Performance report
The Performance report shows how your child performed in comparison to the other students who took the test in that year.
For each of the test components, the report shows where your child performed in one of four bands:
- top 10% of candidates
- next 15% of candidates
- next 25% of candidates
- lowest 50% of candidates
Download a Performance report example [PDF, 235KB].
It is important to understand that the Performance report does not show the percentage of correct answers a child has achieved for any of the test components, rather how many other students performed within the same range.
The Performance report does not provide an individual’s test scores or placement rank.
Test scores or placement rank are not available.
Why can’t I receive my child’s test score?
Parents, students and schools have raised student wellbeing and privacy concerns with how scores have been reported and used beyond their intended purpose, including unhealthy competition between students.
The placement tests are designed for one specific purpose. To identify students who will benefit from placement in an opportunity class or selective high school.
The questions do not measure knowledge of the school curriculum, but rather problem solving and critical thinking ability, and therefore cannot be used as a diagnostic tool to identify curriculum areas where children can improve.
Why doesn’t the department publish minimum entry scores?
There are no minimum entry scores for opportunity classes or selective high schools. The scores required to receive an offer change year to year.
The level of test performance required to receive an offer is determined by the number of applications for each school, the performance of those students who applied for that school and the number of families that decline an offer for that school.
All of these factors change on an annual basis so referring to past scores is not a reliable or suggested method of making school choices.
Outcome notification
Log in to the application dashboard and go to the three dots under the Action column at the right of the listed application. Select ‘Outcomes’ and you will see the outcome of your application for selective high school placement and a Performance report that shows how your child performed in the placement test.
One of four possible outcomes will be indicated in the application dashboard:
- Offer
- Reserve (with reserve list position indicator)
- Unsuccessful
- Not applicable
Please read the Placement Outcome Information for further details and any next steps to take.
Offer
If one of your choices is showing as an offer, congratulations, your child has been made an offer for placement at this school. You now need to select whether to accept or decline the offer in the application dashboard by the response date.
Offers will lapse if a response is not submitted by the response date.
If you accept an offer, you can decline the offer later if you change your mind. However, once you have declined an offer you cannot change your mind and accept it again. If you declined your offer by mistake, please contact us as soon as possible through the application dashboard. If you accept an offer, the school will contact you later in the year to enrol your child.
Aurora College
Aurora College requires a lengthy liaison period with the host schools they will be partnering with. Accordingly, offers to all eligible applicants are made at the same time. There is no reserve list for Aurora College.
Reserve list
If one or more of your choices is showing as a reserve list, your child has been placed on the reserve list for the school shown. You may be made an offer after the initial outcome notification if your child’s position on the reserve list is reached before all vacancies are filled.
Applicants whose children are on a reserve list only, can be offered a place if their child’s position on the reserve list is reached until at least the end of Term 1, 2023.
Students on reserve lists are not guaranteed an offer of a place.
Reserve list and an Offer
If you accept an offer for one school your child may also be placed on the reserve list for a school (or schools) listed as a higher preference on their application.
If your child’s reserve list position for a higher preference school is reached, you will receive another offer. If the subsequent offer is accepted, the original offer is automatically declined. If, however, you decide to decline the second offer, you will not lose your child’s original offer (unless you actively decline that as well). If your child remains on a higher reserve list, you may still receive a third offer if your child’s position on that reserve list is reached, regardless of any previous offers you have declined.
Reserve lists – locking date
For placement in 2023, at 3:00pm on 19 December 2022, if you have accepted an offer to a selective high school and your child also has a place on a reserve list, your child’s name will be removed from the reserve list on the last day of the school year.
For placement in 2024, the locking date is 5:00pm 18 December 2023.
To remain on the reserve list after this date the currently accepted offer must be declined before that date.
Declining a reserve outcome
If your child is on a reserve list but you are sure you do not want your child to be placed in that selective high school, please select ‘Withdraw reserve’ in the application dashboard.
Reserve band
Along with the notification that a child is on a reserve list there will be an accompanying reserve band (A, B, C, D, E, F) that gives a general idea of how long it took for students in a similar position to receive an offer during the previous year’s placement process.
These are estimates only. There is no guarantee that an offer will be made during the estimated time period; the number and timing of declined offers is not necessarily similar from year to year.
Offer time frame estimate:
A = within 1 month of the outcome notification
B = within 2 months of the outcome notification
C = within 3 months of the outcome notification
D = within 4 months of the outcome notification
E = within 5 months of the outcome notification
F = Offer not likely by the end of the year
Unsuccessful
Regrettably, your child has been unsuccessful for placement in one or more of your choices. If your child is unsuccessful for all choices, the individual choices will not be listed.
Not applicable
Where your child would have qualified for a lower choice but has qualified for an offer to a higher choice, the outcome for the lower choice school will be shown as ‘Not applicable’.
How many initial offers were made under the Equity Placement Model?
Initial offers for 2023 entry in to selective high schools were released on Friday 19 August 2022. In the first year of the Equity Placement Model, fewer than half of the equity places held were offered:
- 369 out of 860 equity places held, or 8.7% of the 20% have been offered
- The vast majority of places will be offered as usual to general applicants (91.3% of 4,253)
- There were slightly more equity places offered to partially selective high schools and regional agricultural high schools (average of 11.3% out of the 20%) compared to fully selective high schools (average of 7.3% out of the 20%)
- The majority of students offered equity places have test performance equivalent to or higher than students on the reserve lists for those schools
- There are almost 4,000 general applicant students on a reserve list as part of the normal placement process who may still be offered a place
- There have always been students from under-represented groups that received placement offers; this year 592 students from under-represented groups have received first round offers in the general applicants list
- The additional places offered this year under the Equity Placement Model has made progress in closing the gap in participation in selective high schools from under-represented groups without having a significant impact on other applicants
Results enquiry and appeals
If you have valid grounds to appeal the outcome or the Writing test results, go to Results enquiry and appeals for more information.
Results enquiries and appeals must be submitted within 5 working days of the release of outcomes.
The outcome of results enquiries are expected to be available at the end of September. The outcome of appeals is expected to be available at the end of October.
Enrolment
Selective high schools will contact parents who have accepted offers about enrolment procedures and open days later in the year.
In mid-late January an Authority to attend letter will be available in the application portal. The letter needs to be printed and taken to the school on the first day, along with any other original documents required, to finalise enrolment.
