What's the benefit of a selective school? (1 Viewer)

[FancyPenguin]

I've been seeing a lot of people posting about applying for selective schools for year 11, and I know that people who go to these skills generally get better results but what does the school offer/do to achieve these results and is there any real benefit of going to one of these school compared to a non-selective. After looking at some of their websites, the schools always state that something like 80% of the year group got above 80% and that many students got above 90%, but these same results get be achieved at any other school. So What is the real benefit of going to one of these selective schools?

 

[BLIT2014]

Motivation. It is easier to achieve if the people around you want to learn, and don't attempt to disrupt your learning enviroment.

 

[rumbleroar]

Selective schools are more academically inclined, so if you're seeking that kind of environment, go ahead. But TBH, those results can be achieved at normal comprehensive schools, except its more likely in a selective school because the cohorts are more driven to excel academically.

Motivation. It is easier to achieve if the people around you want to learn, and don't attempt to disrupt your learning enviroment.

There's also the converse. People become too complacent because they thing their hard-working cohort will boost their marks.

 

[FancyPenguin]

Thanks for the answers guys.
A bit off topic but how do the marks of your year group affect you in a positive way (bring them up), what percentage of the class has to do well to bring your mark up?

BTW Tina is awesome

 

[Simplice]

Motivation. It is easier to achieve if the people around you want to learn, and don't attempt to disrupt your learning enviroment.

^ This.

A school with a good academic reputation wants to maintain that reputation, and so they continually enforce the idea of achieving high marks to their students. However, I don't believe that the quality of teachers play a significant role in how well the cohort does. I go to a top 5 selective school and we have some pretty shit teachers.

Essentially, the high academic bar that a selective school sets motivates you to do better whilst your marks are bolstered by those of your peers. Going to a comprehensive high school decreases the chance of getting a good ATAR, but it is most definitely doable if you put in the effort and get good rankings.

 

[BLIT2014]

Well if your cohort performs extremely well in externals (actual HSC) then the cohort internally moderated marks will be higher.
And if your cohort performs extremely poorly in externals (actual HSC) then the cohort internally moderated marks will be lower in comparison.

Take for example this scenario

Cohort A

Internals (Close internals due to ease of school assessments to get similar marks)

1st 84(A) 2nd 82(B) 3rd 79(C) 4th 68(D) 5th 63(E)

Externals

C got 96 A got 64 B got 67 D got 66 E got 72

Internally moderated

As the cohort tended to perform relative 'poorly', as C wasn't ranked first he would get a mark closer to 70/80ish for his internal.






It's not really a percentage, it depends on you 'rank' within cohort.


Externals

 

[D94]

Thanks for the answers guys.
A bit off topic but how do the marks of your year group affect you in a positive way (bring them up), what percentage of the class has to do well to bring your mark up?

BTW Tina is awesome

It doesn't bring you up in the sense that you get extra marks. If you were at a comprehensive high school, would you perform exactly the same as if you were at a selective school? Probably not. It's more likely that you would perform better at a selective school than at a comprehensive high school because you are with people who want to excel, the teaching might be better, and just the general environment is education-positive. (not saying that can't happen elsewhere, but that is more noticeable at selective schools).

 

[D94]

I'm confused - what do you guys mean by a comprehensive high school?

Isn't that the term to describe 'normal' schools? I've always been told that at school (which was a selective, so it might just be an elitist attitude from teachers).

 

[Squar3root]

imo no difference. everyone is on a level playing field and the ones that choose to work will get the results

 

[FancyPenguin]

So with the performance of the cohort thing, If someone does really well for both internal and external but the majority of the class does pretty badly will the person who performed well be brought down.
I hear kids and teachers in my school talk about how getting bad marks can affect the marks of other kids(my school has now resulted to having strict requirements for getting into subjects for year 11 and 12 because results were so low).

 

[obliviousninja]

You get perks if you go to sydney boys or girls, and then UNSW.

 

[Squar3root]

You get perks if you go to sydney boys or girls, and then UNSW.

Sadly this.

Pretty much everyone I meet at unsw is like "yeah I'm from Sydney boys/girls/ruse/Penrith(tbh, I did apply for this one)/girra/plc/baulko/this "type". And I'm just there like "yeah I'm from western syd

 

[BLIT2014]

Isn't that the term to describe 'normal' schools? I've always been told that at school (which was a selective, so it might just be an elitist attitude from teachers).

I've heard government high schools called 'comprehensive high school' too.

 

[BLIT2014]

So with the performance of the cohort thing, If someone does really well for both internal and external but the majority of the class does pretty badly will the person who performed well be brought down.
I hear kids and teachers in my school talk about how getting bad marks can affect the marks of other kids(my school has now resulted to having strict requirements for getting into subjects for year 11 and 12 because results were so low).

If you are rank one then you don't need to worry.

 

[FancyPenguin]

Thanks for all the replies guys, really appreciate it.

 

[Dachsy]

I think it's the academically-based mentality. There's the expectation to do well in the HSC and that pressures some students to work (They don't want to be the year that brings the school 'rankings' down, teachers pressure students into aiming for Band 6s and 5s as that is the norm, some schools make it compulsory for students to do English Extension in Yr 11 to improve their English Advanced marks etc...) I'm not too sure if there is a difference in the level of intensity and complexity involved in the workload as I haven't been to both...However I would presume what they do in James Ruse would likely be harder than many schools.
But I guess these are just some trivial benefits and every student can do succeed with some effort.

 

[Drifting95]

Not as many dropkicks to distract you.

 

[FancyPenguin]

hahaha LOL my school has so many, but i guess that's to be expected for a 300-ish ranking school. The school has now resulted to creating mark requirements for year 11 and 12 subjects to stop them going into harder classes and failing, so now they're pretty much stuck with bio, standard and general maths.

 

[BLIT2014]

hahaha LOL my school has so many, but i guess that's to be expected for a 300-ish ranking school. The school has now resulted to creating mark requirements for year 11 and 12 subjects to stop them going into harder classes and failing, so now they're pretty much stuck with bio, standard and general maths.

That's not really fair for the students who do bother actually working hard in year 11/12.

I could understand if you have to maintain a certain mark?

 

[Drifting95]

hahaha LOL my school has so many, but i guess that's to be expected for a 300-ish ranking school. The school has now resulted to creating mark requirements for year 11 and 12 subjects to stop them going into harder classes and failing, so now they're pretty much stuck with bio, standard and general maths.

I know dem feels, my school was ranked like 390ish until my year (low 100s).

That sucks for people who only apply themselves in the hsc. I didn't do much 7-10 but i pulled my finger out during year 11 & 12 and achieved an atar better than all of these "top students" bar one. They didn't let me do advanced english which significantly impacted me but ah well.