ACT Primary Schools to Introduce More Literacy and Numeracy Tests in 2026
Students in the first three years of primary school across the Australian Capital Territory will be required to sit more tests starting in 2026. This initiative is designed to ensure young learners are developing essential literacy and numeracy skills from an early age.
Stronger Foundations Policy Drives Change
The compulsory introduction of Progressive Assessment Tests, commonly known as PAT, forms a key component of the Stronger Foundations policy. This significant shift follows a comprehensive review into literacy and numeracy teaching practices within the territory's education system.
Education directorate deputy director general Angela Spence emphasised that early information gathering is crucial for identifying students who require additional support. "The more data that we have earlier on, we're more likely to help kids succeed," Ms Spence stated. "It's about early intervention and identifying kids that need those systems of support."
Addressing System Inconsistencies
While some schools have already been implementing the achievement test, the review highlighted the need for consistency across all public schools. The push for change gained momentum after parent groups advocated for science-backed methods of teaching reading.
Ms Spence noted that NAPLAN results have indicated the ACT public school system needs to focus on improving numeracy skills. However, NAPLAN primarily identifies concerns for students in grade 3 and above, making the PAT particularly valuable for earlier intervention.
Classroom Implementation and Teacher Support
At Calwell Primary School, year 1 and 2 teacher Liz Lozberias employs various engagement strategies including call and response techniques and repetition to maintain student focus during literacy lessons. The school follows a low variance curriculum, ensuring students in the same year level receive consistent instruction across different classes.
Calwell Primary School principal Ben Roberts observed significant improvements in student engagement once children develop confidence in reading. "Explicit, very structured teaching for numeracy and literacy was one part of the school day," Mr Roberts explained. "This is giving kids the knowledge and the skills and strategies to be able to access all the other parts of the day."
System-Wide Resource Development
The education directorate dedicated much of 2025 to ensuring schools had necessary resources for delivering explicit teaching, including additional teacher training. Ms Spence confirmed schools would be prepared for "strong implementation in 2026", addressing what she described as inconsistent investment across the system.
All year 1 students in 2025 were expected to complete a phonics check, representing another key recommendation from the literacy and numeracy review.
Creating Consistent Data Systems
The directorate is also working to implement uniform data systems across schools. Ms Spence revealed that during their review, the expert panel encountered schools using "crazy spreadsheets" to share information between teachers and across year levels.
As part of Stronger Foundations, the directorate plans to develop shared programs, lesson plans, and assessment tools to support workload reduction for educators. This approach would also maintain consistency when teachers transfer between different public schools.
Long-Term Educational Strategy
The implementation of explicit teaching resources will extend into ACT high schools over the next two years. The review report recommends mathematics be taught in a "systemic and sequential way across the school", clarifying that all subject teachers share responsibility for developing students' discipline-specific numeracy capabilities.
Improving numeracy achievement during primary and early secondary years could potentially reverse declining mathematics participation at college level, according to the report's findings.
