Students eligible for a QCIA pathway should have a history of completing an individual learning program throughout their secondary schooling. Discussions about a QCIA learning pathway must begin before a student starts senior secondary schooling, as part of the senior education and training (SET) Plan process. A collaborative approach involving school staff, parents/carers and the student is needed to determine whether a QCIA pathway is in the student’s best interest. Schools are required to keep documentation about these decisions for the required duration as outlined in Section 13.2.3: Managing data.
3.1.1 Eligibility criteria
According to the QCAA Regulation, ss. 118–119, a person is eligible for the issue of a QCIA when all criteria are met:
- the person is nominated for the issue of the certificate by the principal of a school at which the person is enrolled
- the person has completed at least 24 semesters of schooling, other than schooling in the Preparatory Year
- at least one result for contributing studies for the certificate is recorded in a student account kept for the person
- the person completes studies that are part of an individual learning program developed for the person at the school
- the person has not previously been issued with a QCIA, QCE, Senior Certificate, or equivalent interstate or overseas qualification.
Students with disability are not automatically eligible for the QCIA. Many students can complete learning and assessment that aligns with syllabus and/or vocational education and training (VET) certificate requirements and work towards a QCE.
The QCIA is not an alternative for a student working towards achieving the QCE.
Sometimes students work towards a QCE pathway and their learning is affected in such a way that they may not meet the set standard and pattern to achieve a QCE at the end of their senior schooling. These students can continue to work towards certification of a QCE post-school and are not eligible for a QCIA pathway.
Students who would be able to complete learning and assessment aligned with syllabus standards but do not fulfil these requirements due to absence from school are not eligible for a QCIA.
3.1.2 Individual learning programs
An individual learning program:
- is developed for students who have disability, as defined in the Disability Discrimination Act 1992 (Cth) (DDA), that affects learning and is not primarily due to socioeconomic, cultural and/or linguistic factors
- is a school-developed program of study using curriculum organisers, learning focuses and learning goals from the Guideline for individual learning (GIL)
- is recorded in a QCIA curriculum plan developed via the QCAA Portal
- does not contribute credit to the QCE
- cannot duplicate learning in any areas of study contributing credit to the QCE, e.g. learning from General, Applied or Short Course syllabuses, or VET courses.
3.1.3 QCE-contributing studies
Students cannot receive both a QCE and a QCIA upon completion of senior schooling; however, a student may be issued with a QCIA and also have learning recorded as credit towards the QCE.
For a student to remain eligible to receive a QCIA, they may record up to a maximum of three completed QCE-contributing studies from the Core learning category in the learning account, regardless of level of achievement. In this situation, a QCE may be achieved and issued post-school.
A student eligible for the QCIA may also record achievements for other learning categories of the QCE in the learning account, e.g. courses from the Preparatory learning category, such as a VET Certificate I. A typical pattern of enrolment in QCE-contributing studies for a QCIA-eligible student may include a Short Course, an Applied subject or a Certificate I or Certificate II course. Completed and partially completed QCE learning is recorded on a Senior Statement and cannot be duplicated on the QCIA.
For more information about:
- contributing studies for the QCE, see Section 2: Queensland Certificate of Education (QCE)
- VET, see Section 2.3: Additional VET QCE credit rules and Section 5: Vocational education and training (VET).
