as at December 2007

1.0 STUDENT RESPONSIBILITIES

Students are required to take responsibility for familiarising themselves with the College’s assessment policy and their respective subject assessment outlines. It is the student’s responsibility to be aware of the proposed nature and timing of key assessments.

In addition, students must:

• Complete all assessments required in each subject/unit by the due date;

• Complete all work requirements in each subject/unit;

• Ensure that they inform the school before anticipated absences or after any unforeseen absences, extension requests or any other issues relating to assessment (see details in 2.0 – Absences, Missed Work and Late Submission);

• Maintain a folio of achievement evidence throughout the year for all subjects/units;

• Retain a second copy of all major out of class assessments submitted;

• Negotiate changes in music lessons with their music tutor when they clash with class assessments. Students are required to provide music tutors with one week’s notice of assessments that clash with music lessons ; and

• Allow parents to view and, if required, to sign and return marked assessment tasks.

2.0 ABSENCES, MISSED WORK AND LATE SUBMISSION

2.1 Guidelines

Students must complete the subject/unit by completing all of the College’s structured educational programme and assessment programme for the subject/unit. Exceptions to these completion requirements may be approved in exceptional circumstances.

Year 11 and 12 Subjects and Courses.

The College is guided by the following Curriculum Council requirements:

• Students who do not satisfactorily complete the assessment requirements without an appropriate reason will be awarded a RNM (Requirements Not Met) and the subject/unit will not count towards the achievement of the Western Australian Certificate of Education (WACE) until the assessment programme is complete; and

• Students who have not completed the assessment programme and for whom an appropriate reason has been accepted, may be awarded an RNM at the time when results are required by the Curriculum Council. This requires the student to submit the required alternate assessments and receive a result for the subject/unit. Note that for TEE subjects, a ‘U’ (Unfinished) may be awarded. This has the same effect as an RNM.

2.2 Absences – In-class Assessments

• Where a student is absent without prior knowledge for a scheduled assessment task such as a test or examination, the school should be telephoned (Students Services – 9223 8186) on the day of absence and students should acknowledge that a particular assessment has been missed, and request that the class teacher or teachers be informed. This will be recorded on the student’s absentee record.

• On the day of returning to school, the student must provide a letter from the parent or guardian. For Year 11 and 12 students, this should be accompanied by a medical certificate from the attending medical practitioner if illness was involved and the absence is two or more days.

• Where a student knows in advance that they will be absent from an assessment, a letter from the parent or guardian is required to be provided to the teacher.

• In both of the above cases, the teacher will attempt to provide an assessment opportunity at a time negotiated with the student. In some circumstances, the assessment will need to be different from that provided to other students. If it is not possible to provide an alternate assessment (e.g. because the absence occurred late in the assessment cycle; the assessment involved a group performance which cannot be repeated; etc) then the teacher will use one of the following strategies:

- Use other evidence if it exists (e.g. outcomes may be assessed numerous times and some former evidence may exist); and

- Provide an ‘inferred’ or ‘derived’ result based on the student’s rank order in the class and any other evidence. (Note: this method is normally only applied to examination or major test situations and only where there is absolutely no other means of administering an alternate assessment. This method is similar to the method used by the Curriculum Council when a student unavoidably misses a TEE exam).

Should a student be absent from an assessment task and fail to follow the procedures above, he will be awarded zero (0) marks and/or a RNM and will not be provided with another opportunity to complete the task until written notification of absence is received from parent/guardian. In addition, the Head of School will take the appropriate action.

2.3 Failure to Submit Work Completed Outside School

Where the student is unable to provide acceptable supporting evidence for the failure to submit work the student will normally be given no credit for achievement. The consequence is that the student may receive no result for the subject/unit.

The student should negotiate with the teacher about the circumstances of the failure to submit work to establish whether there is an acceptable reason. Where an alternate assessment can be organised before the end of the subject or unit, such arrangements may be made.

In circumstances where students fail to submit work, parents will be informed.

2.4 Late Submission of Work Completed out of School

Students are made aware of the timeline for submission of assessed work. This is indicated in the assessment outline distributed to students either at the commencement of the subject or unit. Teachers will advise students of a change of date of an assessment at the earliest opportunity.

In the process of endeavouring to complete a task the student should provide sufficient evidence to award a mark, grade or level/band. To aid this process, teachers will closely monitor student progress in the completion of significant out of school tasks. However, the practice of submitting an incomplete task is clearly undesirable. It is the responsibility of students to submit completed assessments on time.

Difficulties in completing work on time should be discussed with the teacher well before the due date and any necessary extension of time should be sought before the due date.

In special circumstances (prior illness, changing subjects) teachers may grant an extension on the basis of evidence already available.

Extension sought by students must be in writing to the teacher and should be signed by a parent. A proforma will be made available for students and must be completed and attached to the submitted assignment.

Generally, it will not be possible for students to gain an extension of deadlines for providing evidence of their achievement and teachers will make their judgements on the evidence available at the time of the deadline for submission.

Technical failures related to computing equipment will usually not constitute sufficient grounds for the granting of an extension.

Absence due to an excursion, camp or other school-based activity is not a valid reason for the failure to submit an assessment, unless negotiated with the subject teacher previously.

Where a student fails to submit work by the due date without approval and with no acceptable excuse, the following will apply:

a) In a numerically assessed subject the student will be penalised 30% of the mark gained for the first day late. A new submission date may then be initiated by the teacher and failure to submit the task by this date will result in a zero being awarded. The Head of School will be informed; and

b) In an outcomes assessed course, a minimum level/band of performance may be determined from the evidence gathered on the task during the production period. The student who has not demonstrated sufficient evidence within the task to be awarded a level/band will receive a RNM. The Head of School will be informed.

2.5 Assessment Missed because of Subject Transfer

Students who have missed assessment because of transfer from one school to another or because of commencing a subject late in the school year (in exceptional and justifiable circumstances), are provided with an opportunity to demonstrate achievement of subject outcomes or objectives. This must provide sufficient information for teachers to estimate the position in relation to other students at the time of assigning final grades, and in the case of Year 12 TEE subjects, numerical school assessments. Such students may not be expected to complete all missed assessment tasks.

Students transferring from another school and changing subjects
When teachers receive students into their classes from another school, they should establish what subject work would have been completed and what additional work needs to be done to avoid sustaining any perceived disadvantage. While it is not essential for transferring students to complete assessment tasks previously completed by other members of the class, teachers must ensure that they collect sufficient assessment information to determine the transferring student’s performance against the performance criteria.

Students transferring within the same school and commencing a subject late in the year (in exceptional and justifiable circumstances).

At the time of selecting a subject students must be aware of what is expected of them because of late entry to the subject. Students must be aware of the assessment programme, the relative importance of the various components, the assessment tasks that must be completed in order to compensate for the section of the subject missed, and the risks they take in starting a subject late.

If subject transfer occurs between subjects in the same learning area, then some recognition of relevant previous achievement may be possible.

3.0 CHEATING, COLLUSION AND PLAGIARISM

Cheating is where a student has engaged in a dishonest act to increase their mark. This typically occurs in tests and examinations.

Collusion is where a student submits work that is not their own for assessment and which may be similar or identical to that of other students.

Plagiarism is where students copy large sections or all of another person’s work, ideas etc without acknowledgement. In most assessments, teachers will discourage more than a minimum level of other people’s work, even if acknowledged.

Students found guilty of cheating, colluding or plagiarising in school assessments will either have their entire assessment disqualified or, if the teacher is able to isolate that part which has been advantaged through these acts, only that part which can be clearly and solely related to the act will be disqualified.

A RNM or zero (0) mark may be issued in significant breaches and a student guilty of such an infringement will be immediately referred to the respective Head of School or Principal.

4.0 EXAMINATIONS

When attending examinations, students must adhere to the regulations pertaining to the examination. Regulations are issued with the examination timetable. It is the student’s responsibility to read and understand the examination regulations and timetable, failure to do so is unacceptable.

Students are not permitted to enter the examination after the duration of one hour. Students are not permitted to leave any school-based examination until directed.

Attendance at semester and other major examinations is compulsory as these represent part of the assessment programme. In exceptional circumstances, special arrangements may be made through the Principal only. Exceptional circumstances generally relate to health issues and temporary disability. Participating in family holidays will not be accepted as an exceptional circumstance.

Breach of Examination Rules

Similar provisions which apply in the TEE will be used at the school. These include:

• Collusion between candidates – this will result in cancellation of the paper of each person involved, together with an inspection of prior papers in any common examination or major test for further evidence of collusion;

• Possession of unauthorised materials in the examinations room – this will result in cancellation of the candidate’s paper where unauthorised materials are relevant to the subject being examined; and

• Markings on authorised materials – this will result in cancellation of the whole or part of a candidate’s paper where markings are relevant to the subject being examined.

Absence from Examination

For students in Years 8-10, the procedure is the same as for ‘Absence – In Class Assessments’.

Students in Years 11 and 12, who are ill on the day of the examination, should ask their parents or guardians to contact the College as soon as possible. This information should be passed on to the Examination Supervisor and the relevant Head of Learning Area immediately. Students will present their medical certificate to the relevant Head of School on their return to the College. Wherever possible, the College will endeavour to provide opportunities to these students to be able to demonstrate their learning by completing the examination at an alternative time.

In rare and exceptional circumstances, the College may allow a student to sit an examination at a time other than that scheduled; the College will determine what constitutes such rare and exceptional circumstances.

5.0 APPEALS AGAINST ASSESSMENT PROCEDURES

Year 11 and 12 Courses and Subjects.

In accordance with Curriculum Council procedures, students have the right to appeal against the result they have been awarded in all Year 11 and Year 12 subjects/courses. Appeals can only be made if the student feels that the stated assessment procedures have not been applied in accordance with Curriculum Council requirements.

Students have no right of formal appeal against marking standards of teachers.

If students feel they have a case for concern with their result, the following procedures are to be applied:

1. In the first instance, the student should contact their subject teacher as soon as possible to address the matter; and

2. If the student feels the matter has not been resolved satisfactorily, then contact needs to be made with the Head of Learning Area and/or Head of School. The school will attempt to resolve the issue as a matter of urgency.

Download a copy of the Assessment Policy