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ACARA - NAPLAN Preliminary Results - Data Dictionary

This data dictionary was designed for the purpose of the online and downloadable reports. Should you need any
Data Insight
further information please email info@acara.edu.au

Data member name Description Additional type information

Absent students are students who did not sit the tests because they were not
Absent students present at school when the test was administered or were unable to sit the test
as a result of an accident or mishap.
An indication of the statistical uncertainty to expect when estimating population
Confidence intervals
parameters using statistics from a sample (eg a sample mean score).
A domain is the term used to describe a subject or learning area that is the
focus of a test. The five learning areas tested in NAPLAN are reading, writing,
spelling, grammar and punctuation, and numeracy. These are called test
Domain
domains. There are three domains for sample assessments: civics and
citizenship, information and communications technology literacy and science
literacy.
Mean The average result in an analysed data set.
The national minimum standard represents minimum performance standards in
NMS National minimum standard literacy and numeracy for a given year level, below which students will have
difficulty progressing satisfactorily at school.
A statistical measure defined as the average amount by which scores in a test
differ from the overall average score, that is, how ‘spread out’ the results are
S.D. Standard deviation
from the average result. The larger the standard deviation, the more spread out
the values are.
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National summary results are available for each domain and each year
level. Results are reported as a mean scale score and by performance
relating to the national minimum standard.

Please note: If you change the accompanying “Data” sheet, including

apply a filter or sort, the tables and graphs produced on the “Report”
sheet may become inaccurate.

Step 1: Should a security message

appear please click "Enable Editing"
(shown in the image below)

Step 2: Select relevant domain: click

on the domain name to reveal drop-
down list

Step 3: Select relevant year level: click

on the year level to reveal drop-down
list

Step 4: Refer to tables for relevant

data output
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Select domain Select year level

Reading 3

Table 1: Achievement of Year 3 students in reading, by state and territory, 2008, 2019 and 2021.
NSW Vic Qld WA SA Tas ACT NT Aust
412.3 419.9 371.1 386.7 400.5 401.2 421.0 306.6 400.5
2008 Final
(80.1) (74.9) (84.9) (87.7) (80.5) (84.2) (81.5) (134.1) (84.5)
Mean scale 435.1 445.0 425.3 425.1 419.6 421.9 441.4 349.6 432.2
2019 Final
score / (S.D.) (84.9) (82.4) (85.5) (86.5) (81.4) (90.1) (88.2) (126.7) (86.0)
442.6 451.3 426.4 425.9 426.1 425.7 445.2 367.4 437.3
2021 Preliminary
(88.3) (82.1) (88.0) (88.6) (85.0) (92.2) (88.9) (110.3) (87.8)

Table 2: Nature of the difference in achievement of Year 3 students in reading, by state and territory, 2008 vs.
2021 and 2019 vs. 2021.
Nature of the difference:
2008 vs. 2021
△ △ ▲ △ △ △ △ △ △
Nature of the difference:
2019 vs. 2021
■ ■ ■ ■ ■ ■ ■ ■ ■

Average achievement is substantially above and is statistically significantly different from the base year (or previous
▲ year) for this state/territory.
Average achievement is above and is statistically significantly different from the base year (or previous year) for this
△ state/territory.
Average achievement is close to or not statistically different from the base year (or previous year) for this
■ state/territory.
Average achievement is below and is statistically significantly different from the base year (or previous year) for this
▽ state/territory.
Average achievement is substantially below and is statistically significantly different from the base year (or previous
▼ year) for this state/territory.

Note: Caution should be taken when comparing performances within or across jurisdictions. A variety of factors can affect a
jurisdiction’s results in any given year, including the spread of students’ scores (standard deviation) and the number of students
assessed.
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Select year level

Percentage of Year 3 students at or above the national minimum standard in reading, writing, spelling,
grammar and punctuation, and numeracy, by state and territory.

Admin. Status of NSW Vic Qld WA SA Tas ACT NT Aust

Domain
Year Results % % % % % % % % %
2008 Final 95.1 95.2 87.1 89.4 91.5 92.8 94.4 62.7 92.1
Reading 2019 Final 96.6 96.6 96.0 95.6 94.6 94.6 96.0 72.7 95.9
2021 Preliminary 96.5 97.6 95.4 95.1 94.7 94.7 96.6 76.1 96.0
2011 Final 96.5 96.2 94.3 94.8 94.1 95.2 96.2 70.4 95.3
Writing 2019 Final 97.3 96.6 96.2 96.3 95.1 95.8 96.3 72.3 96.3
2021 Preliminary 97.2 99.0 95.9 96.8 95.5 96.0 96.2 72.7 96.9
2008 Final 96.1 95.4 87.4 89.4 91.1 92.4 93.7 61.4 92.5
Spelling 2019 Final 94.3 94.7 93.0 92.2 91.7 89.4 92.1 66.0 93.3
2021 Preliminary 94.2 95.9 91.9 91.4 91.5 88.5 92.6 67.1 93.2
Grammar 2008 Final 95.2 95.3 86.5 87.7 90.8 91.7 93.6 60.1 91.7
and
2019 Final 95.6 96.0 95.1 93.7 93.5 93.4 95.8 69.7 94.9
Punctuatio
n 2021 Preliminary 95.8 97.1 94.3 93.0 93.4 92.2 96.1 70.6 95.0
2008 Final 96.9 96.5 92.0 94.5 93.8 96.7 96.4 77.0 95.0
Numeracy 2019 Final 96.1 96.4 95.2 95.2 94.4 95.5 96.8 74.2 95.5
2021 Preliminary 96.2 97.2 95.4 95.2 94.9 95.8 96.9 73.1 95.8

Note: Caution should be taken when comparing performances within or across jurisdictions. A variety of factors can affect a
jurisdiction’s results in any given year, including the spread of students’ scores (standard deviation) and the number of
students assessed.