Category 3 and pre-qualification through Year 9 NAPLAN
Category 3 is how SCSA reports that a student has met the OLNA standard in a component. Students can also pre-qualify through Year 9 NAPLAN, so they do not need to sit that component. Check SCSA for the current NAPLAN threshold.
Last checked against the official sources.
Category 3 means the OLNA standard has been met in a component. A strong enough Year 9 NAPLAN result in a component can also count, so that component does not need to be sat.
Category 3
Category 3: the result SCSA reports when a student has shown Level 3 skills of the Australian Core Skills Framework in a component, either through the OLNA or through Year 9 NAPLAN pre-qualification.
Each of reading, writing and numeracy is reported separately. A student can have Category 3 in one component and still be working towards another.
Pre-qualification through Year 9 NAPLAN
SCSA explains that students may pre-qualify through the reading, writing and numeracy tests of Year 9 NAPLAN. A student who reaches the required result in a component is not required to sit that component of the OLNA.
For example, a student who pre-qualifies in reading and numeracy but not writing would only sit the writing component.
The threshold
SCSA's older parent information referred to a specific NAPLAN band. NAPLAN reporting changed in 2023, so we do not quote a threshold here. Please check SCSA for the current one.
Ask your school which components your child has pre-qualified for. Schools hold this information and can confirm it.
What this means in practice
Pre-qualification is about reducing unnecessary testing. For that component it counts as meeting the standard. It is not a ranking. Students who do not pre-qualify are scheduled for the OLNA, and this is common.
See windows and attempts for how scheduling works.
Details come from SCSA's parent information. Please confirm the current rules with SCSA and your school.