Naplan shows no obvious falls in literacy and numeracy during Covid, but city and country gap widens

Australia's latest Naplan study indicates first waves of pandemic did not cause a dramatic shift in outcomes, although experts are urging caution

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Australian schoolchildren's basic literacy and numeracy skills were relatively unscathed during first year of the Covid-19 pandemic, but gaps are widening between city students and those in regional and remote areas, the latest Naplan study has found.

Analysts for the annual National Assessment Program - Literacy and Numeracy (Naplan) National Report 2021 have said that no statistically significant changes were observed at a national and state or territory level in the data between 2019 and 2021, which encompasses the first major wave of Covid outbreaks across Australia, and Victoria's extended second lockdown.