Webinar: TISC Consultation on Year 12 Study Incentives

Description

TISC is conducting an open consultation on future incentives to study particular courses in Year 12 and is seeking input in support of the following consultation objectives:

1. to provide information on the current incentives to study Languages other than English (LoTE), Maths Methods, and Maths Specialist in Western Australia;
2. to highlight opportunities for any future provision of incentives to study particular Year 12 courses;
3. to seek input from interested stakeholders on current and future incentive approaches for Year 12 studies in Western Australia;
4. to develop associated recommendations for the consideration of the TISC Board.

AISWA is seeking member feedback on the associated TISC discussion paper (refer attached) to support the preparation of a formal submission on behalf of the Independent school sector. 

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*Please note that the webinar will be recorded

Background
Over the course of 2023 the TISC Board of Directors (the Board) discussed the granting of incentives for particular ATAR courses in Western Australia’s calculation of the Australian Tertiary Admissions Rank (ATAR). In particular, the Board recognised that WA is the only State that includes a bonus for particular Year 12 subjects scaled scores in the calculation of its students’ ATARs.

In other States, incentives for studying particular Year 12 subjects are applied post ATAR calculation and are applied at a State, university, or university faculty/course level. The term ‘Selection Rank’ is frequently used to signal the application of such an incentive to a student’s ATAR. There are various approaches across the Eastern States used to identify which Year 12 subjects are incentivised and how.

The Board made the decision during 2023 to remove incentives from calculation of WA students’ ATAR from Year 12 students from 2026. This decision recognised WA’s approach to incentives is currently an outlier and has a negative impact on those students studying Year 12 courses which do not receive an incentive as part of their ATAR calculation.

Following feedback on this decision in early 2024, the Board agreed to postpone implementation of any change to ATAR calculations in WA to 2027. This postponement recognises the impact on 2024’s Year 10 students studying ‘accelerated’ ATAR courses over 2024-25 in particular.

TISC acknowledges that incentives for students to study particular Year 12 subjects need to be reviewed to support WA having sustainable numbers of Year 12 students taking subjects of importance to WA into the future. The attached TISC discussion paper has been prepared to:

• inform stakeholders of the current approaches used by WA and other States as incentives to study Year 12 subjects;
• provide background information and commentary on the results of the current incentive approach in WA over the 2020-21 to 2023-24 admissions cycles; and
• invite any stakeholder or member of the public to make a submission to TISC on how WA can best provide incentives to study particular Year 12 subjects from 2027 onwards.

Microsoft Teams Meeting Link - Join the meeting now 
*Please note that the webinar will be recorded