Here are some active and informative chains of discussions and news regarding Selective School and Opportunity Class in NSW. Often it is much easier for newcomers to just look through what people have written for the last few years.
Official sources about selective schools
NSW Opportunity Classes (year 5)
NSW Selective Schools (year 7)
Victoria Selective Schools (year 9)
Western Australia Selective Schools (various years)
Queensland Academies (year 10)
Sample practice tests
These sample tests are very
old and they put up only as example for people to know the test format and
question styles. It is a bit silly but the Selective Practice test for
year 6 is more or less only suitable for year 4 students to practice for
OC test. So when a year 6 student who have NEVER seen these papers
before and could score 90% on them, do not hope for much, probably only
enough to enter one of the low selective schools ranked about 15th-20th
in NSW. The NSW OC Practice Tests are now only suitable for year 3
students.
NSW Opportunity Class Practice Tests (year 4)
NSW Selective School Practice Tests (year 6)
Victoria Selective School Practice Tests (year 8)
From around the Internet forums and blogs
Wikipedia about Opportunity Class in NSW
Wikipedia about Selective Schools in NSW
Wikipedia about Selective Schools in Australia and other countries
Essentialkids about Selective Schools
Essentialkids about OC
Whirlpool about selective schools
Daily Telegraph Blog about virtual selective school xsel (2010)
ICAC inquiry about bribe for marks (2010)
Segregation and white flight (2011)
Sydney Boys HS - In memory of Rugby (2008)
Daily Telegraph blog about coaching colleges (2009)
Essential Kids about NSW public selective school fees (2014)
ABC TV: Intensive coaching: A day in the life (2015)
From online newspapers
SMH - Rumours regarding selective school past papers (2006)
SMH - Selective school about migrants' students(2010)
SMH - Selective school "Mr 100%" (2010)
SMH - OC class and early opportunities (2011)
SMH - OC not as feeder for selectives (2013)
Daily Telegraph - selective schools being hijacked (2010)
Daily Telegraph - selective schools about tutoring (2012)
The Herald Sun - selective school English as second language (2012)
Daily Telegraph - the cost of early start at elite private schools (2012)
Daily Telegraph - selective schools performance in HSC (2013)
The Guardian - selective school coaching in the UK for grammar schools (2013)
SMH - OC classes no guarantee of place at selectives (2013)
Online Opinion - Mark Latham about every one is a winner ethos (2014)
SMH - Sydney Boys High School fails in its bid to relax selection process (2014)
SMH - Why private schools add little to education (2014)
SMH - Private or public: schools of thought in never-ending debate (2014)
SMH - Selective Testing Times (2014)
Daily Telegraph - Sydney mum’s mission to prove the education department wrong (2014)
SMH - Gifted students vie for a seat in popular OC classes (2014)
SMH - High schools group students based on test results (2014)
SMH - Testing times: selective schools and tiger parents (2015)
