Students eligible for a QCIA should have a history of completing an individual learning program throughout their secondary schooling. Discussions about eligibility for a QCIA and completing an individual learning program must begin before a student starts senior schooling, as part of the Senior Education and Training (SET) Plan process. A collaborative approach involving the student, parents/carers and school staff is needed to determine whether working towards a QCIA 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. 130–131, 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 following the preparatory year, or the equivalent as decided by the QCAA
- 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 VET qualification 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 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.
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), 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 qualifications.
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. See Section 2.2.1 for a list of Core learning category studies.
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 Certificate I qualification. 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 qualification. 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 QCE credit, see Section 2.3: Additional VET QCE credit rules.
