What is QDTP? QDTP vs Supplementary in the NCCD
What QDTP means in the NCCD, why it attracts no loading, when support becomes Supplementary, and six examples side by side with the log entry for each.
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QDTP stands for quality differentiated teaching practice, the first of the four NCCD levels of adjustment. It means minor adjustments for a student's disability that are reasonably expected as part of quality teaching, made through usual school processes. A student at QDTP is counted in the NCCD, but the level attracts no student with disability loading.
The line with Supplementary comes down to one question: is the support still part of routine teaching, or has it been added on top, at specific times, to address a specific need? The definitions here follow the NCCD Guidelines and the NCCD Quick Guide.
New to the NCCD? Start with What is the NCCD?
What is QDTP in the NCCD?
QDTP is the level for a student whose disability-related needs are met through minor adjustments within everyday teaching. The Quick Guide calls it support provided within quality differentiated teaching practice: minor adjustments reasonably expected as part of quality teaching or school practice. The teacher makes them with the strategies and resources already available to every student.
Three things are true of QDTP:
- It is a real NCCD level: a student at QDTP is counted when they are in the school's August Census, have a disability under the Disability Discrimination Act 1992 (DDA), and have at least 10 weeks of adjustments in the 12 months before Census Day.
- It attracts no loading: QDTP is recorded in the collection, but it is the one level with no student with disability loading.
- It needs a disability: all students should expect quality differentiated teaching, so QDTP support for a student with no disability is just good teaching, and the student is not counted.
For a practitioner's view, Dr Matt Capp's worked example of UDL and QDTP follows typing and speech-to-text offered to a whole class for writing. For how QDTP sits beside the other three levels, see NCCD levels of adjustment.
What makes an adjustment Supplementary?
Supplementary adjustments are added to the strategies and resources already available for all students in the school, for particular activities at specific times through the week. The student still gets QDTP; Supplementary sits on top of it.
In practice that usually means one of these, planned for particular tasks, lessons or times:
- a targeted intervention, such as a small-group reading program three mornings a week
- specific assistive technology or equipment for the tasks that need it
- small-group or individual help from a teacher or aide for particular activities
- assessment adjustments such as extra time, rest breaks or a separate room
- a planned program for a specific need, such as a social skills group
Supplementary does not mean all-day support. When targeted help grows into support at most times, on most days, read Supplementary or Substantial?
QDTP vs Supplementary at a glance
The quickest way to check a call. Each row is a tendency, not a rule: the level follows the adjustments the student actually receives.
| Decision point | QDTP | Supplementary |
|---|---|---|
| Where the support sits | Inside routine, quality differentiated teaching | Added on top of QDTP |
| When it happens | Woven through ordinary lessons | For particular activities, at specific times through the week |
| Resourcing | The strategies and resources already available to every student | Something added: a targeted intervention, assistive technology, or adult help for set tasks |
| Who it reaches | Often helps the whole class, but is there because of this student's need | Aimed at this student, or a small group with similar needs |
| Typical examples | Chunked tasks, a word bank, instructions given one step at a time, a quiet corner | A reading group three mornings a week, a remote microphone system, extra time in a separate room |
| Evidence that usually shows it | Plan or program notes, annotated work samples, brief entries | An ILP or similar, intervention or timetable records, entries on the set days with a review note |
| 10 weeks of adjustments | Required | Required |
| Student with disability loading | None | Yes: see NCCD funding by level |
If your school also uses a multi-tiered system of support, see MTSS tiers and the NCCD levels: the tiers and the levels are not the same thing.
How to decide: a five-step test
Run these in order before you lock the level. They keep the conversation on the support that is actually happening, not on assumptions.
- Confirm it is a disability adjustment: The support must address the functional impact of a disability, not a gap from missed school or an English language need alone. If you are unsure, first decide whether it is differentiation or an adjustment.
- Start with the baseline: Ask what happens in this class for every student. If the strategy sits inside ordinary differentiated teaching, it is QDTP.
- Look for support added on top: Targeted help beyond the baseline, even if it is only for one subject or a few times a week, points to Supplementary.
- Check when and how often: QDTP is woven through ordinary lessons. Supplementary happens at specific times, for particular activities. If it happens at most times on most days, test Substantial instead.
- Match the evidence to the level: The record should show what was added, when, why it was needed and whether it was reviewed. See what strong NCCD evidence looks like.
Six examples, side by side
Each pair starts from the same need in the same student. At QDTP the adjustment sits inside ordinary teaching; at Supplementary, support has been added on top, at set times. Each comes with a log entry that would show it.
| The need | At QDTP, with the entry | At Supplementary, with the entry |
|---|---|---|
| Reading and written text | Key words pre-taught and a word bank on the desk, with instructions read aloud to the class. Entry: “Pre-taught 5 key words and gave Mia the word bank. She started the task without help.” | A small-group decoding program three mornings a week, and text-to-speech for longer readings. Entry: “Decoding group with Mia and two others, 20 min. Read the new text with two prompts, down from five last week.” |
| Understanding spoken instructions | Instructions given one step at a time and modelled, with think time before answering. Entry: “Gave Leo the steps one at a time and modelled the first question. He answered after think time.” | Explicit teaching of listening and sentence skills with the learning support teacher, 15 minutes twice a week. Entry: “Language session with Leo, 15 min. Used the prompt card to answer ‘why’ questions in full sentences.” |
| Changes to routine and assessments | Notice of changes to routine, and a quiet corner in the room. Entry: “Told Jack about the relief teacher first thing. Used the quiet corner once, back in 5 minutes.” | A planned check-in with the wellbeing leader before each assessment, and a separate room to sit it. Entry: “Check-in with Jack before the maths test; sat it in the library room. Finished all sections.” |
| Hearing the lesson | Seated near the front with a clear view of the teacher's face, and key instructions also written on the board. Entry: “Seated Priya at the front and wrote the steps on the board. She followed them without a repeat.” | A remote microphone system in the lessons built on discussion, checked before each one. Entry: “Checked Priya's remote mic before the science discussion. Used it all lesson; answered two questions.” |
| Moving around and handling equipment | Seating near the door, and leaving a few minutes early to reach the next room. Entry: “Sam left 3 minutes early for PE to miss the crowded stairs. Arrived on time.” | An aide sets up and steadies equipment in practical science, twice a week. Entry: “Aide set up Sam's bench in the lab and held the beaker. Sam did the measuring himself.” |
| A health need during the day | Snack, water and toilet breaks whenever needed, without having to ask. Entry: “Ella took a snack break at 11 and finished the writing task after a short rest.” | A procedure from her individual healthcare plan before sport, supervised by trained staff. Entry: “Supervised Ella's check before sport, as set out in her healthcare plan. Joined the game after.” |
In each pair the student and the need stay the same. What changes is whether support has been added on top of ordinary teaching, at set times, for a specific need. For examples in every functional area and at every level, see examples of NCCD adjustments. For adjustments by condition, see the guides on ADHD, autism, dyslexia and hearing impairment.
What each level needs: 10 weeks, and the loading
Both levels need the same evidence base. A student is counted at QDTP or Supplementary only if the school has evidence of adjustments for at least 10 weeks of school education in the 12 months before Census Day. The weeks are cumulative: they can be split across terms, and any amount of adjustment in a school week counts as a week. See what counts as a week under the 10-week rule.
The 10 weeks can fall anywhere in the 12 months before Census Day, at QDTP and at Supplementary alike.
What differs is the loading. QDTP attracts no student with disability loading. Supplementary does: in 2026 the full loading was $6,076 for a primary student and $5,999 for a secondary student, and the Commonwealth funds a share of that, not all of it (Department of Education, Schooling Resource Standard). The amounts for every level are in NCCD funding by level. Either way, the level must follow the evidence, never the funding.
What the record should show at each level
Schools are not required to create new evidence for the NCCD: evidence is sighted in the form it already exists. The same four areas of evidence apply at both levels. What changes is what the record has to make visible.
| Area of evidence | QDTP | Supplementary |
|---|---|---|
| Need | The functional impact the everyday adjustments address | The specific need the added support targets, and why ordinary teaching was not enough |
| Consultation | Who was consulted about the adjustments, and when (or why parents were not) | Who was consulted before the added support began, and when (or why parents were not) |
| Adjustments | Brief entries, or plan and program notes, showing the adjustments in ordinary lessons | Entries on the set days, or intervention and timetable records, showing when the added support happened |
| Monitoring | A note on whether the adjustments are working | A review of the added support: what changed, and whether it continues |
More on each area in the four areas of NCCD evidence, and on consultation in documenting NCCD consultation.
When a student moves up, or back down
Levels follow the support, so they can change during the year. A student moves from QDTP to Supplementary when the school adds support on top of the class baseline, for particular tasks or times, and keeps it going. They can move back when that support is no longer needed, for example once an intervention has done its job.
If a student had both levels in the 12 months before Census Day, the school reports the highest level provided for the minimum 10 weeks. A few weeks of added support on top of a year of QDTP does not, on its own, make the student Supplementary. Levels are reviewed every year against that year's evidence, not carried over from the last.
Questions to ask in moderation
These help a team slow down and make a cleaner call when it meets to moderate.
- Would we still call this ordinary differentiated teaching if the student were not being considered for the NCCD?
- Is the support added on top of what every student in the class gets?
- Is it planned for particular activities or times, and can we show when it happened?
- Is there a pattern over at least 10 weeks, not a one-off strategy?
- Does the record show why the student needed it, and whether it worked?
- Was the student or their associate consulted before the adjustments began, and if parents were not consulted, is the reason written down?
For how to run the meeting and record each decision, see NCCD moderation.
Common mistakes when making the call
Watch for these when deciding between QDTP and Supplementary.
| Common mistake | Better approach |
|---|---|
| Counting all differentiation as Supplementary | Not every scaffold lifts a student into Supplementary. QDTP is a valid NCCD level when the support stays within routine teaching. |
| Using the diagnosis to choose the level | The level follows the adjustments provided, not the label. Two students with the same diagnosis can sit at different levels. |
| Treating Supplementary as all-day support | Supplementary is support at specific times, for particular activities. Support at most times, on most days, is a question for Substantial. |
| Leaving QDTP students out because they bring no loading | A student who meets all the criteria must be counted, at whatever level fits. |
| Recording QDTP for a student with no disability | All students should expect quality differentiated teaching. A student is counted only with a disability under the DDA. |
| Skipping the evidence check | If the record shows only routine teaching, it may not support Supplementary. If it shows targeted support and review, QDTP may be too low. |
| Carrying last year's level forward | Review the level every year against this year's evidence. |
How we checked this guide
The definitions of QDTP and Supplementary follow the NCCD Guidelines: Effective 2026 Onward and the NCCD Quick Guide (2026 edition, Education Services Australia for the Australian Government Department of Education), which summarises the Guidelines and does not replace them. The rules on who is counted, the 10 weeks and the highest level come from the same two sources. The loading figures are the final 2026 amounts from the Department of Education's Schooling Resource Standard page.
The six examples and their log entries are ours: illustrations of each level, not official descriptors. The level for a real student rests on the school team's evidence and professional judgement. For the whole process, see the NCCD Quick Guide on one page.
Questions
Read next
- Levels of adjustmentNCCD levels of adjustment, explained with examplesQDTP, Supplementary, Substantial and Extensive: what each level looks like across the school day, how to choose between neighbouring levels, and the 2026 funding each one attracts.
- Levels of adjustmentNCCD adjustments: examples by area and levelExamples of NCCD adjustments in all five functional areas, from teaching and learning to movement, at every level, with a log entry that counts for each area.
- Teaching practiceDifferentiation vs adjustment: what is the difference?When does classroom differentiation become a documented NCCD adjustment? Where QDTP fits, a four-question test, and what schools need to record.
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