Year 1 Number Screening Check
The Year 1 Number Screening Check is a short assessment that tells teachers how students are progressing in number sense.
About the Year 1 Number Screening Check
The Year 1 Number Screening Check is a short, one-to-one assessment focused on understanding a student's ability in number sense. Developing early number sense is a critical foundation for building later mathematical understanding and success.
The short, department-developed screener takes approximately 15 minutes and is administered by classroom teachers with each student individually.
Student responses are mapped to the NSW K-10 Mathematics Syllabus outcomes and indicators from the National Numeracy Learning Progression, with student information available in ALAN reports and in PLAN2 upon lodging the assessment.
The Year 1 Number Screening Check complements existing assessment practices to identify students' progress in developing foundational numeracy skills.
Participation
All Year 1 students in NSW department schools are required to complete the Year 1 Number Screening Check. Schools complete the assessment mid Term 2 each year.
Assessment window
The Year 1 Number Screening Check is held in Term 2 Weeks 4 to 6 each year.
The 2026 window is 11 to 29 May.
The following video provides a brief overview of the Year 1 Number Screening Check.
Narrator
The Year 1 Number Screening Check is a one-on-one assessment of students' ability in number sense. The screener takes 10 to 15 minutes and is administered to all Year 1 students in Weeks 4 to 6 of Term 2. This allows students enough time to build a strong foundation in number sense, but early enough to benefit from interventions and targeted teaching. Schools receive all materials needed to administer the screener.
Susan Craig
I think it's a really valuable thing to do early in Year 1. So, if we can, right at the beginning of Stage 1, identify what their understandings of operations and numbers are and how they use them, then we can plan interventions that should see them finish Stage 1 with all the skills that they need.
Narrator
The screener aligns with the NSW K-10 Mathematics Syllabus and the National Numeracy Learning Progression. It assesses 3 key areas of number sense. Number knowledge: A child's ability to recognise, understand, and use numbers in both symbolic and non-symbolic forms. Number relations: Understanding the interconnections and comparative relationships between numbers. Number operations: Focusing on early arithmetic, including combining and separating quantities and part-part-whole knowledge. Teachers administer the screener using an online tool accessed via ALAN. Once student responses are lodged, results are available in the tool and PLAN2.
Vicky Unsworth
I can spot patterns of what's going on with my children and then tailor my teaching towards them, so I can really pinpoint what they need and then use the resources that are provided as well to target those gaps in their learning.
Narrator
The Year 1 Number Screening Check complements existing assessment strategies to identify how students are progressing in their early numeracy skills.
Lisa Haller
The Number Screening Check provides another source of information for our teachers, which they can triangulate against the data that's collected on everyday basis. It very much informs that consistent judgement and also where to next for the learning for individual students.
Narrator
For further information, visit the Literacy and Numeracy website or contact Literacy and Numeracy at literacy.numeracy@det.nsw.edu.au.
Resources and support
Visit Year 1 Number Screening Check – resources for support in administering the assessment. There are links to professional learning, resources and guides, and information on where to find support for targeted teaching in the classroom following the assessment.
Information for families and carers
Schools can use the following content in their newsletters to advise families and carers about the Year 1 Number Screening Check..
The Year 1 Number Screening Check is a short statewide assessment that tells teachers how your child is progressing in early number sense. Some children find developing number sense challenging, so it is important these children are identified quickly. The main purpose of the screener is to provide your child’s teacher with information which will allow them to plan for your child’s learning and any specific support they may need. Your child will sit with the class teacher and will be asked to answer 30 questions. The screener normally takes up to 15 minutes. If your child is struggling the teacher will stop the screener. The screener is carefully designed not to be stressful for your child.
What is number sense?
Number sense is the ability to understand, relate to, and work with numbers effectively to participate in daily life and make sense of the world. It supports your child to understand more complex mathematical concepts in the later years of primary school and high school.
If you have any questions relating to the Year 1 Number Screening Check, please speak to your child’s class teacher.
Year 1 Number Screening Check – Information to parents and carers – English (PDF 1078KB) | translated versions.