Changes to processes of Rank Score calculation for Queensland Tertiary Entrance from 2010

1. Changes to processes of Rank Score calculation for Queensland Tertiary Entrance from 2010 John Bright Head of Department, Science Browns Plain State High School

2. Changes to Rank Score processes Prior to 2010, students who were OP ineligible, but who had 20 semester units from Authority subjects, Authority-registered subjects and approved competencies from VET certificates and who remained at school until the prescribed date to qualify for a Senior Certificate or QCE were able to apply for tertiary places and were allocated places according to their Rank Score. Unlike OP eligible students who are advised of their OP, students were not notified of their Rank Score unless they requested it from the QSA.

3. OP ineligible Point Value Comparisons

4. A significant point to note is that • every Authority subject received the same credit for a particular level of achievement • every Authority registered subject likewise received the same credit for a particular LOA • Likewise for all embedded competencies and likewise for all stand-alone competencies.

5. From 2010 the process for determining Rank Scores has changed. Probably the most significant change is that, based on QSA data derived from the QCS test, authority subjects are awarded different levels of credit that reflects their “difficulty”.

7. In the past, it has not been uncommon for schools to suggest that students who were likely to receive OPs in the lower ranges make themselves ineligible for an OP. • If the students were performing to a reasonable level of achievement in their subjects they frequently benefited from a Rank Score that had an “OP equivalence” significantly better than the OP the student would have achieved as an OP eligible student.

8. Example 2009 Rank calculation

9. Example 2010 Rank calculation

10. Clearly the new system does not provide students with moving from OP eligible status with the same advantage that was previously accrued.

11. A second significant change that has occurred is that students do not need to have 20 semesters of credit to become eligible for a Rank Score. • However, a student’s weighted average semester score (used to determine their Rank Score) is reduced by the fraction of 20 semesters credit that the student has achieved. If a student completed only 15 semesters of study their Rank Score would be calculated using 0.75 of their weighted average semester score.

12. An interesting outcome of this rule change is that an able student who for personal reasons might be placed on a VPR (3 year Senior) can achieve quite impressive results based on 2 years of success in more challenging subjects.

14. This change would allow a student (albiet an unusual one) the opportunity to save a year of study and still achieve a good tertiary place. • An OP of 11 would gain access to more than 30 degree courses at UQ and over 400 state wide. • An OP of 6 would gain access to more than 50 courses at UQ and over 1000 state wide. • Please note that this student is not QCE eligible, not OP eligible and has no VET qualification, making a black hole in school data reported by the QSA.

15. The final change is to the calculation of credit for VET competencies and there is now a complicated system based on Victorian data that scores different competencies with different points and different equivalent semester units.

16. My individual student monitoring spreadsheet calculates Rank Scores , but does so as part of the process of counselling students to successful pathways. • While the calculations are conservative estimates, the intention is to allow students to see the benefits of making better choices. • QTAC has an online calculator that estimates Rank Scores but does not include my other functionalities. • Actual Rank Scores will depend on 2010 QCS data.