We have just finished celebrating the graduation of the 2018 school cohort of Year Twelve students and now the Year Eleven students are coming to terms with being the oldest students in the High School! Something that the Year Fives will shortly be doing in the Primary school as well. The Year Eleven cohort, across Queensland, are a unique year level. They were not only the ‘Prep bubble’, the first cohort of students in Queensland to start Prep in 2007 where the age cut-offs were measured from July rather than January, making them only a half-sized cohort across Queensland. They will also be the last cohort in Queensland to graduate from Secondary school under the OP system. We are looking forward to their senior year and all they will achieve, contribute and experience.

The OP system has been in existence in Queensland since the first Year Twelve cohort graduated in 1992. The Year Eleven class of 2019 will start the new QCE system as of January 28th, 2019. Instead of an OP score for university entrance, students will receive an ATAR. The new system has brought many changes already to the way senior schooling will be done and will continue to do so as students progress through their last couple of years of schooling. Mueller has been preparing for this change for a long time now and we are excited to see it finally happen.

The system has some new elements such as external exams worth 50% for Maths and Science subject, which will definitely take some getting used to! However, there is less assessment overall creating the opportunity for deeper learning of content and ‘21st century skills’. The structure of the system and the timelines being imposed will also bring changes to our calendar of block exams, Term Four events (starting in 2020) and some of the extra-curricular activities of the school. Students will even have to get used to not completing major assessment at the end of a term in Year Twelve but in the middle of a term!

Like all change there will be some adjustments to be made by everyone and some will enjoy the change and others will prefer the old system. We are working hard to be ready to provide opportunities for all students to grow and thrive in the new system. God has gifted all of us uniquely and we remain committed to developing each individual student through finding the best pathway for them.

If you would like more information on the new QCE system you can access it via the Queensland Curriculum and Assessment Authority website.

Todd Langford