NAPLAN Adjustments for Students with Disability in SA: What You're Entitled To

Most parents only discover NAPLAN adjustments exist when it is already too late to apply for them. The testing window opens, their child sits the assessment under standard conditions, and the results reflect the absence of support rather than the child's actual capability. That pattern is entirely avoidable — but only if you know the system and push the school to act before the deadline.

This post explains what adjustments are available, who is eligible under South Australian and federal frameworks, how the application process works, and what to do if your school has not acted.

What Are NAPLAN Disability Adjustments?

NAPLAN is administered nationally in Years 3, 5, 7 and 9. For students with disabilities, the Disability Standards for Education 2005 (Cth) (DSE) requires that schools make reasonable adjustments to ensure students can participate on the same basis as peers without disabilities. Within NAPLAN, these adjustments are formally called Disability Adjustment Codes (DACs).

DACs are not about giving students an unfair advantage. They are about removing barriers that would otherwise prevent the test from accurately measuring what the student knows. A student with dyslexia who struggles to decode print at speed is not being measured on reading when they sit a standard test — they are being measured on their disability. Adjustments correct that inequity.

The National Assessment Program administers NAPLAN through an online platform, which in itself provides some built-in accessibility features (font size adjustment, colour contrast). But DACs go further and are applied at the school level, with authorisation through the relevant state testing authority.

Who Is Eligible for NAPLAN Adjustments in SA?

Eligibility is deliberately broad. Any student who has a disability as defined under the Disability Discrimination Act 1992 (Cth) and who normally receives adjustments in the classroom may be eligible for corresponding NAPLAN adjustments.

The key principle is consistency: adjustments approved for NAPLAN must reflect what the student already uses in day-to-day learning. A school cannot apply for NAPLAN extra time for a student who has never been documented as needing extra time in class. Conversely, if a student uses text-to-speech software daily as part of their One Plan, the school has a strong case — and a legal obligation — to request the equivalent DAC.

Relevant disability categories include but are not limited to:

• Autism Spectrum Disorder (ASD)
• ADHD and executive dysfunction
• Specific learning disabilities (dyslexia, dyscalculia, dysgraphia)
• Intellectual disability
• Physical disability affecting motor control or stamina
• Sensory disability (vision or hearing impairment)
• Anxiety disorders that constitute a psychosocial disability under the DSE
• Chronic health conditions affecting concentration or stamina

Students do not need a formal medical diagnosis to access adjustments — they need documented evidence of functional need and existing adjustments already being provided. That documentation is your One Plan.

What Adjustments Are Available?

The National Assessment Program recognises several categories of NAPLAN adjustment. In practice, the most commonly applied in SA schools include:

Extra time — Typically 10 minutes per session. Available for students whose disability affects processing speed, writing output, or stamina. This is the most frequently requested adjustment.

Rest breaks — Scheduled pauses within a test session, allowing a student to regulate before continuing. Particularly relevant for students with anxiety, ADHD, or chronic fatigue conditions.

Reader — A human reader (or text-to-speech function) reads test questions aloud. Available for students with reading disabilities or vision impairment. Note: for the reading component, a reader may not be available in the same format due to the nature of what is being assessed.

Scribe — A human scribe records the student's verbal responses. Available for students with physical disabilities affecting writing, or significant dysgraphia. The student dictates; the scribe transcribes verbatim.

Assistive technology — Use of software or hardware the student regularly uses in the classroom, including screen readers, alternative keyboards, voice-to-text tools, or augmentative and alternative communication (AAC) devices.

Colour overlays or modified colour contrast — Available for students with visual processing difficulties.

Separate supervision — The student sits the test in a smaller group or separate room to reduce sensory load or distraction. Particularly relevant for students with ASD, anxiety, or sensory processing differences.

Large print or braille — For students with vision impairment.

Multiple adjustments can be applied in combination. A student with ADHD and dysgraphia might receive extra time, rest breaks, and a scribe simultaneously.

How NAPLAN Adjustments Connect to the One Plan

If your child has a One Plan in place, that document is the foundation of any NAPLAN adjustment application. The adjustments listed in the One Plan — extra time for assessments, access to text-to-speech, use of a scribe — directly inform which DACs the school can legitimately apply for.

This is why it matters that your child's One Plan is accurate and current before the NAPLAN testing period. If the One Plan documents that your child receives extended time for all written assessments, the school has clear grounds to request the corresponding DAC. If the One Plan is vague or out of date, the school may claim there is insufficient evidence to support an application.

The One Plan process in SA requires annual review at minimum, but you can — and should — request a review at any time. If NAPLAN is approaching and your child's adjustments are not documented, request an urgent review meeting in writing and cite the DSE 2005 obligation to consult and make reasonable adjustments.

How Does the Application Process Work?

In South Australia, NAPLAN adjustment applications are managed at the school level. The school's NAPLAN coordinator (often the deputy principal or inclusion coordinator) submits applications through the national platform ahead of each testing year. The deadline typically falls several weeks before testing begins — schools are notified of exact dates by the SA Department for Education.

This means the burden falls almost entirely on the school to initiate the process, identify eligible students, gather the relevant evidence, and submit applications in time. Parents are not able to submit applications independently.

The practical implication: you need to raise this with the school early. Do not wait for the school to proactively approach you. In the lead-up to NAPLAN each year, email your child's inclusion coordinator or principal and ask directly: "Is the school planning to apply for NAPLAN adjustments for my child? If so, which adjustments are being sought, and what documentation does the school need from us?"

Put that question in writing, and keep a copy.

What to Do If the School Has Not Applied

If you discover the school has not applied for adjustments your child is entitled to, or has applied for fewer than are warranted, you have options.

First, if the application window is still open: write to the school immediately, citing the specific adjustments your child already receives in the classroom and requesting confirmation that corresponding DACs have been submitted. Attach a copy of the relevant One Plan sections.

Second, if the window has closed: document the failure and request a written explanation from the principal of why no application was made. Schools have an obligation under the DSE to ensure students with disabilities can participate in NAPLAN on an equitable basis. Failure to apply for adjustments a student requires is a breach of that obligation.

You can escalate this to the Department for Education's Customer Feedback Team (1800 677 435) as a formal complaint. Organisations such as DACSSA can assist with navigating this process, though be aware their individual advocacy waitlist can extend to 10 weeks — a reason to act early rather than reactively.

Securing Adjustments When Evidence Is Thin

The most common obstacle parents face is schools claiming they lack sufficient evidence to support a DAC application — particularly when a formal diagnosis is pending or the student has been coping without documented adjustments.

The research is clear: 38% of students in SA wait more than six months for an educational psychologist assessment through the Department for Education, with some waiting up to two years. You cannot afford to wait for that assessment before NAPLAN.

If a private assessment is accessible through NDIS funding or a Medicare Chronic Disease Management plan, a psychologist or allied health professional's report documenting functional limitations in timed assessment conditions provides exactly the kind of evidence a school needs to submit a DAC application. Bring that report to the school and request it be incorporated into the One Plan immediately.

The South Australia Disability Advocacy Playbook includes a ready-to-use template for requesting NAPLAN adjustment applications in writing, along with the specific DSE language schools are legally required to respond to. Get the complete toolkit before the next testing cycle opens.

The Bigger Picture: NAPLAN Is One Battle

NAPLAN adjustments are important, but they are symptomatic of a larger issue: whether your child's school is consistently documenting and delivering the adjustments they are entitled to every day.

If the One Plan is current, detailed, and being implemented, NAPLAN adjustments follow naturally. If the One Plan is a vague, rarely-reviewed document, every high-stakes moment — NAPLAN, external assessments, school transitions — exposes the gap.

The goal is not just a single test cycle with the right adjustments in place. It is a school environment where your child's needs are accurately documented, properly funded, and genuinely delivered. Everything else flows from that.

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