Coronavirus QLD: Teachers told to ignore curriculum for kids stuck at school
The handful of children who will still attend Queensland schools this week as their parents perform essential services will not be taught a single thing from the curriculum as a result of orders given to teachers.
QLD News
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STUDENTS who attend “skeleton schools” this week won’t sit for exams, work on assignments or be taught lessons.
Education Queensland has told teachers not to teach curriculum content to the children of essential workers who send their kids to school.
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Teachers will only supervise students to read books or do “non-curriculum activities’’ – even for Year 12s.
The Queensland Curriculum and Assessment Authority (QCAA) has eased the workload for Year 12 students by cutting the number of assignments for each subject this year from four to three.
“We’re developing directions for schools to make adjustments to their assessment programs for the remainder of the year,’’ QCAA chief executive Chris Rider said yesterday.
As Year 12 students contend with COVID-19 chaos during the switch from OP (Overall Position) to ATAR (Australian Tertiary Admissions Rank) scores, universities are investigating alternative entry paths to uni courses in 2021.
One “backdoor” entry is for Year 12 students to study a vocational training course online.
A Certificate III course, such as health services or hospitality, will automatically deliver the equivalent of an OP 14 – enough for entry to a Bachelor of Education at QUT this year.
A diploma gives the equivalent of an OP 9 – high enough for a Bachelor of Psychology at Griffith University or a Bachelor of Social Work at the University of Queensland.
Last year, 8187 Queensland high school students completed a Certificate III qualification, with another 2130 completing a diploma.
The Australian Catholic University said yesterday it could adjust entry requirements for “students who have experienced hardship during their studies’’.
“We are currently exploring options for assessing an applicant’s previous academic success at high school and their likelihood of success in study at ACU,’’ a spokeswoman said.
Queensland Tertiary Admissions Centre (QTAC) chief executive Dr John Griffiths said the removal of one assignment for each Year 12 subject would not affect QTAC’s ability to calculate the first ATAR scores for Queensland school leavers at the end of this year.
“All QTAC needs to calculate ATARs is accurate subject results,’’ he said yesterday.
“The QCAA has assured us that the removal of one internal assessment … for each subject will not affect the fairness and accuracy of final results.’’
Universities can also give “bonus points’’ to students.
Year 12 students can apply through the QCAA’s Access Arrangements and Reasonable Adjustments scheme.
https://www.qcaa.qld.edu.au/senior/assessment/aara
From August, students will also be able to apply for QTAC’s Educational Access Scheme, which takes into account illness and educational disruption.
https://www.qtac.edu.au/applying/educational-access-scheme
Universities Australia said unis can consider a “wide range of factors’’ apart from ATAR scores when they make student offers.
“These could include overall performance during the school year and academic reports,’’ a spokesman said yesterday.
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Originally published as Coronavirus QLD: Teachers told to ignore curriculum for kids stuck at school