Parents, teachers and schools will now be able to access the latest information on this year's  National Assessment Program (NAP) and NAPLAN tests.

The NAP website contains information on key dates, FAQs, administrative requirements and sample test papers for NAPLAN tests in literacy and numeracy, as well as on NAP ICT Literacy.

NAPLAN is assessed annually across Years 3, 5, 7 and 9, and tests skills in reading, writing, spelling, grammar, punctuation and numeracy. All students across Australia complete these tests in May.

NAP Sample Assessments occur annually, over a three year rotation. This year ICT skills will be assessed against a sample of Years 6 and 10 students from randomly selected schools. These tests will be conducted between October and November 2011.

For more information, check the website: www.nap.edu.au.

Morning! 

I love to read, but I DON'T like having to pay a small fortune to do so. While I might not like shopping in a physical store or mall (think crowds, noise, parking, carting packages, BLAH!), I am a big fan, no, make that a HUGE fan of online shopping. 

No parking, no crowds, I can shop worldwide and get deliveries to the door.  What is NOT to like? 

Give me a computer with a network connection and I go into complete bargain-tracking mode. Some people might get a buzz out of asking shop assistants for a 'better price', but that's a little too assertive and overt for me. Give me shop bots for price comparisons, an Internet browser and open tabs, and, okay, let's face it, a willingness to leave dishes in the sink (or whatever other responsibilities await), and I become a mini-expert on whatever item I happen to be tracking down.