Proportion of children participating in the WALNA and NAPLAN testing in Years 3, 5, 7 and 9 by Indigenous status and cohort
| Testing domain | Non-Indigenous | Indigenous | ||
| Exposed (%) | Comparison (%) | Exposed (%) | Comparison (%) | |
| WALNA 1999–2007 | ||||
| Numeracy | 96.6 | 97.8 | 90.3 | 93.4 |
| Reading | 95.4 | 97.2 | 83.6 | 89.6 |
| Writing | 94.7 | 96.4 | 80.3 | 86.6 |
| Spelling | 96.5 | 97.8 | 85.4 | 91.1 |
| NAPLAN 2008–2011 | ||||
| Numeracy | 93.6 | 96.2 | 74.2 | 82.3 |
| Reading | 94.1 | 96.5 | 75.2 | 83.8 |
| Writing | 94.4 | 96.5 | 76.2 | 84.3 |
| Language conventions | 94.6 | 96.7 | 77.8 | 85.2 |
Notes: In WALNA testing, participation is estimated as the proportion who took the test over the total number of eligible students (either participated or absent). In NAPLAN testing, participation was estimated as the proportion of all assessed or exempt students over the total number of eligible students, including those who were absent or withdrawn. In NAPLAN testing, exempt students (who may have significant intellectual disability or a language background other than English) are classified as being below national minimum standard. Parents can apply to withdraw their child from NAPLAN testing on the basis of religious beliefs or philosophical objections.
NAPLAN, National Assessment Program – Literacy and Numeracy; WALNA, Western Australian Literacy and Numeracy Assessment.