How ATAR will shake up the top OP schools
The switch to ATAR could shake up how the state’s best performing schools rate next year but a top school has revealed how they plan to cling to the top.
Tertiary
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THE ATAR is set to shake up the state’s best performing schools but a top school has revealed how they plan to cling to the top.
Instead of being given a Overall Position (OP) with a score of 1 - 25, students will receive an Australian Tertiary Admission Rank (ATAR) which has long been touted as a fairer system.
The ATAR ranks students from 99.95 in increments of 0.05 and is considered more precise.
In 2019, 503 students received an OP 1 while 710 got an OP 2, meaning 6.8 per cent of students fell in the top two bandwidths, equivalent to top University selection ranks (97 to 99).
Universities will be able to more easily identify the highest-achieving student when offering Queensland school leavers spots in sought-after degrees like medicine and law.
QTAC chief executive Dr John Griffiths said ATAR would see university applicants ranked in a single order of merit with Queensland coming into line with the rest of the country.
FULL LIST: HOW EVERY SCHOOL PERFORMED IN ATAR
“Because of the fineness of the ATAR scale, it will reduce the need for institutions to use other instruments (like aptitude tests) as finer grain measures to distinguish applicants for high demand courses,” he said.
“The ATAR you achieve is a comparison to all Queensland students, not just your schools year 12 cohort.
“The school you attend does not feature in the ATAR calculation and the ATAR calculation is based only on the marks provided by the QCAA to QTAC – no other information is used.”
Federal Education Committee Chair Andrew Laming said the transition from OP to ATAR this year would harmonise national school leaver scores and allow the inclusion of a far larger number of senior graduates.
“These OP scores on their own are not an effective way to measure schools, because similar schools can have wildly different numbers of students getting an OP, let alone high OPs,” he said.
“Further analysis this week will show which schools worked hard to get more students through the OP hurdles, and which schools took the easier path, whittling down their OP numbers, to make results look more impressive than they really are.”
Independent Schools Network executive director David Robertson said parents could feel confident that independent high schools are well prepared to support students in the transition to the new QCE and ATAR.
“Independent schools have focused on delivering new senior subjects and assessment items to the same high standard they’ve always done.
“The new system has given schools the chance to examine their senior programs and adopt approaches they believe will best support their students to achieve their goals, whether that’s heading off to university, TAFE, undertaking a trade or moving directly into employment after school.”
Top private school Brisbane Girls Grammar said they have been preparing for the new system since it was announced in 2015, with teachers involved in the development of the system and training as assessors in the new quality assessment program.
“Staff preparations have been rigorous, with attention given to every aspect of school life —from daily timetables to sport fixtures and major school events— to ensure that students are supported to succeed in the new system,” principal Jacinda Euler said.
“We have very deliberately focused on building the skills of learning and analytical thinking linked with curriculum knowledge during the younger secondary years.
“The school’s teaching staff have actively supported the development of the new QCE system through syllabus development and in writing and endorsing roles in the new assessment process.”
As part of the new system, Queensland secondary teachers with at least three years’ experience are able to apply to become QCAA assessors, to contribute to the quality assurance of all schools’ assessments in the new system.
Teachers across the state will get first-hand experience working with quality assessments, the new syllabus and marking guides so they can inform their school how best to approach assessment.
“From this year, our teachers will also act as confirmers in the assessment process,” Ms Euler said.
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What to study to qualify for a Queensland ATAR:
- Five General subjects; or
- Four General subjects plus an Applied subject; or
- Four General subjects plus one completed VET qualification at Certificate III or above.
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