{
  "id": 17864063,
  "title": "NAPLAN returns to pen and paper after digital backlash",
  "url": "https://urgent.news/2026/11/02/naplan-returns-to-pen-and-paper-after-digital-backlash",
  "topic": "world",
  "section": "World",
  "published": "2026-11-02T22:14:13.000Z",
  "source": {
    "name": "ABC News AU",
    "slug": "abc-news-au",
    "url": "https://www.abc.net.au/news/2026-11-03/naplan-test-returns-to-pen-and-paper-/107339724"
  },
  "original_language": "en",
  "account": "The National Assessment Program Literacy and Numeracy (NAPLAN) test, which evaluates foundational knowledge in years 3, 5, 7, and 9, has faced a digital backlash. Starting in 2028, year 5 writing tests will revert to a pen and paper format, rather than a digital, computer-based assessment. New South Wales Deputy Premier and Education Minister Prue Car, along with other education ministers, believes that excessive screen time has negatively impacted students and their outcomes. They propose that tests in years 7 and 9 should also be conducted on paper, as pen and paper assessments yield better results for students. The Australian Curriculum Assessment and Reporting Authority (ACARA), responsible for administering NAPLAN, will provide further advice on this matter. Australian students scored their lowest ever on the Programme for International Student Assessment (PISA) exams, indicating that students are spending an average of 2.6 hours per day using digital devices, compared to the OECD average of 1.7 hours. Car asserts that students perform better when writing pen to paper compared to typing on a screen, which has led to a national tragedy as one third of Australian students fail to meet basic literacy and numeracy expectations. Education ministers have agreed to initiate a \"digital detox\" as part of evidence-based classroom practices, aiming to reduce digital device usage in schools. In New South Wales, mandatory screen time limits for classrooms, beginning from preschool to year 12 in the HSC year, will be implemented from 2028. The Heads Up Alliance, a grassroots group of parents advocating against excessive screen time, encourages ministers to take further action. While these recent reforms are a step in the right direction, reversing the decline in Australian educational standards will require more significant measures. Education ministers are expected to announce a communique endorsing a new federal super commission to address concerning year 12 dropout rates, as well as reforms to the primary school maths curriculum and additions to the national curriculum to address anti-Semitism.",
  "summary": "Education ministers are blaming too much screen time for the declining performance of Australian students on international tests.",
  "key_points": [
    "NAPLAN writing tests revert to pen and paper from 2028",
    "Excessive screen time negatively impacts student outcomes",
    "Australian students scored lowest on PISA exams"
  ],
  "editors_take": null,
  "illustration": null,
  "coverage": {
    "outlets": 1,
    "also_reported_by": []
  },
  "ai_generated": true,
  "disclaimer": "Summaries, key points and the editor’s take are written by software from other outlets’ reporting and may contain errors — always check the linked original."
}