How to organise a letter-writing campaign about test load

A letter-writing campaign to your district’s curriculum director about test load can turn a vague complaint into a request an official can act on. Its strength comes from shared evidence, respectful language and one clear request for review.

Australian parents must adapt the idea to local governance. Public schools sit with state or territory departments rather than a single national district, so first identify whether the concern belongs to a school, a regional office or a state curriculum director.

Find the decision-maker who can respond

Australia has no single system for the equivalent role. In Sydney, Melbourne and Brisbane, parents may need to approach a principal, a regional education manager or a state curriculum and assessment leader. Confirm the current title and official email through the school office or state education department rather than relying on an old address.

Start with the principal or deputy principal responsible for learning. If several schools face the same compulsory schedule, send the campaign to the relevant regional or state director and copy each principal. Keep a school-specific concern at school level; a state-wide burden needs a wider decision-maker.

Build an evidence file that respects privacy

Gather published standardised testing calendars, actual test dates, test length, online testing requirements, missed instruction and examples of classroom preparation. Separate mandatory tests from optional quizzes and teacher checks. A two-page summary with dates is more useful than a long collection of anecdotes.

Use Australian benchmarks to show the cumulative effect. NAPLAN runs in most states, while NSW uses equivalent state literacy and numeracy tests; many schools also schedule state assessments under locally implemented versions of the Australian Curriculum. Show how events overlap across a term rather than treating each exam as a separate concern.

Student data privacy requires care. Depending on the school’s status and jurisdiction, relevant rules may include the Privacy Act 1988 and Australian Privacy Principles for Commonwealth bodies, state or territory privacy statutes, and education legislation for public schools. Ask which policy applies, remove names from examples and use initials or age bands. Parents comparing campaigns elsewhere can read New Yorkers United for Kids’s summary of New York opt-out protections, but New York county resolutions and opt-out rules do not govern Australian schools.

Organise supporters around community routines

Build the group through channels Australian families already use: messages at school pickup, class WhatsApp groups, parent and community association meetings, and school newsletters. A community centre or public library can direct interested families to one contact point. Use a local council noticeboard, weekend community market or neighbourhood paper for wider reach, with one issue, deadline and opt-in address on every notice.

Keep the structure small: a coordinator, an evidence checker, a contact person and several signers. Set a two-week collection window and agree on facts before personal stories are shared. Obtain permission before quoting a child, never publish test results, and explain that participation is voluntary.

Write a letter that makes the decision clear

Each letter should make the requested decision unmistakable. Use a specific subject line, identify the schools involved, summarise the number and duration of mandatory tests, explain the effect on teaching and wellbeing, and ask for a defined response. A workable request might be an audit of the assessment calendar before the next planning cycle, a consolidated public calendar, or a review of consecutive testing days.

Use plain Australian English, avoid accusations and distinguish evidence from observations. Volunteers can use practical drafting guidance for a final clarity check, while one-page letters remain easier to read than attachments packed with every possible concern. Let each household send its own brief letter, and give officials a reasonable deadline without letting the deadline replace the actual request.

Deliver, document and follow up

Use official channels and keep a record. Email the submission to a published departmental inbox, attach accessible PDFs, and send a paper copy by Australia Post or hand delivery if appropriate. If an online form limits the message, put a concise summary there and attach the full letter only when instructions permit it.

Log each submission and response date in a shared tracker containing no unnecessary student details. If no answer arrives within ten working days, send one courteous follow-up, then approach the school council or parent association and the relevant state office. Report back honestly: a written rationale, clearer calendar or meeting can be useful gains even if the number of tests does not change.

An Australian campaign gains force from local knowledge: the correct decision-maker, the state assessment pattern, privacy obligations and the time testing takes from ordinary classroom learning. A tidy letter does not replace evidence, and a large pile of signatures does not replace a precise request.

What should remain is a clear record of the cumulative burden and a respectful request that student learning and wellbeing be weighed before another mandatory assessment is added.