ASSESSMENT POLICY 1.0
2.0
RATIONALE Assessment of student performance is an integral part of the teaching/learning process and a means of fulfilling statutory reporting requirements. POLICY Assessment of student performance will be undertaken by means that are fair, equitable and transparent, and in accordance with the Curriculum and Assessment Outline for Years 7 to 10 and School Curriculum and Standards Authority (SCSA) Guidelines in Years 11 and 12. 2.1
INFORMATION TO STUDENTS 2.1.1 At the beginning of the year, Year 11 and 12 students will be provided with: (a)
The syllabus for the course unit/s (b)
A course outline which summarises the sequence and timing of delivery or a teaching and learning program (c)
The assessment outline for the course unit/s 2.1.2 At the beginning of each semester, students in Years 7 to 10 will be provided with: (a)
An outline of the work to be covered (b)
An assessment outline that shows the weighting of assessments that will be conducted during the semester. 2.2
COMPLETION OF WORK 2.2.1
Students are required to complete all assessment tasks to a satisfactory standard (special exemption 2.2.5 may apply). 2.2.2
Late submission of assessments is not acceptable and the following procedure will be followed when assessments are not submitted by the due date: a) A Seqta entry will be made and a Late Summative Assessment Notice will be sent home. A copy of this will be placed on the student’s file. b) If after one week, the assessment is not completed the student will be placed on an Academic Detention. c) If an assessment is not completed prior to the examination period, the student will be placed on an in-‐school suspension and may be required to attend school during the examination period to complete the outstanding piece of work. 2.2.3 Any request for variation to the prescribed deadline must be submitted prior to the due date in writing (from the parent/guardian) and approved by the subject teacher. 2.2.4 The requirement outlined in 2.2.1 and 2.2.3 applies to students who are absent from school due to a holiday or an out-‐of-‐school commitment. In these cases, requests should be submitted to the Deputy Principal (Pastoral Care) at least two weeks before the absence. 2.2.5 When a student is unable to complete one or more assessment tasks for reasons such as late entry to the course, injury or illness, personal circumstances, cultural beliefs or a disability or learning disability and there is documented evidence, submitted to the Deputy Principal (Curriculum), to confirm the reason for non-‐completion, the College may: a) Modify the task or provide an alternative assessment task b) Extend the due date for the assessment c) Estimate performances based on previous performances on the same type of assessment task Consideration may also be given to a student who attempts an assessment during times of (professionally documented) adverse personal circumstances. 2.2.6 Students with a disability and/or specific learning disability who require additional assistance to complete an assessment task will be provided with special considerations and/or arrangements consistent with those provided in the external examinations conducted by the SCSA. It is the responsibility of the student to apply for these conditions. 2.3 LATE SUBMISSION OF SUMMATIVE ASSESSMENTS YEARS 10 -‐ 12: For any summative assessment that is not completed by the prescribed date and where the student has not gained an approved variation to the prescribed deadline (see 2.2.3 and 2.2.4) a penalty will be applied. 2.3.1 Should the assessment be completed within the week deadline students will be penalised at the rate of 10% per day for each school day late. 2.3.2 Should the assessment not be completed within the week deadline: (a) A mark of zero will be awarded (b) The student will be required to complete the assessment and to attend an Academic Detention, as outlined in 2.2.2(b). YEARS 7 -‐ 9: Students who develop poor work habits in lower school struggle to cope with course demands. Therefore, late completion of assessments places them at a distinct disadvantage to their peers. Students need to complete ALL assigned tasks in every subject area and will be supported in developing work habits that enable this to happen. 2.3.3 Students who fail to meet a deadline will be required to attend an Academic Detention, as outlined in 2.2.2(b). 2.3.4 Students should refer to the appropriate faculty’s assessment policy for further information regarding the marks awarded for late work. 2.4 STUDENT ABSENCES Student absence should be minimised as it disrupts the learning program. Absenteeism is not a recognised reason for failure to complete assessments. Where a student is absent on the day of an in-‐class assessment or on the day when an out-‐of-‐
class assessment is due, the following apply: 2.4.1 On returning to school the student is required to provide a note from home indicating that Carers are aware that the student was absent on an assessment day. 2.4.2 Students will be required to negotiate with their classroom teacher a time to complete missed assessments resulting from illness or an approved absence. 2.4.3 In cases of extreme circumstances and/or long term illness, the Deputy Principal (Curriculum), in conjunction with relevant parties involved, will determine the procedure to be followed. 2.4.4 If a student is frequently absent on days scheduled for assessments, the Deputy Principal (Curriculum) will send a letter home notifying that the student will be penalised in future assessments. 2.5 GRADING 2.5.1 Procedures consistent with the SCSA guidelines will be employed to ensure a) Out of class assessments are authenticated b) Individual performance on a group task is monitored c) There is comparability in assessment procedures for different classes d) It is not possible for a student or group of students to gain prior access to an assessment task. 2.5.2 In Year 11 and 12 Courses, except when notified otherwise, a combined assessment outline will be used to determine a single grade and, where required, a single numerical score for the pair of units studied. This grade and numerical score will be reported for both units. The grade provided at the end of Semester 1 will be interim in nature. 2.6 APPEALS 2.6.1 After discussion with the classroom teacher, students have the right to formally appeal a mark or grade awarded for an individual assessment task. Appeals must be made immediately through the Head of Faculty. Beyond this, appeals can only be made to the Deputy Principal (Curriculum) on the grounds of procedural dispute. 2.6.2 At the end of the school year the College will provide Year 11 and 12 students with a written statement of their final grades and where appropriate, numerical school assessments. When students feel an error has been made they should contact the appropriate Head of Faculty to resolve the issue. Finally, students have the right to contact the SCSA and appeal their final grade or mark in any course. Such appeals will only consider procedural details and not review the mark awarded for a particular assessment. Details are available on the SCSA website. 2.7 CHEATING AND OTHER UNACCEPTABLE BEHAVIOUR IN A TEST OR EXAMINATION A score of zero is to be given in cases of cheating in a test or examination. Unacceptable behaviour during a test or examination will be penalised and may result in a score of zero. 2.8 ACADEMIC HONESTY It is an expectation of the College that students produce their own work and avoid Plagiarism. Students must give credit when copying or paraphrasing another person’s work or using their ideas. Collusion is when a fellow learner or parents assists you with your work. It is a necessity that students give credit by using in-‐text referencing or citing the source. Any student who plagiarises work (copying material from other sources) shall receive a zero. Any student who allows his/her work to be copied (either in part or whole) by another student shall also receive a zero. It is the responsibility of each student to prevent his/her work from being copied. 2.9 EXAMINATIONS All students must sit examinations at the scheduled time. If a student is too ill to sit the examination, s/he must obtain a doctor’s certificate. The Head of Faculty will determine whether the examination can be sat at a later date. As examinations only affect a select number of students in Year 11 and 12, the policy for examinations will be issued separately to relevant students. Students will be made aware of examination requirements in advance of the scheduled time. Details of examination dates are clearly stipulated in the Diary at the beginning of the semester. 2.10 WORKPLACE LEARNING Workplace Learning is organised through the Careers Co-‐ordinator. Details will be provided by the Careers Co-‐ordinator prior to any student undertaking this program. For assessment purposes, students undertaking Workplace Learning are required to meet normal assessment requirements for each course in which they are enrolled. When difficulties are encountered, the matter should initially be discussed with the Careers Co-‐ordinator.