital devices, compared with the OECD average of 1.7 hours.Just In: “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.”
- SupportedCar said students do better writing by hand than typing, and that a pen-and-paper assessment would mean more classroom time using pen and paper.Just In: “"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."”
- SupportedNAPLAN tests have consistently shown one third of Australian students are not meeting expectations in foundational literacy and numeracy; one expert called this a “national tragedy”.Just In: “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".”
- SupportedHeads Up Alliance founder Dany Elachi called the screen-time parameters and proposed NAPLAN reforms welcome steps, but said more would be needed to reverse the decline in educational standards.Just In: “"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."”
- SupportedMinisters were considering primary maths curriculum reforms and national curriculum additions to address antisemitism.Just In: “Ministers were also considering reforms to the primary school maths curriculum and new additions to the national curriculum to address anti-Semitism.”