NAPLAN and AARA Adjustments for Disability in QLD: How to Get What Your Child Is Entitled To

NAPLAN is a high-stakes assessment for every student. For students with disability, sitting NAPLAN without appropriate adjustments is not just unfair — it is a potential breach of the school's obligations under the Disability Standards for Education 2005 (DSE 2005). The adjustments are called Access Arrangements and Reasonable Adjustments (AARA), and they exist precisely to ensure the test measures what the student knows, not the impact of their disability on their performance.

If your child needs adjustments and the school hasn't applied for them, you need to act before the testing window opens. Here's how.

What AARA Is and Who Can Access It

Access Arrangements and Reasonable Adjustments (AARA) is the framework administered by the Queensland Curriculum and Assessment Authority (QCAA) that allows students with disability to access modified assessment conditions. AARA applies to:

• NAPLAN (National Assessment Program — Literacy and Numeracy): Years 3, 5, 7, and 9
• QCAA senior school-based assessments: External exams and school-based assessments in Queensland Certificate of Education (QCE) subjects
• Other QCAA-administered assessments

AARA is available to students with a documented disability or condition that affects their ability to demonstrate their knowledge under standard assessment conditions. This includes, but is not limited to: autism, ADHD, specific learning disabilities (dyslexia, dyscalculia), physical impairments, vision and hearing impairments, mental health conditions, chronic illness, and acquired brain injury.

What Adjustments Are Available

AARA adjustments are tailored to the student's specific disability. Common adjustments include:

Time-based: Extra time (typically an additional 5 minutes per half-hour of assessment), structured rest breaks, extended assessment windows.

Presentation: Reader, scribe, or assistive technology (text-to-speech, speech-to-text software); questions presented in alternative format.

Setting: Separate room or small-group supervision to reduce distraction; a familiar room or environment.

Physical: Ergonomic equipment, adjustable furniture, modified writing tools.

Cognitive load reduction: Permission to move during assessment; sensory aids; access to fidget tools with school authorisation.

The specific adjustments granted must be consistent with what the student uses in their daily learning. A student who has never used text-to-speech software in class cannot be expected to use it effectively in a NAPLAN sitting. This is why early advocacy matters — adjustments need to be embedded in daily practice before the assessment, not introduced at the last minute.

Who Applies and When

The school applies for AARA on the student's behalf. Parents do not submit applications directly to QCAA. The school's AARA coordinator (often the HOSES or a senior teacher) collects the documentation, completes the application, and submits it to QCAA within the required window.

NAPLAN deadlines are strict. Applications must be submitted before the NAPLAN testing window opens each year. Missing the deadline means your child sits the test without adjustments — there is no late application process. This makes proactive advocacy essential.

For senior school-based assessments (QCE subjects), AARA applications are typically made at the beginning of the senior school year (Year 11) and cover all assessments throughout the two-year senior program. These applications must also be submitted within the school's scheduled AARA window.

How to Advocate for AARA

Step 1: Identify whether your child currently has AARA in place. Ask the school's HOSES or AARA coordinator in writing: "Does [child's name] currently have AARA in place for NAPLAN / senior assessments? If so, what adjustments have been granted and what is the evidence reference for each adjustment?"

If AARA is not in place and you believe it should be, move immediately to Step 2.

Step 2: Gather the supporting documentation. AARA applications require:

• A diagnostic report from a qualified professional (psychologist, paediatrician, audiologist, etc.) confirming the disability or condition. For NAPLAN and most senior assessments, the report should be current — typically within the last two to three years.
• School-based evidence that the disability affects the student's performance under standard assessment conditions
• Documentation of the adjustments currently in use in the student's daily learning

Step 3: Write a formal request to the school. Address the HOSES and principal. State:

• Your child's disability and how it affects assessment performance
• That you are requesting the school submit an AARA application for the upcoming NAPLAN / senior assessment period
• The specific adjustments you are requesting and the evidence basis for each
• A deadline by which you need written confirmation that the application will be submitted

Frame the letter under the DSE 2005: "Under Part 6 of the Disability Standards for Education 2005 (Curriculum Development, Accreditation and Delivery), the school is obligated to make adjustments to assessment procedures to ensure my child can demonstrate their knowledge on the same basis as peers. I am requesting that the school submit an AARA application to QCAA for the upcoming [NAPLAN/assessment period]."

Step 4: Follow up on the application outcome. Once submitted, QCAA assesses the application and notifies the school of which adjustments have been granted. Ask the school to share the QCAA decision with you in writing so you know exactly what adjustments are approved.

When the School Refuses to Apply

If the school refuses to submit an AARA application — either claiming your child doesn't need adjustments, that the documentation isn't sufficient, or that they "don't do it that way" — your formal response should:

• Reiterate the school's obligation under DSE 2005 Part 6
• Note that NAPLAN adjustments are the school's administrative responsibility to secure and that failure to apply deprives your child of legal entitlements
• Set a deadline for written confirmation of action
• State that if the school does not act within the deadline, you will lodge a formal customer complaint under the Department of Education's Customer Complaints Management Procedure

For senior students, a school's failure to submit AARA before the submission window closes can have irreversible consequences — the student sits high-stakes assessments without the adjustments they are entitled to, potentially affecting their QCE score, ranking, and university entrance prospects. In this case, the urgency of the formal complaint is even higher.

After NAPLAN: Documenting What Happened

If your child sat NAPLAN without adjustments and you believe they should have had them, document the outcome — the score, the impact, and the circumstances. While you cannot retroactively apply for adjustments for a sitting that has already occurred, the evidence of harm strengthens any formal complaint and ensures the school takes the next assessment cycle seriously.

The Queensland Disability Advocacy Playbook includes AARA demand letter templates, formal requests for NAPLAN adjustment documentation, and complaint letters for schools that have failed to submit AARA applications within required windows. Get the complete toolkit at /au/queensland/advocacy/.

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