Prior to graduation, all students enrolled in an Australian accredited initial teacher education (ITE) course* are expected to sit and meet the standards of the Literacy and Numeracy Test for Initial Teacher Education (LANTITE; the test) to demonstrate that they possess personal literacy and numeracy skills within the top 30 per cent of the Australian adult population. From 2024, students who are required to undertake the LANTITE are expected to attempt the test before the end of the first year of their ITE qualification. The test provides a nationally consistent way to assess aspects of an individual’s personal literacy and numeracy skills. From 2023, prospective ITE students can register to sit the test.
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*To confirm whether your ITE course is accredited under the Accreditation of Initial Teacher Education Programs in Australia: Standards and Procedures, please contact your ITE provider.
National Teacher Workforce Action Plan - LANTITE trial
On 15 December 2022, Education Ministers agreed to the National Teacher Workforce Action Plan (the Action Plan). The Action Plan includes actions across five priority areas, including strengthening ITE. Within this priority area, Action 11 requires the LANTITE trial to:
- increase the number of permitted test attempts and,
- provide better feedback to test participants on areas they need to improve when they have failed to meet the standard.
The national trial commenced from 2023 Test Window 4 (registration opened on 26 September) in Australia.
For more information on the trial, please visit the LANTITE trial webpage.
LANTITE data
Between 2016 and 2022, 137,147 individuals have attempted one or both components of the test. This figure comprises 134,170 individuals who sat both components of the test and 2,977 individuals who sat either the literacy or numeracy component of the test.
The tables below show the number of first time test candidates by year of registration and the percentage of those who met the standard on their first attempt and in their year of registration (note a candidate may have had one or more attempts in their year of registration).
Literacy component
| Year of registration | Total first-time test candidates | % met the standard at their first attempt | % met the standard in their first year of registration |
|---|---|---|---|
| 2016 | 13,083 | 93.3% | 95.2% |
| 2017 | 23,387 | 89.2% | 92.0% |
| 2018 | 22,060 | 87.5% | 90.5% |
| 2019 | 20,670 | 88.7% | 91.7% |
| 2020 | 16,510 | 89.6% | 91.8% |
| 2021 | 20,891 | 90.6% | 92.9% |
| 2022 | 19,263 | 90.3% | 93.0% |
| Year of registration | % met the standard at their first attempt | % met the standard in their first year of registration |
|---|---|---|
| 2016 | 93.3 | 95.2 |
| 2017 | 89.2 | 92 |
| 2018 | 87.5 | 90.5 |
| 2019 | 88.7 | 91.7 |
| 2020 | 89.6 | 91.8 |
| 2021 | 90.6 | 92.9 |
| 2022 | 90.3 | 93 |
Numeracy component
| Year of registration | Total first-time test candidates | % met the standard at their first attempt | % met the standard in their first year of registration |
|---|---|---|---|
| 2016 | 13,084 | 92.4% | 94.2% |
| 2017 | 23,465 | 90.0% | 92.3% |
| 2018 | 22,006 | 87.4% | 90.0% |
| 2019 | 20,702 | 87.7% | 90.7% |
| 2020 | 16,313 | 89.7% | 91.9% |
| 2021 | 20,720 | 90.7% | 93.0% |
| 2022 | 19,163 | 92.1% | 94.2% |
| Year of registration | % met the standard at their first attempt | % met the standard in their first year of registration |
|---|---|---|
| 2016 | 92.4 | 94.2 |
| 2017 | 90 | 92.3 |
| 2018 | 87.4 | 90 |
| 2019 | 87.7 | 90.7 |
| 2020 | 89.7 | 91.9 |
| 2021 | 90.7 | 93 |
| 2022 | 92.1 | 94.2 |
Note: *The decline in the pass rates of first-attempt candidates from 2016 to 2018 reflects the introduction of revised test standards in mid-2017.
**There were fewer test candidates in 2020 due to the impact of the COVID-19 pandemic on test operations. Many physical testing centres were closed, and the May 2020 test window was conducted completely online.
The test requirement
Ensuring the capability of teachers is vital to raising the overall quality of Australia’s school system and lifting student outcomes. Action to improve the quality of teachers in Australian schools must begin when teachers are first prepared for the profession.
For teachers, strong personal literacy and numeracy skills are an essential part of the attributes and skills needed to be effective in the classroom. They are also necessary to foster the development of these critical skills in students, providing the building blocks for future learning.
The requirement that all students enrolled in an accredited ITE course possess personal literacy and numeracy skills in the top 30 per cent of the adult population has been in place since 2011 when all Education Ministers agreed to the updated Accreditation of initial teacher education programs in Australia. In 2015, all Education Ministers agreed that from 1 July 2016 the test would be used as the means to demonstrate students have achieved this standard.
The test standard of literacy and numeracy achievement equivalent to the top 30 per cent of the Australian adult population was empirically validated in 2017 with reference to the Organisation for Economic Co-operation and Development Programme for the International Assessment of Adult Competencies. The test has been developed with reference to the Australian Core Skills Framework, the key measure for the Australian Government’s Skills for Education and Employment program. The test has been created in consultation with teacher educators from the higher education sector and represents literacy and numeracy tasks and contexts that can reasonably be expected to be within the professional experience of teachers.
In December 2023, Education Ministers agreed to amend the Accreditation Standards of Initial Teacher Education Programs in Australia: Standards and Procedures to reflect that ITE students are expected to sit the LANTITE in the first year of their ITE qualification. Any ITE student undertaking an accredited qualification that enables them to register to teach in an Australian school setting is expected to meet the standard of the test prior to graduation.
Sitting the test
The Australian Council for Educational Research (ACER) is the test administrator and is responsible for delivering the test in selected testing centres across Australia and through an invigilated online environment (remote proctoring). The test is held during set test windows throughout the year. Students seeking up-to-date information on the test, including test dates, locations, information about reasonable adjustments and registration procedures, should refer to ACER’s test website.
The test has two components: a literacy component and a numeracy component. Students are required to register for the test on the ACER test website and pay the test fee at the time of registration.
To assist candidates to prepare for the test, ACER offers a range of resources on ACER’s test website. This includes full size practice tests, as well as retired test items, practice questions and a Described Proficiency Scale which describes the skills assessed by the test and how candidates’ achievement of the standard required by the test is determined.
While a trial on test limits is currently underway until August 2024 ,ordinarily, enrolled students attending a higher education provider had up to three opportunities to demonstrate that they met the standard in each test component. Higher education providers could request up to two additional resit attempts for an individual student in special or extenuating circumstances. These test limits may be reapplied at the end of the trial.
Prospective students
Individuals who are planning to enrol in an ITE course can now sit the test before they commence their studies. This includes Year 11 and 12 students, recent school graduates, mature age or mid-career people and people enrolled in pathway courses. Sitting the test before enrolling in an ITE course is optional. For prospective and unenrolled students there is no limit on the number of test attempts. Meeting the test standard as a prospective or unenrolled student does not guarantee entry into an ITE degree.
More information
For more information about the LANTITE trial, see the trial website or see the following Frequently Asked Questions documents:
- frequently asked question on the Action Plan LANTITE trial
- frequently asked questions for enrolled students (does not include LANTITE trial specific information)
- frequently asked questions for prospective/unenrolled students (does not include LANTITE trial specific information)