1. Subject Selection Evening Year 11 – 2015

2. Program Executive Principal: Wade Haynes
Introduction to Senior Phase of Learning
QCE
Pathways
Ranks
Senior Education & Training Plan
Senior Requirements
Prerequisites
Subject Selection

3. Key contacts Troy McMahon Deputy Principal Senior School
Anna Dollman
Head of Department Senior Schooling
Alison Read-Marczak
Vocational Education Coordinator
Michael Graves
Guidance Officer
Nicole Collins
Lauren Tull
Year 10 Coordinator 2014
Janice Head
Deputy Principal
Year 8

4. Senior Phase of Learning Years 10, 11 and 12
Our goal is for each student to have a meaningful pathway and to establish the foundations for a successful future. We expect each student to achieve a Queensland Certificate of Education (QCE).
Successful future – meaningful pathway.

5. Queensland Certificate of Education
A minimum of 12 credits from core at Sound Achievement (SA) or better
8 credits from core, preparatory, enrichment or advanced at SA or better
3 subjects of learning over 4 semesters
At least one semester of literacy and numeracy at SA
QCE does not influence tertiary entrance
Talk about subject changes here – if you have too many you can find yourself in strife.

7. Literacy and Numeracy requirement
Students not meeting the literacy or numeracy requirement by the end of Year 12 will not get a QCE regardless of overall points.

8. Pathways at Brisbane State High
ALL STUDENTS GET A QCE
Pathways: OP
Sit QCS + 5 Authority subjects
Can include a VET
Selection Rank
QTAC Selection Rank Recommended – VET
Additional learning options:
VET – school-based or external
Certificate III, IV or Diploma
School-based Apprenticeships & Traineeships
OP:
Most direct access to University and tertiary studies; generally more meaningful (opportunities) if….
VET Qual:
offers access to TAFE, University, Further Study, Employment
OP + VET:
You need a minimum of 5 authority subjects to be OP eligible, so you can combine this with either a school-based certificate or a TAFE course, which gives you an additional qualification

9. OP

10. What is an OP? OP = Overall Position OP1 (highest) to OP25 (lowest)
Achievement and Position are not the same thing.
OP = Overall Position
OP1 (highest) to OP25 (lowest)
Students seeking an OP:
Have a minimum of 20 semester units (5 Authority subjects x 4 semesters)
Study a minimum of 3 subjects continuously through Years 11 & 12
Sit the Queensland Core Skills Test (QCS)
You are selecting subjects for 2 years.
Changing a subject does not mean it ‘doesn’t count’
An OP Indicates how well a student has done in comparison to all other OP-eligible students in Queensland (rank order) and is used for tertiary entrance purposes only. Students are placed in one of 25 bands
To get an OP you must study a certain number of Authority subjects and satisfy other requirements including completion of Year 12 and the Queensland Core Skills (QCS) Test. The basic eligibility requirement is 20 semester units of credit in Authority subjects with at least three subjects taken for four semesters. Authority subjects are based on syllabuses that have been approved and issued by the QSA.
Commonly students undertake 6 OP (Authority) subjects with the top 5 contributing to the OP.

11. How are OPs calculated? 5 Achievement bands:
Achievement and Position are not the same thing.
5 Achievement bands:
Very High Achievement (VHA)
High Achievement (HA)
Sound Achievement (SA)
Limited Achievement (LA)
Very Limited Achievement (VLA)
Achievement bands separated into 10 rungs
This represents a rank order for this subject
You are selecting subjects for 2 years.
Changing a subject does not mean it ‘doesn’t count’
Each student is rated within a band in each subject
Very High Achievement (VHA)
High Achievement (HA)
Sound Achievement (SA)
Limited Achievement (LA)
Very Limited Achievement (VLA)
Levels of Achievement are assigned by the school and moderated by a statewide panel.

12. Each student assigned a SAI (subject achievement indicator).
Achievement and Position are not the same thing.
Each student assigned a SAI (subject achievement indicator).
Score between 400 and 200.
SAIs show individual achievement compared with the achievement of other students in each subject.
400
You are selecting subjects for 2 years.
Changing a subject does not mean it ‘doesn’t count’
The level of achievement is not the most important thing, you want to be as high as you possibly can be in comparison with others.
200

13. Scaling Achievement – Stage 1
Subject 1
Subject 2
Subject 3
Subject 4
Subject 5
Subject 6
Two stages of scaling then occur
In school – QCAA uses QCS test group data to scale each subject and establish an overall ‘school ladder’
Statewide – QCAA uses QCS test data for the whole school to compare State High with all other schools and establish an overall ‘State ladder’.
Your rank is given in a band from 1 – 25.
QCS Subject Results Applied

14. Scaling Achievement – Stage 1
Whole of BSHS ladder

15. Scaling Achievement – Stage 2
School 1
School 2
School 3
School 4
School 5
School 6
QCS School Results Applied

16. Scaling Achievement – Stage 2
Cut-off applied
OP Awarded
Some students may be ranked very highly within their VHA band in every subject, while others may be at the fringe.
QCS test performance can vary year to year.
Subject group performance on QCS test can vary from year to year.
Whole of Queensland ladder

17. OP Myths
Myth 1: To get an OP1, it's better to study some subjects than others
Myth 2: Students with 5 or more VHAs and an "A" on the QCS Test automatically get an OP1
Myth 3: Students with 5 SAIs of 400 will get an OP1
Myth 4: High achievers in a low-achieving group can't get a good OP
1 - All subjects are treated equally in the calculation of OPs. Any apparent inequality is the result of scaling, which takes into account the different overall capabilities of students in different subject groups and schools. To get a good OP, students must be ahead of strong competition. If the competition is not strong in some subjects, then a student needs to be a long way ahead of the other students to achieve a good OP.
It is possible to obtain an OP1 from any combination of subjects. However, students need to perform much better than other students in subjects where the competition is weak. An OP1 student must perform at the level of the top 2% of students in the state.
2 - Levels of Achievement cover fairly broad ranges of achievement. Not all students awarded Very High Achievements (VHAs) are at the same standard.  Some students may be at the top of the VHA range, while others may be doing just well enough to get a VHA. In addition, Levels of Achievement in different subjects do not represent equivalent standards.
To be awarded an OP1, students must be in the top 2% of all students in Queensland. There are many more students with 5 VHAs than there are OP1s.
3 - Not necessarily. In fact, usually not. An SAI of 400 only indicates that the student was the school's highest achieving student in that particular subject. This student may not be the best student overall in the school, nor among the top 2% of students in Queensland overall.
4 - A student who wants a good OP must demonstrate outstanding achievement. In a low-achieving group, this outstanding achievement would be reflected in a large gap between the SAI of that student and the SAIs of other students.
5 - The procedures followed for the calculation of OPs are exactly the same for students in every school. What a student needs to consider when comparing OPs is where they are placed, by their teachers, against what kind of competition. This applies whatever school a student attends.
Students, not schools, are awarded OPs. However, schools are not random collections of students. The quality, application and performance of students is unevenly distributed, so different performances at different schools is to be expected.
6 - The QSA has special procedures in place for small groups and small schools to ensure that this doesn't occur. SAIs are assigned differently, and the scaling processes are adjusted to make sure that OPs reflect students' performances fairly.
7 - It is important to realise that the QCS Test results are used in the scaling procedures only to determine where the group fits on the baseline scale. What matters for the individual student are their SAIs. A student's individual QCS Test result contributes to the group results for each of their subject-groups and their school-group. QCS Test data are used to provide scaling parameters for different subject-groups and for the whole cohort of OP-eligible students at a student's school. The individual student's QCS Test result contributes to that group data.
In determining the scaling parameters, the QSA checks to see whether any student has QCS Test results which seem quite different from their within-school performance - as might be the case if a high-achieving student were sick on one or both days of the QCS Test and did not perform as well as expected. The contribution of the QCS Test data of these students is down-weighted so that these unusual results will not distort the group's mean and spread on the test.

19. Vocational Education and Training

20. Registered Training Organisations
Vocational Pathways
Registered Training Organisations
TAFE or private providers
Certificate III or Certificate IV qualifications
1 day per week (5 school subjects)
QCE points (6-8)
Rank of 68 ( OP16)
Cost component
Direct entry options (eg. SBIT)
Students attend the training organisation one day a week. Only 5 subjects are selected for the school timetable, instead of the usual 6. Students can remain OP eligible and most certificate IIIs contribute 8 points towards the QCE. Students attend the registered training organisation one day per week. This qual is particularly useful for students who are considering a trade or access to further study.
Only 5 subjects are selected for the school timetable, instead of the usual 6.
Students can remain OP eligible and most Certificate IIIs contribute points towards the Queensland Certificate of Education (QCE). They can also achieve a rank of 68 or equivalent to an OP16.
Tuition Fees: significant
Some courses have direct entry (no QTAC application needed) and contribute credit points towards Diploma/Bachelor pathways at Southbank and MSIT.

21. Vocational Offerings: Brisbane
ALI - Friday

22. Vocational Offerings: Skillstech
ALI - Friday

23. Vocational Pathways School Based Apprenticeships and Traineeships
Certificate III level qualifications
Workplace 1 day / week (8 hours)
5 school subjects
Regular updates from apprenticeships centre – check regularly
Real life experience and employability skills and get paid to work
Work experience can offer opportunities
Ali – updates - costs
Another avenue of obtaining a Certificate III level qualification can be a school based traineeship or apprenticeship.
Students attend the workplace one day a week for 8 hours.
Select 5 subjects instead of the usual 6. Come into the I Block Vocational Education Centre in their study lessons.
Students can remain OP eligible.
Most Certificate III’s contribute points towards the QCE or provide a rank of 68 or equivalent to an OP16.

24. Example student programs
Student 1: External VET
Certificate III in Childcare completed while working one day a week at the local Community Childcare Centre.
5 Authority Subjects - OP
English, Drama, Modern History, MAA and French
Student 2: School-based Certificate
Certificate IV in Justice Studies studied at school.
English, MAA, Legal Studies, Accounting and Health Education
Anna to update – table format

25. Do I need an OP? What is your pathway?
How have you achieved so far? The single greatest measure of your future success is your current performance.
An OP is not the only route to further study.
If you have no intention on going to university directly after school then you do not need an OP.

26. QTAC Selection Rank
For OP students, your OP is converted to a selection rank OR
A rank score is calculated using weightings developed by QTAC – Queensland Tertiary Admission Centre
Qualification
Selection Rank
OP ‘equivalent’
Certificate III 68
15/16
Certificate IV 72
12/13
Diploma 82
8/9
AMEB Grade 7/8 84
If your R6 data says you are not well positioned in your group this may be a good option.
Check QTAC knows about any additional qualifications
Not all institutions participating In QTAC accept these schedules in the same way.

27. What are Bonus Ranks?
Languages, Maths C attract 2 bonus ranks
Senior Engineering Technology attracts 2 bonus ranks at QUT
University Study attracts 1 bonus rank
OP eligible or on a Selection Rank pathway
2013 OP
QTAC Rank 1 99 2 97 3 96 4 94
Example:-
A student with an OP 4 studying Italian and Maths C and completing a semester of study at University successfully will attract 5 Bonus Ranks. However Bonus Rank Schemes vary from university to university and interstate.
ESP UQ; Start QUT; Griffith GUESTs

28. SET Plans Senior Education & Training Plans Legislative requirement
Plan a successful pathway – mapping current achievement and future success and potential post school options
Interviews conducted Tuesday 2 September & Wednesday 3 September.
(mandatory)

29. SET Plan Bookings http://brisbaneshs.eq.edu.au/year-10-curriculum
You can access all of the information you need for SET plans through the year 10 Curriculum page. This includes the current Senior Course Guide, Senior prerequisites and a link through to PTO to make your SET plan appointment.

30. Senior requirements Post compulsory Meaningful pathways Attendance
Work completion
Participation
Certificate II in Active Volunteering (Year 11 ARC)
QCS preparation (Year 12 ARC)
Tutorial groups (Year 12 ARC)
QCS prep is for all OP students
Tutorial groups are for students on a selection rank pathway

31. Year 11 & 12 students:
Must study either English or English Communication
Must study either Maths A, Maths B or Prevocational Maths
Must study 6 subjects in both year 11 & 12
Choose any combination of 6 subjects (including English and Maths choices)
Studying Maths C must also study Maths B
Wishing to study Physics are strongly encouraged to study Maths B
QCS prep is for all OP students
Tutorial groups are for students on a selection rank pathway

32. Prerequisites
BSHS Website | Our School | Policies & Reports | Senior Schooling Policy
Enabling successful pathways
Ensure you check all prerequisites
Prerequisites are a success marker, which indicates your ability to successfully undertake a given subject
As outlined through assemblies and on previous information nights, students need to have meet prerequisites in Semester 1 in order to gain entry into some subjects at SET Plan. A full list of prerequisites is in the Senior Course Guide and on the school’s website.

33. Subject Selection Guidelines: Summary
Selections are completed online (OneSchool)
English Communication or English
Prevocational Maths, Maths A or Maths B
Be aware of the school prerequisites for senior subjects
Consider prerequisites for possible university courses
Choose subjects in which you have been successful and have an interest in pursuing in the next two years
Students are selecting six subjects for two years
Authority Subjects - Overall Position (OP subjects)
Authority Registered Subjects (non OP subjects)
Selections can only be done once a SET Plan interview has occurred.