Subject Selection iBook - St Hildas School

SECTION 3
Appendix 3
Overall Position
OVERALL POSITION (OP)
An OP indicates a student’s statewide RANK order position
based on overall achievement in Authority subjects taken for
the Senior Certificate. To be eligible for an OP a student must
sit for the QCS Test and have studied 20 semesters of
Authority subjects including at least three of these subjects for
all four semesters. Subjects are weighted equally for OPs.
Subject Weights
An eligible student’s OP is reported as one of 25 bands from 1
(highest) to 25 (lowest).
The approximate distribution of students across the bands is:
Band 1
Bands 2 to 6
Bands 7 to 21
Bands 22 to 24
Band 25
about 2% of students
about 15% of students
about 70% of students
about 11% of students
about 2% of students
In addressing this topic, the assumption will be made, for
simplicity, that all subjects have 14 or more students (a
variation exists for groups with less than 14 students).
The calculation of OPs involves two stages of scaling: (i)
between subject-groups within a school and (ii) between
schools.
Eligibility for Field Positions
QUEENSLAND CORE SKILLS (QCS) TEST
The QCS Test is a statewide test available for Year 12 students.
It is not subject specific. but is based in common elements of
the Queensland senior curriculum (CCEs). Elements such as
Interpreting. Compiling, Estimating, Structuring/ Organising,
Extrapolating, Comparing, Hypothesising, Analysing,
Identifying and Sketching just to mention ten. It consists of
four papers over two days, for a total of seven hours, on the
Tuesday and Wednesday of the third last week of the third
term of the state school year. This is generally the first week
in September. The QCS Test makes use of three modes of
response: extended writing, multiple choice and short
response and it must be taken to be eligible for OPs and FPs.
The QCS Test has a dual function. The students' individual
results on the QCS Test are reported on the Senior Certificate
as a grade in the range A to E along with the Subject results as
Levels of Achievement. Secondly, a 'Schools' subject
performance results on the QCS Test are used in the scaling
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