Curriculum

ICPA Qld lobbies to ensure all children in Queensland receive a high standard of curriculum, which will promote their development and ensure they are well prepared for their present and future life roles. To do this, ICPA Qld works closely with key organisations to ensure the priority of rural and remote students. 

In 2024, the Curriculum Portfolio will focus on issues including: 

• following up on agreed upon changes to ensure they are applied to declutter, refine and realign curriculum in Qld schools to make it more manageable for Distance Education Home Tutors and rural schools with multi-age classrooms;
• the provision of practical alternatives for sitting NAPLAN tests;
• the provision of a full-time Curriculum resource review position within all schools of Distance Education; and 
• ensuring the delivery of practical skills, such as Manual Arts, Graphics, Home Economics and Ag Science, remain an option in the curriculum for all Secondary students. 

QCAA

The Queensland Curriculum and Assessment Authority (QCAA) is a statutory body of the Queensland Government that plays a critical role in the design and delivery of education in Queensland in collaboration with a range of stakeholders and partner agencies.  They are responsible for kindergarten guideline and senior secondary syllabus development, and for providing resources and services to help teachers develop curriculum, teaching and learning programs from K-12.  

The QCAA manages the procedures for student certification and issues certificates of achievement such as the Queensland Certificate of Education. It also registers and audits schools to deliver Vocational Education and Training (VET).  

From 2020, Queensland's standard pathway to tertiary entry, for Year 12 school leavers, is the Australian Tertiary Admission Rank (ATAR) - these are calculated by the Queensland Tertiary Admissions Centre (QTAC).  The ATAR is used nationally and ICPA Qld continues to consult with QCAA regarding the assurance that students of Distance Education and other rural and remote students are not disadvantaged in anyway when sitting their external exams.  More information on the ATAR system can be found here. 

QTAC

The Queensland Tertiary Admissions Centre (QTAC) operates a centralised tertiary application service for:

• publicly-funded Queensland universities
• Bond University Medicine
• TAFE Queensland
• Australian Maritime College
• some courses at publicly-funded universities in Northern New South Wales
• some private tertiary education providers.
• Our institutions have complete control in determining their own entry requirements.

QTAC assess applications using these entry requirements and then make offers to successful applicants during our offer rounds.

As well as managing applications for the above institutions, QTAC publishes course information for some institutions that accept their own applications directly. 

Artificial Intelligence Webinar

ICPA Qld recently conducted a parent webinar on Artificial Intelligence.  This was conducted in partnership with P&C Qld, Queensland Independent Schools Parents Network and Catholic School Parents Queensland.  This informative webinar was conducted by QCAA and we are pleased to provide the link below for any members and friends who missed the live presentation.  

https://vimeo.com/875029291

ICPA Qld Curriculum Portfolio Report 2023 is available for your perusal.