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The Overall Position (OP) was a tertiary entrance rank used in
Queensland ) , nickname = Sunshine State , image_map = Queensland in Australia.svg , map_caption = Location of Queensland in Australia , subdivision_type = Country , subdivision_name = Australia , established_title = Before federation , established_ ...
,
Australia Australia, officially the Commonwealth of Australia, is a Sovereign state, sovereign country comprising the mainland of the Australia (continent), Australian continent, the island of Tasmania, and numerous List of islands of Australia, sma ...
to guide selection into universities. Like similar systems used throughout the rest of Australia, the OP shows how well a student has performed in their senior secondary studies compared with all other OP-eligible students in Queensland. The system was introduced in 1992 and ended with the 2019 cohort. The OP is calculated and used similarly to the
Australian Tertiary Admission Rank The Australian Tertiary Admission Rank (ATAR) is the primary criterion for domestic student entry into undergraduate courses in Australian public universities. It was gradually introduced to most states and territories in 2009–10 and has sinc ...
(ATAR) in other states. Instead of being a
percentile In statistics, a ''k''-th percentile (percentile score or centile) is a score ''below which'' a given percentage ''k'' of scores in its frequency distribution falls (exclusive definition) or a score ''at or below which'' a given percentage fal ...
rank (0.00 - 99.95), however, OPs are measured on a scale from 1 to 25, where 1 is the highest and 25 is the lowest. This range of possible results is bell curved so the percentage of students receiving the very highest and very lowest results is much less common than those receiving mid-range OPs. In 2018, 733 students received an OP1, according to Minister for Education
Grace Grace Ignazia Graziella "Grace" Grace (née Farfaglia; born 12 August 1958) is an Australian politician from the state of Queensland. She has been a member of the Legislative Assembly of Queensland for the seat of McConnel and its predecessor seat, ...
. 49.7% of Queensland high school students were eligible to obtain an OP in 2018. A table is produced in conjunction with other tertiary authorities to allow conversion between Overall Position, ATAR,
Universities Admission Index The Universities Admission Index (UAI) was used in New South Wales and the Australian Capital Territory, Australia, as the primary criterion for entry into most undergraduate-entry university programs. It was a number between 0 and 100 (though thos ...
,
SAT The SAT ( ) is a standardized test widely used for college admissions in the United States. Since its debut in 1926, its name and scoring have changed several times; originally called the Scholastic Aptitude Test, it was later called the Schol ...
, and the
A-Level The A-Level (Advanced Level) is a subject-based qualification conferred as part of the General Certificate of Education, as well as a school leaving qualification offered by the educational bodies in the United Kingdom and the educational aut ...
scales. From 2020, the OP rank was replaced with the ATAR, bringing Queensland in-line with all other Australian states and territories.


Calculating an Overall Position

OPs are calculated by the Queensland Curriculum and Assessment Authority (QCAA) for all students who satisfactorily complete the
Queensland Certificate of Education The Queensland Certificate of Education (QCE) is the certificate awarded to students completing their secondary schooling in Queensland. The QCE was introduced in 2008, to replace the Senior Certificate. It is currently issued by the Queensland ...
(QCE) (or equivalent) and who meet certain other criteria for receiving an OP, such as participating in the Queensland Core Skills (QCS) Test and completing at least 20 semesters of Authority subjects through Year 11 and Year 12. A landmark feature of this system is that all assessment is set and marked internally within schools, subject to QCAA approval. As such, calculations are necessary to ensure that students are being equally assessed in ability in the school across subjects, and from school to school. Two levels of scaling are applied to ensure that each subject the student sits contributes equally to their OP.


Assignment of SAIs

When a student exits (completes or drops out of) a subject, they will have amassed a portfolio of assessment they completed in that subject. Summative assessment pieces completed in Year 12 are then used to assign each student a Level of Achievement (LOA) for each subject they complete, as determined by the grades they received on those assessment pieces. There are 5 LOAs which range from Very High Achievement (VHA) to Very Low Achievement (VLA), and are often further fine-grained with a rating from 1 to 10 inside each LOA, called a rung. Students are then ranked by their teachers in comparison to all other OP-eligible students in that subject using their LOAs and rungs and will assign Subject Achievement Indicators (SAIs) in moderate (10-13 students) and large (over 13 students) subject groups. SAIs range from 400 to 200, with the best student always assigned 400 and the bottom student always assigned 200, and all other students assigned an SAI in between. The gaps between SAIs reflect the gaps between student achievements.


Within-school scaling

The SAIs for each subject group are forwarded to the QCAA to check and then scale. The first stage of scaling is ''within-school scaling'', where the QCAA multiplies all SAIs by an adjusted QCS mean. The Queensland Core Skills (QCS) Test is the sole standardised test administered to all Queensland secondary school students under the same conditions, and as such is the sole measure by which students across the state can be compared. Within-school scaling is required because while all subjects assign SAIs of 400, a student with an SAI of 400 in Mathematics C may not be achieving the same standard as a student with an SAI of 400 in Drama at the same school, and a student with an SAI of 400 in Mathematics A at one school may not be achieving at the same standard as a student with an SAI of 400 in Mathematics A at a different school. Within-school scaling attempts to equate all subjects within a school so that SAIs are comparable within schools. As each subject group has its own SAI distribution, each subject group is scaled according to the adjusted average of its students QCS results. The new SAIs for each subject are called scaled SAIs and range from 75 to 275. Scaled SAIs are comparable between subjects within a school and a student's best 5 scaled SAIs are then averaged to form that student's Overall Achievement Indicator (OAI).


Inter-school scaling

While OAIs are comparable within a school, an OAI of 200 at one school is not comparable to an OAI of 200 at a different school. Because of this, a second stage of scaling is required. ''Inter-school scaling'' multiplies a school's OAIs by that school's adjusted QCS mean. This produces a scaled OAI for each student that is comparable throughout Queensland.


Assignment of OPs

As scaled OAIs are comparable between all schools in the state, students can be ranked in a statewide rank order using them. From this, students are grouped into OP bands and assigned an OP from 1 to 25.


Percentiles

The OP distribution is based on a bell curve and as such it can be difficult to determine the percentages of students who receive certain OPs. From year to year, the percentages of students who receive certain OPs is around the same. This table lists OP percentages from 2018.


Field Positions

Field Positions (FPs) are given supplementary to a student's OP. While OPs measure a student's overall achievement, FPs measure achievement with relation to certain "Fields", or areas of the curriculum. FPs are measured on a scale of 1 to 10, with 1 being the best and 10 being the worst. The calculation of FPs is very similar to the calculation of OPs. Different subjects contribute different amounts to different Fields. For example, Mathematics C contributes 20 "weighted semesters" to Field D, but only 4 weighted semesters to Field A, while English contributes 20 weighted semesters to Field A, but none to Field D. A student is eligible for an FP in a certain Field if they complete 60 weighted semesters, and will only receive FPs for Fields they are eligible in. When determining tertiary admission, only certain FPs are considered depending on what the subject matter in a degree is. For example, a Maths degree may only consider Fields C and D, while an Arts degree may consider Fields A, B and E.


New QCE System

Students entering Year 11 in 2019 will be assessed under the new QCE system, which involves assigning
Australian Tertiary Admission Rank The Australian Tertiary Admission Rank (ATAR) is the primary criterion for domestic student entry into undergraduate courses in Australian public universities. It was gradually introduced to most states and territories in 2009–10 and has sinc ...
s (ATARs) rather than OPs. This will bring Queensland's tertiary ranking system in line with other Australian states and territories. The new system will involve an external subject-specific exam that will form part of individual student's assessment.


See also

* Queensland Tertiary Admissions Centre *
Equivalent National Tertiary Entrance Rank The Equivalent National Tertiary Entrance Rank (ENTER) was the national Australian tertiary entrance rank, administered by Universities Australia (previously called the Australian Vice-Chancellors' Committee). It was a percentile ranking, designed ...
*
University admission University admission or college admission is the process through which students enter tertiary education at universities and colleges. Systems vary widely from country to country, and sometimes from institution to institution. In many countries, ...
*
Tertiary Entrance Rank The Tertiary Entrance Rank (TER) was a tertiary entrance score used in several Australian states, the ACT and the Northern Territory as a tool for selection to universities in Australia. As of 2010, it has been replaced by the Australian Tertiary ...


References

{{Reflist


External links


Queensland Studies Authority - Questions about OPs
Education in Queensland 1992 introductions School qualifications