Senior Secondary

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Senior Secondary
Everton Park State High School is committed to providing a breadth of opportunities and programs for Senior school students to ensure they create their own bright future. The school will challenge students at all levels, support them in setting and attaining realistic personal academic goals, and remain committed to excellence at all times. It will also guide students in selecting and attaining credentials from a variety of pathways for successful transition post school.

Teachers and support staff will also support all students throughout their senior years at the school. They will also share the responsibility with parents and students for assisting each student in attaining his/her educational goals.
Senior students need to be self-motivated and mature in the approach to their studies. They will be required to adopt effective study routines and commit to working in an increasingly independent way. They will be expected to work as part of the year group and achieve their very best.

Policy

The school will provide a range of high quality academic and vocational studies options to meet the needs of all students.
The school staff will assist with personal monitoring and goal setting for all students in its support of the students' academic and vocational pursuits.
Students will be expected to approach their studies in a diligent manner, access available support services if needed, and be accountable for their actions and responsible for their learning.
Parents and carers will be expected to support their children and work collaboratively with the school.
Each Year 10 student will participate in a senior education and training planning process beginning with the submission of an individual Student Education and Training (SET) Plan. The plan will be endorsed by his/her parents but will become operational for the student once approved by the school.

There are recommendations for Senior subjects. These will be:

published in the school newsletter in a timely manner for the information of students and parents / carers;
applied in such a way that they do not unreasonably limit realistic future options for a student;
applied in a way which takes account of the needs and circumstances of each student.

Teachers will implement, in consultation with the student and his/her parents, a targeted support plan for students who achieve less than a 'C' grade (or VET equivalent) in any senior subject, at the end of a semester. If a student does not achieve the agreed outcomes of the plan, the school may require the student to amend or change subjects or course.
Failure to comply with the requirements of this policy will be considered a breach of the school's code of behaviour. In addition, students whose behaviour amounts to a refusal to participate in the education program may have their enrolment cancelled.

Senior Education Profile
Students in Queensland are issued with a Senior Education Profile (SEP) upon completion of senior studies. This profile may include a

Statement of results
Queensland Certificate of Education (QCE)
Queensland Certificate of Individual Achievement (QCIA).

For more information about the SEP see: www.qcaa.qld.edu.au/senior/certificates-qualifications/sep.

Statement of results
Students are issued with a statement of results in the December following the completion of a QCAA-developed course of study. A new statement of results is issued to students after each QCAA-developed course of study is completed.
A full record of study will be issued, along with the QCE qualification, in the first December or July after the student meets the requirements for a QCE.

Queensland Certificate of Education (QCE)
Students may be eligible for a Queensland Certificate of Education (QCE) at the end of their senior schooling. Students who do not meet the QCE requirements can continue to work towards the certificate post-secondary schooling. The QCAA awards a QCE in the following July or December, once a student becomes eligible. Learning accounts are closed after nine years; however, a student may apply to the QCAA to have the account reopened and all credit continued.

Queensland Certificate of Individual Achievement (QCIA)
The Queensland Certificate of Individual Achievement (QCIA) reports the learning achievements of eligible students who complete an individual learning program. At the end of the senior phase of learning, eligible students achieve a QCIA. These students have the option of continuing to work towards a QCE post-secondary schooling.

Senior Subjects
The QCAA develops four types of senior subject syllabuses — General, Applied, Senior External Examinations and Short Courses. Results in General and Applied subjects contribute to the award of a QCE and may contribute to an Australian Tertiary Admission Rank (ATAR) calculation, although no more than one result in an Applied subject can be used in the calculation of a student's ATAR.
Extension subjects are extensions of the related General subjects and are studied either concurrently with, or after, Units 3 and 4 of the General course.
Typically, it is expected that most students will complete these courses across Years 11 and 12. All subjects build on the P–10 Australian Curriculum.

General syllabuses
General subjects are suited to students who are interested in pathways beyond senior secondary schooling that lead primarily to tertiary studies and to pathways for vocational education and training and work. General subjects include Extension subjects.

Applied syllabuses
Applied subjects are suited to students who are primarily interested in pathways beyond senior secondary schooling that lead to vocational education and training or work.

Senior External Examination
The Senior External Examination consists of individual subject examinations provided across Queensland in October and November each year by the QCAA.

Short Courses
Short Courses are developed to meet a specific curriculum need and are suited to students who are interested in pathways beyond senior secondary schooling that lead to vocational education and training and establish a basis for further education and employment. They are informed by, and articulate closely with, the requirements of the Australian Core Skills Framework (ACSF). A grade of C in Short Courses aligns with the requirements for ACSF Level 3.
For more information about the ACSF see: https://www.education.gov.au/australian-core-skills-framework.

Underpinning factors
All senior syllabuses are underpinned by:

literacy — the set of knowledge and skills about language and texts essential for understanding and conveying content
numeracy — the knowledge, skills, behaviours and dispositions that students need to use mathematics in a wide range of situations, to recognise and understand the role of mathematics in the world, and to develop the dispositions and capacities to use mathematical knowledge and skills purposefully.

General syllabuses and Short Courses
In addition to literacy and numeracy, General syllabuses and Short Courses are underpinned by:
21st century skills — the attributes and skills students need to prepare them for higher education, work and engagement in a complex and rapidly changing world. These include critical thinking, creative thinking, communication, collaboration and teamwork, personal and social skills, and information & communication technologies (ICT) skills.

Applied syllabuses
In addition to literacy and numeracy, Applied syllabuses are underpinned by:

applied learning — the acquisition and application of knowledge, understanding and skills in real-world or lifelike contexts

community connections — the awareness and understanding of life beyond school through authentic, real-world interactions by connecting classroom experience with the world outside the classroom
core skills for work — the set of knowledge, understanding and non-technical skills that underpin successful participation in work.

Vocational education and training (VET)

Students can access VET programs through the school if it:

is a registered training organisation (RTO)

has a third-party arrangement with an external provider who is an RTO
offers opportunities for students to undertake school-based apprenticeships or traineeships.

Australian Tertiary Admission Rank (ATAR) eligibility
The calculation of an Australian Tertiary Admission Rank (ATAR) will be based on a student's:

best five General subject results or
best results in a combination of four General subject results plus an Applied subject result or a Certificate III or higher VET qualification.
The Queensland Tertiary Admissions Centre (QTAC) has responsibility for ATAR calculations.

English requirement
Eligibility for an ATAR will require satisfactory completion of a QCAA English subject.
Satisfactory completion will require students to attain a result that is equivalent to a Sound Level of Achievement in one of five subjects — English, Essential English, Literature, English and Literature Extension or English as an Additional Language.
While students must meet this standard to be eligible to receive an ATAR, it is not mandatory for a student's English result to be included in the calculation of their ATAR.

General syllabuses
Structure
The syllabus structure consists of a course overview and assessment.
General syllabuses course overview
General syllabuses are developmental four-unit courses of study.
Units 1 and 2 provide foundational learning, allowing students to experience all syllabus objectives and begin engaging with the course subject matter. It is intended that Units 1 and 2 are studied as a pair. Assessment in Units 1 and 2 provides students with feedback on their progress in a course of study and contributes to the award of a QCE.
Students should complete Units 1 and 2 before starting Units 3 and 4.
Units 3 and 4 consolidate student learning. Assessment in Units 3 and 4 is summative and student results contribute to the award of a QCE and to ATAR calculations.
Extension syllabuses course overview
Extension subjects are extensions of the related General subjects and include external assessment. Extension subjects are studied either concurrently with, or after, Units 3 and 4 of the General course of study.
Extension syllabuses are courses of study that consist of two units (Units 3 and 4). Subject matter, learning experiences and assessment increase in complexity across the two units as students develop greater independence as learners.
The results from Units 3 and 4 contribute to the award of a QCE and to ATAR calculations.
Assessment
Units 1 and 2 assessments
Schools decide the sequence, scope and scale of assessments for Units 1 and 2. These assessments should reflect the local context. Teachers determine the assessment program, tasks and marking guides that are used to assess student performance for Units 1 and 2.
Units 1 and 2 assessment outcomes provide feedback to students on their progress in the course of study. Schools should develop at least two but no more than four assessments for Units 1 and 2. At least one assessment must be completed for each unit.
Schools report satisfactory completion of Units 1 and 2 to the QCAA, and may choose to report levels of achievement to students and parents/carers using grades, descriptive statements or other indicators.
Units 3 and 4 assessments
Students complete a total of four summative assessments — three internal and one external — that count towards the overall subject result in each General subject.
Schools develop three internal assessments for each senior subject to reflect the requirements described in Units 3 and 4 of each General syllabus.
The three summative internal assessments need to be endorsed by the QCAA before they are used in schools. Students' results in these assessments are externally confirmed by QCAA assessors. These confirmed results from internal assessment are combined with a single result from an external assessment, which is developed and marked by the QCAA. The external assessment result for a subject contributes to a determined percentage of a students' overall subject result. For most subjects this is 25%; for Mathematics and Science subjects it is 50%.
Instrument-specific marking guides
Each syllabus provides instrument-specific marking guides (ISMGs) for summative internal assessments.
The ISMGs describe the characteristics evident in student responses and align with the identified assessment objectives. Assessment objectives are drawn from the unit objectives and are contextualised for the requirements of the assessment instrument.
Schools cannot change or modify an ISMG for use with summative internal assessment.
As part of quality teaching and learning, schools should discuss ISMGs with students to help them understand the requirements of an assessment task.
External assessment
External assessment is summative and adds valuable evidence of achievement to a student's profile. External assessment is:

common to all schools

administered under the same conditions at the same time and on the same day
developed and marked by the QCAA according to a commonly applied marking scheme.
The external assessment contributes a determined percentage (see specific subject guides — assessment) to the student's overall subject result and is not privileged over summative internal assessment.

Applied syllabuses
Structure
The syllabus structure consists of a course overview and assessment.
Applied syllabuses course overview
Applied syllabuses are developmental four-unit courses of study.
Units 1 and 2 of the course are designed to allow students to begin their engagement with the course content, i.e. the knowledge, understanding and skills of the subject. Course content, learning experiences and assessment increase in complexity across the four units as students develop greater independence as learners.
Units 3 and 4 consolidate student learning. Results from assessment in Applied subjects contribute to the award of a QCE and results from Units 3 and 4 may contribute as a single input to ATAR calculation.
A course of study for Applied syllabuses includes core topics and elective areas for study.
Assessment
Applied syllabuses use four summative internal assessments from Units 3 and 4 to determine a student's exit result.
Schools should develop at least two but no more than four internal assessments for Units 1 and 2 and these assessments should provide students with opportunities to become familiar with the summative internal assessment techniques to be used for Units 3 and 4.
Applied syllabuses do not use external assessment.
Instrument-specific standards matrixes
For each assessment instrument, schools develop an instrument-specific standards matrix by selecting the syllabus standards descriptors relevant to the task and the dimension/s being assessed. The matrix is shared with students and used as a tool for making judgments about the quality of students' responses to the instrument. Schools develop assessments to allow students to demonstrate the range of standards.
Essential English and Essential Mathematics — Common internal assessment
Students complete a total of four summative internal assessments in Units 3 and 4 that count toward their overall subject result. Schools develop three of the summative internal assessments for each senior subject and the other summative assessment is a common internal assessment (CIA) developed by the QCAA.
The CIA for Essential English and Essential Mathematics is based on the learning described in Unit 3 of the respective syllabus. The CIA is:

developed by the QCAA

common to all schools

delivered to schools by the QCAA

administered flexibly in Unit 3

administered under supervised conditions
marked by the school according to a common marking scheme developed by the QCAA.
The CIA is not privileged over the other summative internal assessment.
Summative internal assessment — instrument-specific standards
The Essential English and Essential Mathematics syllabuses provide instrument-specific standards for the three summative internal assessments in Units 3 and 4.
The instrument-specific standards describe the characteristics evident in student responses and align with the identified assessment objectives. Assessment objectives are drawn from the unit objectives and are contextualised for the requirements of the assessment instrument.

Senior External Examinations
Senior External Examinations course overview
A Senior External Examination syllabus sets out the aims, objectives, learning experiences and assessment requirements for each of these subjects.
Results are based solely on students' demonstrated achievement in examinations. Work undertaken before an examination is not assessed.
The Senior External Examination is for:

low candidature subjects not otherwise offered as a General subject in Queensland
students in their final year of senior schooling who are unable to access particular subjects at their school
adult students (people of any age not enrolled at a Queensland secondary school)
to meet tertiary entrance or employment requirements
for personal interest.

Senior External Examination results may contribute credit to the award of a QCE and contribute to ATAR calculations.
For more information about the Senior External Examination, see: www.qcaa.qld.edu.au/senior/see.

Assessment
The Senior External Examination consists of individual subject examinations that are held once each year in Term 4. Important dates and the examination timetable are published in the Senior Education Profile (SEP) calendar, available at: https://www.qcaa.qld.edu.au/senior/sep-calendar.
Results are based solely on students' demonstrated achievement in the examinations. Work undertaken before an examination is not assessed. Results are reported as a mark and grade of A–E. For more information about results, see the QCE and QCIA policy and procedures handbook, Section 10.
QCAA Senior Syllabuses offered at Everton Park State High School

Mathematics

English

Science

Humanities

General

General Mathematics
Mathematical Methods
Specialist Mathematics (BSDE)

Applied

Essential Mathematics
Short Course - Numeracy

General

English

Applied

Essential English
Short Course - Literacy

General

Biology
Chemistry
Physics

General

Geography
Modern History
Applied
Business Studies

Technologies

Health and Physical Education

The Arts

Languages

Applied

Furnishing Skills
Hospitality Practices

General

Physical Education

Applied

Sport & Recreation

General

Drama
Music
Visual Art

Applied

Drama in Practice
Visual Arts in Practice

General

Spanish

VET Subjects

Certificate III in Active Volunteering

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