School students around Australia have begun their NAPLAN tests this week.

Amid technical glitches during the writing component of the exam on Wednesday, there has also been confusion about the purpose of the test.

Earlier this week, NAPLAN boss Stephen Gneil told the Sydney Morning Herald he was worried about how the test results are being used.

He said some private and select-entry government schools were using the NAPLAN results as part of enrolment applications.

I think it is horrendous, and it’s a complete misuse of the assessment. It’s not one of the purposes and therefore the test is not designed as an entrance exam and shouldn’t be used as such.

I think it is horrendous, and it’s a complete misuse of the assessment. It’s not one of the purposes and therefore the test is not designed as an entrance exam and shouldn’t be used as such.

So, what is NAPLAN designed to do?

NAPLAN is held every year for students in years 3, 5, 7 and 9. It measures how Australian students are performing in reading, writing, conventions of language (spelling, grammar and punctuation), and numeracy.

There are four proficiency levels for each area: exceeding, strong, developing and needs additional........

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