ASSESSMENT GUIDELINES FOR YEARS 11 AND 12 (in Senior School diary) Policy & Procedures Next review date: Currently under review

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1 Last reviewed: May 2013 ASSESSMENT GUIDELINES FOR YEARS 11 AND 12 (in Senior School diary) Policy & Procedures Next review date: Currently under review By: Dean of Curriculum If a school is assessing students in School Curriculum and Standards Authority (SCSA) accredited courses, the SCSA requires that: students are given the assessment programme and assessment structures for a subject at the beginning of the course; grades are assigned at the conclusion of the course and are based on the cumulative record of assessment of the student s achievement of course objectives and outcomes; the criteria for the awarding of grades is fixed for all students. Disabled students must be assessed on what they can do and not on what they might do if they were not disabled; final grades and/or numerical assessments are available for collection by students, before the SCSA deadline for submission. (In Year 12 these will be available the day before the deadline, in Year 11, where possible on the school day prior to the SCSA deadline, otherwise on the day prior to the deadline. Results are only released to the student or the parent of the student concerned.) In addition the school has certain guidelines which are summarised below. CHANGING SUBJECTS or COURSES The school sets the deadline for changing subjects or courses in Year 11 and 12 as the last Monday in March or a proximate date determined when planning the school calendar. Assessment tasks missed because of subject/course change or change of school. As part of the decision to change a subject or course students should make themselves aware of what is expected of them in the new subject or course; the assessment tasks which must be completed in order to compensate for the section of the course missed, the risks taken by starting a course late, and the weightings allocated to various components. Students taking up a subject or course after the beginning of the course will be examined on the whole course in the same way as other students. Students who have not submitted assessment tasks because of late commencement resulting from a transfer from one school to another or a change of subject/course, will, where possible, be provided with an opportunity to demonstrate achievement of course objectives for the section of the work they have missed. Unfortunately in some aspects of a course, this is not possible. STUDENTS WITH SPECIAL NEEDS Long term illness A student with a long term illness will be given special consideration according to the school s assessment of the prevailing circumstances. Students with disabilities Although disabled students are assessed according to how they meet the criteria of the course, appropriate opportunities to demonstrate achievement of course objectives will be provided for them within the scope of the school s facilities. Policy - Assessment and Reporting Page 1 of 36

2 Extra time or special conditions in tests and examinations Extra time or use of computers in tests or exams will be granted to those students who have medical or psychometric testing which indicates that they fit the established criteria of the SCSA for special conditions in external examinations. These include dyslexia, dyspraxia, dysgraphia, other specific learning disabilities, chronic fatigue syndrome, and some physical disabilities. Existence of such conditions should be declared to the Dean of Curriculum or the Dean of Administration at the beginning of the year or as soon as they become known. Documentation must be provided and time spent with one of the school counsellors to determine what arrangements best suit the student s needs. All of this information must be provided before any special consideration can be given, and should be done well before the first set of examinations in any year. ASSIGNMENTS, TESTS AND EXAMINATIONS Internal Comparability for examinations, tests and other assessment items. It is a requirement of the SCSA that internal comparability is achieved in all forms of school assessment. In order to accomplish this, school policy is as follows: Common Tests All students should sit tests at the required time. Should this not be possible because of illness, contact with parents and in some cases a medical certificate, will be required. Students are required to contact the teacher (of the test subject) on the day of return to school. If this does not happen, a student risks being allocated zero for the test. Students who do not have a valid reason for being absent from a test will be given zero. Under some circumstances they may be given the opportunity to sit the test for practice. Students absent from tests will be required to sit the test in their own time, in Administration. Tests will be taken at 8.00am or 4.00pm (3.45pm if more appropriate) on the day following the test. In exceptional circumstances another time or place, agreed by one of the deans and the subject teacher, will be arranged. (8.00am means arrive in time to start at 8.00am.) Students who arrive late finish at the same time as other students ie 8.45am for a 45 minute test. There are two possible start times for afternoon tests to allow sufficient refreshment time before beginning, 3.45 or 4.00pm.) Tests cannot be taken during subsequent subject lessons. Test questions may be changed if some perceived advantage has been gained by the delay in testing. Should students share information regarding a test, all parties involved will be penalised. The penalty will be a deduction of part or all of the marks earned, at the discretion of the teacher concerned and the principal. This includes both the givers and the receivers of information. Valid reasons for missing tests. There are very few valid reasons for missing tests. In most instances some contact by parents will be needed either in person or by phone. In the case of boarders, the advice of boarding house staff, a fax or phone call from parents are the most likely means of communication. Valid reasons for missing tests might be Illness. In these circumstances a parent or guardian needs to be in contact with one of the deans. A medical certificate may be required. Policy - Assessment and Reporting Page 2 of 36

3 Family matters. Again, parent or guardian contact with one of the deans is needed. Medical/dental appointments. These will usually only affect the time of the test, not the day and should be notified in advance. A note must be supplied, as with any absence from school. Where possible, the test should be sat on the same day, before or after school, or, in exceptional circumstances, with agreement form one of the Deans, before school the following day. Approved and authorised school, state or national competitions, examinations or special events. Invalid reasons might be Driving lessons. Social or sporting functions (unless authorised by staff). Sleeping-in, forgetting, late arrival. Examinations Parents of students absent for an examination should notify the Dean of Administration by telephone before 10.00am on the day of the examination. Students absent due to illness will require a medical certificate. Examinations not taken at the set time will be taken at a time arranged by the Dean of Administration in order to maintain fairness and internal comparability. (The marks gained may be modified according to the circumstances if they are required as part of the annual assessment.) If a fair arrangement is not possible the examination should be completed, and will be marked or discussed to provide students with feedback on answering questions under exam conditions. No student should exceed the given time for a test or examination, unless special considerations have been approved by the deans. All students should stop work immediately the finishing time is announced. Students who continue beyond this time risk having their last answer cancelled. Assignments Careful personal organisation is required by students to ensure assignments for all subjects can be given adequate preparation and completion time. Assignments must be submitted by the due date. If an assignment is incomplete, what has been done should be submitted and will be given a mark or grade. Students may apply in advance for an extension to the due date of an assignment if extenuating or special circumstances prevail. This will be granted at the discretion of the teacher, who may require the student to submit the portion of the assignment that has been completed in order to consider how much time should be allowed should the application be successful. Extensions are only granted in exceptional circumstances and may require a letter from parents indicating the prevailing circumstances. Assignments must be handed, in person, to the teacher concerned. If this is not possible they must be handed to the deans or at Student Reception (upstairs Admin), where the time and date of submission will be recorded. If an assignment is faxed or ed as a result of extenuating circumstances, a hard copy of the work must be handed to the teacher concerned on the day the student returns to school. Students will only have access to the full range of possible marks if assignments are complete and handed in on time. When students do not hand in major pieces for assessment at the appointed time, without an approved extension, they risk not fulfilling the requirements of particular aspects of the course, which will affect their final result. The consequences for late submission will be outlined on the assignment sheet, and will be a deduction of marks per day of being overdue, until a mark of zero is reached. If the assignment is submitted after this stage the work will be marked, where practicable, commented upon or discussed to ensure a meaningful learning experience, but cannot increase the Policy - Assessment and Reporting Page 3 of 36

4 annual assessment grade and the mark for that assignment will remain zero. Policy - Assessment and Reporting Page 4 of 36

5 In situations involving a large practical component and/or a folio of work built up over a long period, students who do not submit work on time will also not have access to the full range of marks. In some instances a proportion of the total mark may be awarded to reflect the accomplishment to date. Penalties for late assignments are not applied in the same way when students have obviously been sick for a number of days, nor are they applied to normal routine homework. Absence on the due date of assignments/reports/essays Students who are absent through illness when work is due, should submit the required work on their return to school. Should this not be possible, parent contact with the school is required. In situations where the work has been marked and returned to the class before the absent student returns, the teacher will advise of procedures and any mark adjustment that applies. Prolonged absences In the event of a prolonged absence due to illness, accident or disability, allowances can be made for both examinable and Wholly School Assessed subjects. Special arrangements concerning assignments and tests can be made through the deans and subject teachers and will vary according to the circumstances. Please feel free to discuss these provisions at any time, but try to do so before the burden of overdue work is having a detrimental effect. Cheating in tests, assignments or examinations Cheating in an examination or test is viewed as a very serious breach of ethics and fairness. If a student is found to have any notes or materials which may be relevant to an exam or test they are sitting, they will have marks deducted from their result, up to and possibly including cancellation of the paper, at the sole discretion of the teacher concerned and the principal. There will be no opportunity to resit the test. It is each student s responsibility to ensure that she has no unauthorised material. If unsure, she should ask the exam or test supervisors before starting the assessment. Cheating in an assignment will be treated as follows: Where several essays indicate co-operative work, the marks will be divided between the students concerned. If work is a straight copy, no marks will be awarded to either student unless it can be clearly established that one party is innocent. Where there is reasonable doubt students may be given the opportunity to be questioned on the material, or given the opportunity to complete a similar piece of work. If work is plagiarised, marks will only be awarded on the portion of the work that is original. Plagiarism Plagiarism is a serious issue. It is your responsibility to make sure you know exactly what it means and how it might impact on your result in any assessment. Using material written, drawn or photographed by other people is acceptable if the source is correctly acknowledged. There are a number of ways in which this can be done, and skill involved in doing it correctly. If you are still unsure of how to go about this, ask for guidance from staff in good time to enable them to be able to look at your final draft and help you modify the wording within the text or assist with the bibliographical details to assure all sources are handled in the correct way. Do not leave this until the due date. RECORD KEEPING It is advisable that all assessment items, including examination papers are kept for both learning and revision purposes, and in case an error has been made in the calculation of the final mark and grade. In the event of a recalculation being needed, the original copies of tests and exams together with the department record, will be referred to. Policy - Assessment and Reporting Page 5 of 36

6 ASSESSMENT GUIDELINES FOR YEARS 7 to 10 Assessment in Years 7 to 10 is largely an internal matter, as very few students are involved in SCSA accredited subjects in those years. Nonetheless the principles and practices remain very similar and are implemented progressively as students move through the secondary school. Tests and examinations are treated in the same way and assignments must be submitted by the due date. A student will be awarded a grade or level which reflects the demonstration of outcomes, the effort applied and the quality of work submitted. Similar provisions will be made for assistance to students who have prolonged illness, and parents are encouraged to talk with the deans or counsellors about these matters. The practices involved with the following issues remain as outlined above. Students with special needs Extra time in tests and examinations Common Tests Examinations Absence on the due date of assignments/reports/essays Extensions for assignments Cheating and Plagiarism Record Keeping School Assessment Policy for Senior School Teachers (in the Staff Handbook) RESPONSIBILITY FOR UPPER SCHOOL COURSES The Principal through the Dean of Curriculum, Head of Department and subject teacher, is responsible for ensuring that: the teaching-learning programmes developed by teachers cover the course objectives; the assessment programme developed for each course conforms with the framework provided by the School Curriculum and Standards Authority (SCSA) Assessment Structure; internal comparability is achieved; the significance of failure to complete each assessment task is outlined. In addition the SCSA policy requires that: students are made aware at the beginning of their course of the assessment programme for the course, particularly in regard to the SCSA Assessment Structures. This is the subject teacher's responsibility. grades, marks and equivalent numbers (as needed) are assigned at the conclusion of the course and are based on the cumulative record of assessment of the student's achievement of course objectives. This is the combined responsibility of Head of Department and subject teacher. students with physical or sensory disabilities are provided with appropriate opportunities to demonstrate achievement of course objectives and should be assessed according to the standards defined for all students attempting the course. The approach here is normally worked out in conjunction with Dean of Students/Dean of Curriculum. Policy - Assessment and Reporting Page 6 of 36

7 students are advised that any grades awarded are subject to approval by the SCSA. This should be part of the assessment document and is the subject teacher s responsibility. students are aware that they can appeal against their school assessment. This is part of the Year 12 Year Teacher s responsibility. the school collects and retains documentation and samples of student work that may be required in the moderation process, at least until grades are confirmed. This should be until the end of the year for Year 12 and until the end of first term the following year for Year 11. The SCSA reserves the right not to accept final results if the above requirements are not met, it has also given notice that assessment for new courses may be modified if not deemed to be an accurate match to their standard. GUIDELINES FOR DIFFICULT ASSESSMENT SITUATIONS In the areas outlined below, it is important that the due date for assignments is carefully emphasised by all staff, noted by all students in their homework diaries, and is not extended. Long term illness A student with a long term illness will be so identified by the school and will be given special treatment. The consideration given in terms of number of assessment items and how they are to be assessed, will be a result of and subject to the combined professional judgment of the Dean of Curriculum, the Dean of Students and subject teachers. It will vary according to the prevailing circumstances. Students with disabilities The criteria for the awarding of grades as defined by grade-related descriptors or course outcomes, remain fixed for all students. Disabled students should be assessed on what they can do and not on what they might do if they were not disabled. (This situation is being fairly liberally interpreted by the SCSA, who are willing to accept both a reader and a scribe, even for English on the grounds that they are not providing the student with a course that enables her to be fully assessed without helpers.) Depending on the disability, extra working time and possibly reading time, scribes etc for class tests and examinations could be provided. In the event of extra time not being available, fewer questions should be considered. ASSIGNMENTS, TESTS AND EXAMINATIONS Assignments must be submitted by the due date. If an assignment is incomplete, what has been done should be submitted and will be given a mark or grade. Students may apply in advance for an extension to the due date of an assignment if extenuating or special circumstances prevail. This will be granted at the discretion of the teacher, who may require the student to submit the portion of the assignment that has been completed in order to consider how much time should be allowed should the application be successful. Extensions are only granted in exceptional circumstances and may require a letter from parents indicating the prevailing circumstances. Assignments must be handed, in person, to the teacher concerned. If this is not possible they must be handed to the Deans or at Student Reception (upstairs Admin), where the time and date of submission will be recorded. If an assignment is faxed or ed as a result of extenuating circumstances, a hard copy of the work must be handed to the teacher concerned on the day the student returns to school. Policy - Assessment and Reporting Page 7 of 36

8 Students will only have access to the full range of possible marks if assignments are complete and handed in on time. When students do not hand in major pieces for assessment at the appointed time, without an approved extension, they risk not fulfilling the requirements of particular aspects of the course, which will affect their final result. The consequences for late submission will be outlined on the assignment sheet, and will be a deduction of marks per day of being overdue, until a mark of zero is reached. If the assignment is submitted after this stage the work will be marked, where practicable, commented upon or discussed to ensure a meaningful learning experience, but cannot increase the annual assessment grade and the mark for that assignment will remain zero. In situations involving a large practical component and/or a folio of work built up over a long period, students who do not submit work on time will also not have access to the full range of marks. In some instances a proportion of the total mark may be awarded to reflect the accomplishment to date. This approach should only be taken for a specific type of submission, and will not necessarily apply to all assessments within a subject. Penalties for late assignments are not applied in the same way when students have obviously been sick for a number of days, nor are they applied to normal routine homework. Absence on the due date of assignments/reports/essays Students who are absent through illness when work is due, should submit the required work on their return to school. Should this not be possible, parent contact with the school is required. In situations where the work has been marked and returned to the class before the absent student returns, the teacher will advise of procedures and any mark adjustment that applies. In situations involving a large practical component and/or a folio of work built up over a long period, a discretionary mark, to reflect the amount of work that has been completed, may be given if work is not submitted by the due date. This may take the form of progressive marking. Students who do not submit work on time should not have access to the full range of marks and will have their marks diminished according to an agreement made by teachers within the department. Failure of students to submit tasks Students should be provided with an opportunity to present evidence supporting their reason for failing to submit an assessment task. The school/teacher will decide whether or not the reason is acceptable and apply an appropriate strategy: - extension without penalty - extension with penalty - alternative task - alternative task with penalty - zero marks - estimate of performance based on ranking Failure to submit work or attend tests If a student has failed to submit work in a subject, contact through the Homework Diary is not sufficient and a letter should be sent home to parents. A multiple copy proforma is readily available to all staff. All copies of the formletter should be sent to the Dean of Students for distribution; the original will be posted to the parents, one each sent to the subject teacher, link teacher and year teacher. If the student is a boarder, a photocopy will be sent to the Head of Boarding. These records should be retained by the staff concerned, and the Year Teacher s collection handed to the Dean of Students, at the end of the year, as a record of the school s action. Homework incomplete or of an unsatisfactory standard Policy - Assessment and Reporting Page 8 of 36

9 There is a separate proforma to inform parents of homework not meeting the requirements. The procedure is similar to the one above. Action in the aforementioned areas is the subject teacher's responsibility. Policy - Assessment and Reporting Page 9 of 36

10 Fail grades in tests/assignments Parents should be contacted if a student has received an 'E' grade or has produced work below an acceptable standard in any assignment or test. There is a Concern Note proforma for this eventuality. Common Tests and Absence from tests All students should sit tests at the required time. Should this not be possible because of illness, contact with parents and in some cases a medical certificate, will be required. Students are required to contact the teacher (of the test subject) on the day of return to school. If this does not happen, a student risks being allocated zero for the test. Students who do not have a valid reason for being absent from a test will be given zero. Under some circumstances they may be given the opportunity to sit the test for practice. Parents should be notified if a student does not comply with the above procedure. Students absent from tests will be required to sit the test in their own time, in Administration. Tests will be taken at 8.00am or 4.00pm (3.45pm if more appropriate) on the day following the test. In exceptional circumstances another time or place, agreed by one of the deans and the subject teacher, will be arranged. (8.00am means arrive in time to start at 8.00am.) Students who arrive late, finish at the same time as other students ie 8.45am for a 45 minute test. There are two possible start times for afternoon tests to allow sufficient refreshment time before beginning, 3.45 or 4.00pm.) Tests cannot be taken during subsequent subject lessons Test questions may be changed if some perceived advantage has been gained by the delay in testing. Should students share information regarding a test, all parties involved will be penalised. The penalty will be a deduction of part or all of the marks earned, at the discretion of the teacher concerned and the principal. This includes both the givers and the receivers of information. Extra time or special conditions in tests and examinations Extra time or use of computers in tests or exams will be granted to those students who have medical or psychometric testing which indicates that they fit the established criteria of the SCSA for special conditions in external examinations. Existence of such conditions should be declared to the Dean of Curriculum or the Dean of Administration at the beginning of the year or as soon as they become known. Documentation must be provided and time spent with one of the school counsellors to determine what arrangements best suit the student s needs. All of this information must be provided before any special consideration can be given, and should be done well before the first set of examinations in any year. Prolonged absences In the event of a prolonged absence due to illness, accident or disability, allowances can be made for both WACE examination and Wholly School Assessed subjects. Special arrangements concerning assignments and tests can be made through the deans and subject teachers and will vary according to the circumstances. Please feel free to discuss these provisions at any time, and encourage students to do so before the burden of overdue work is having a detrimental effect. Extensions The granting of an extension is the prerogative of the teacher concerned. Extensions are only granted in exceptional circumstances and may require a letter from parents indicating the prevailing circumstances. Policy - Assessment and Reporting Page 10 of 36

11 Absence from examinations Parents of students absent for examinations should notify the Dean of Administration by telephone by 10.00am on the day of the examination. Students absent due to illness will require a medical certificate. Examinations not taken at the set time will be taken at a time arranged by the Dean of Administration in order to maintain fairness and internal comparability. (The marks gained may be modified according to the circumstances if they are required as part of the annual assessment.) If a fair arrangement is not possible the examination should be completed, and will be marked or discussed to provide students with feedback on answering questions under exam conditions. Modifying marks: Under the circumstances outlined above, it is unlikely that the examination mark will be used in the normal way. Depending on the subject and the percentage weighting given to examination marks, one of the following courses may be adopted: the mark for the delayed examination may be used in the normal way; a mark penalty may be imposed; the examination may be treated as an assignment; the examination mark may be adjusted upward or Z-scored; an alternative task may be assigned. It has been the general experience that students perform worse rather than better in postponed examinations. This alleviates the need for penalty but could necessitate considering an upward adjustment. Absence on the due date of assignments/reports/essays. Students who are absent when work is due should submit the required work on their return to school. Should this not be possible, parent contact with the school is required. In situations where the work has been marked and returned to the class before the absent student returns, the teacher/senior staff will advise of procedures and any mark adjustment that applies. Estimates of likely performance Only in unusual circumstances should teachers estimate performance for missed assignments, tests and/or examinations. Estimates should be awarded at the discretion of the teacher/senior staff only when an alternative task has not been set and a mark is considered necessary for reasons of internal comparability. Estimates will be determined on the basis of past performance in similar types of assessment tasks. Strategies for estimating a likely mark should be worked out by the subject teacher and head of department. The SCSA normally uses z scores to establish an estimate. The school has also been using this calculation to ensure that any estimated score is at least as high as a z score. A higher score can be used at the discretion of the teacher concerned. Cheating in tests, assignments or examinations Cheating in an examination or test is viewed as a very serious breach of ethics and fairness. If a student is found to have any notes or materials which may be relevant to an exam or test they are sitting, they will have marks deducted from their result, up to and possibly including cancellation of the paper, at the sole discretion of the teacher concerned and the principal. There will be no opportunity to re-sit the test. It is each student s responsibility to ensure that she has no unauthorised material. If unsure, she should ask the exam or test supervisors before starting the assessment. If work is plagiarised, marks should only be awarded on the portion of the work that is original. Policy - Assessment and Reporting Page 11 of 36

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13 Assessment tasks missed because of transfer or course change Students who have not submitted assessment tasks because of transfer from one school to another or due to commencing a course late in the school year (and before SCSA deadlines) will, where possible, be provided with an opportunity to demonstrate achievement of course objectives. At the time of selecting a course students should be aware of what is expected of them; weightings given to the various components, the assessment tasks which must be completed in order to compensate for the section of the course missed, and the risks they take in starting a course late. Students taking up a subject after the beginning of the course will be examined on the whole course in the same way as other students. Assessment tasks essential to demonstrate achievement of course objectives already covered should be determined by the subject teacher and/or head of department. Such tasks should be listed for the student concerned in case there is any dispute. If there is no possibility of demonstrating competence in a section of the course already completed, students should be made aware of the impact of this on their grade. While it is not essential for transferring students to do all those assessment tasks previously completed by other members of the class, teachers should ensure that they collect sufficient assessment information to determine where transferring students "fit" in relation to other students at the time of assigning final grades and/or numerical assessments. Use of data from assessments completed at another school Grades from other schools will normally be accepted at face value. If during the course of subsequent terms, such marks seem inconsistent with St Mary's standards, the matter should be discussed with the Dean of Curriculum and the Dean of Administration, and a joint decision made as to the final grade. ADHERENCE TO SCSA REGULATIONS Deadlines for course changes by students The school sets the deadline for changing course units as the last Monday of March and the last Friday of August. If students have not commenced a course unit by these dates, it is unlikely they will be able to complete the requirements of the structured educational and assessment program, even in exceptional circumstances. If a request is made for a change of course after the above deadlines have passed, special consideration will have to be made. This is not normally considered unless the student's health, or personal and educational well-being is at risk. If and when this is the case the Dean of Administration normally investigates the situation, consulting with the 'before and after' subject teachers. The School must ensure that the requirements of the course will still be met. Final grades in Years 11 and 12 The school will inform students of their numerical assessments and/or final grades or levels before forwarding this information to the SCSA. Students will be provided with details used for assessment and grading and be given the opportunity to query their grades and numerical assessment well before the closing date for appeal to the SCSA. To meet this requirement in Year 12, the School will make available for collection, on the day before the SCSA deadline for submission of grades, an individual statement of marks and grades for each student. In Year 11, grades will be made available to students on the school day prior to the SCSA deadline. Such marks can only be released to the student or the parent of the student concerned. Policy - Assessment and Reporting Page 13 of 36

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15 Procedure for appeal The procedure for Appeal against school marks and grades is published by the SCSA in the Information Handbook for Year 12 Students which is issued to all students. It will also be explained to students in a Year Meeting. This is the responsibility of the Year Teacher of the year concerned. Reference Document: WACE Manual General Information for senior secondary schooling 2013, pages Teachers role in making the absence from test system work. If a student is absent, please automatically send a test, clearly marked with the student s name to Upstairs Admin on the day of the test. Many girls now know that they need to sit the test immediately on return and will sometimes come in first thing on the morning of their return to school. In those instances it is important that the test is readily available to the person supervising. Please complete an orange cover sheet with clear instructions. Please include details regarding the time allowed and any notes, calculator etc permitted. If the student concerned normally has extra time for some disability, please note how much extra time is needed. Remind students that tests will start promptly at 8.00am. If girls come later than that, they will have to finish at the same time as the others. Starting time for afternoon tests is 3.45pm or 4.00pm to allow sufficient time for refreshment. Please do not take the postponing of tests lightly. Tests are only to be taken at times other than those set, because of illness or some emergency. ASSESSMENT POLICY - YEARS 7 to 10 - RESPONSIBILITY FOR LOWER SCHOOL COURSES The Principal through the Dean of Curriculum and the Head of Department and subject teacher is responsible for ensuring that: the aims and objectives of the school are fostered; the course objectives and teaching-learning programmes develop appropriate skills and cover appropriate content, in accordance with the Australian Curriculum or the Curriculum Framework, to prepare for:- study in upper school courses, preparation for life during the school years and beyond, participation in the workforce, or form part of a general liberal education; an assessment programme is developed for each course which ensures informative feedback to students and parents, and which aids the further improvement of skills, processes and knowledge; internal comparability is achieved; grades are assigned at the conclusion of the course and are based on the cumulative record of assessment of the student's achievement of course objectives; students with physical or sensory disabilities are provided with appropriate opportunities to demonstrate achievement of course objectives and should be assessed in a manner that is in the best interests of progress. Policy - Assessment and Reporting Page 15 of 36

16 GUIDELINES FOR DIFFICULT ASSESSMENT SITUATIONS In the areas outlined below, it is important that the due date for assignments is carefully emphasised by all staff, noted by all students in their homework diaries, and is not extended. Long term illness A student with a long term illness will be so identified by the school and will be given special treatment. The consideration given in terms of number of assessment items and how they are to be assessed, will be a result of and subject to the judgment of the subject teachers and head of department. It will vary according to the prevailing circumstances. Students with disabilities While the criteria for the awarding of grades remain fixed for all students in upper school, in the lower school disabled students should be given every encouragement to try everything and should be assessed on what they can do and the progress they are making. Those able to cope with normal courses will be assessed in the same way as other students. Depending on the disability, extra working time and possibly reading time, scribes etc for class tests and examinations could be provided. In the event of extra time not being available, fewer questions should be considered. Late assignments The policy of penalising students who are late handing in major pieces for assessment is stated below. Penalties are not applied when students have obviously been sick, nor are they applied to normal routine homework, such as completion of exercises etc. Penalties for late or incomplete homework can be arranged by the teacher concerned, if bad habits seem to be emerging. Students will only have access to the full range of possible marks if assignments are complete and handed in on time. When students do not hand in major pieces for assessment at the appointed time, they risk not fulfilling the requirements of particular aspects of the course, which will affect their final result. The consequences for late submission should be clearly outlined on the assignment sheet. If an assignment is incomplete, what has been done should be submitted and will be given a mark or grade. Assignments must be handed, in person, to the teacher concerned. If an assignment is faxed or ed as a result of extenuating circumstances, a hard copy of the work must be handed to the teacher concerned on the day the student returns to school. In situations involving a large practical component and/or a folio of work built up over a long period, students who do not submit work on time will also not have access to the full range of marks. In some instances a proportion of the total mark may be awarded to reflect the accomplishment to date. This may take the form of progressive marking, and will diminish according to an agreement made by teachers within the department. This approach should only be taken for a specific type of submission, and will not necessarily apply to all assessments within a subject. Deviation from assignment deadlines Extensions of time or waiving an assessment task should only occur under exceptional circumstances, eg medium to long illness, bereavement, personal trauma etc. If a student fails to hand in an assignment by the due date or extended date the school would normally take the view that the assignment still has to be completed to fulfil the requirements of completing the course. Policy - Assessment and Reporting Page 16 of 36

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18 Failure of students to submit tasks Students should be provided with an opportunity to present evidence supporting their reason for failing to submit an assessment task. The school/teacher will decide whether or not the reason is acceptable and apply an appropriate strategy:- - extension without penalty - extension with penalty - alternative task - alternative task with penalty - zero marks - estimate of performance based on ranking Failure to submit work or attend tests If a student has failed to submit work in a subject, contact through the Homework Diary is not sufficient and a letter should be sent home to parents. A multiple copy proforma is readily available to all staff. All copies of the form letter should be sent to the Dean of Students for distribution; the original will be posted to the parents and one each sent to the subject teacher, link teacher and year teacher. If the student is a boarder, a photocopy will be sent to the Head of Boarding. Homework incomplete or of an unsatisfactory standard There is a separate multiple copy proforma to inform parents of homework not meeting the requirements. The procedure is similar to the one above. Fail grades in tests/assignments Parents should be contacted if a student has received an 'E' grade or an equivalent unsatisfactory level or mark in any assignment or test. There is a Concern Note proforma for this eventuality, Action in the aforementioned areas is the subject teacher's responsibility. Absence from tests A student who is absent for a test must report to the teacher of the subject concerned prior to the next lesson. Students absent from tests will be required to sit the test in their own time, in Administration. Tests will be taken at 8.00am or 4.00pm (3.45pm if more appropriate) on the day following the test. In exceptional circumstances another time or place, agreed by one of the deans and the subject teacher, will be arranged. (8.00am means arrive in time to start at 8.00am. Students who arrive late finish at the same time as other students ie 8.45am for a 45 minute test. There are two possible start times for afternoon tests to allow sufficient refreshment time before beginning, 3.45 or 4.00pm.) Parents should be notified if a student does not comply with the above procedure. Tests cannot be taken during subsequent subject lessons. Test questions may be changed if some perceived advantage has been gained by the delay in testing. Should students share information regarding a test, all parties involved will be penalised. The penalty will be a deduction of part or all of the marks earned, at the discretion of the teacher concerned and the principal. This includes both the givers and the receivers of information. A mark penalty may be imposed if it is considered that the student has gained an advantage by having had the test postponed. Policy - Assessment and Reporting Page 18 of 36

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20 Absence from examinations Parents of students absent for examinations should notify the Dean of Administration by telephone by 10.00am on the day of the examination. At the discretion of the teacher/senior staff, it may be possible for the student to sit the same or a similar examination at a later date. Under these circumstances, the mark for the delayed examination may be used in the normal way a mark penalty may be imposed. the examination may be treated as an assignment the examination mark may be adjusted upward or Z-scored an alternative task may be assigned Absence on the due date of assignments/reports/essays. Students who are absent when work is due should submit the required work on their return to school. Should this not be possible, parent contact with the school is required. In situations where the work has been marked and returned to the class before the absent student returns, the teacher/senior staff will decide whether a mark penalty will be imposed. Estimates of likely performance Only in unusual circumstances should teachers estimate performance for missed assignments, tests and/or examinations, in lower school. Estimates should be awarded at the discretion of the teacher/senior teacher only when an alternative task has not been set and a mark is considered necessary for reasons of internal comparability. Estimates will be determined on the basis of past performance in similar types of assessment tasks. Cheating in tests, assignments or examinations Cheating in an examination or test is viewed as a very serious breach of ethics and fairness. If a student is found to have any notes or materials which may be relevant to an exam or test they are sitting, they will have marks deducted from their result, up to and possibly including cancellation of the paper, at the sole discretion of the teacher concerned and the principal. There will be no opportunity to re-sit the test. It is each student s responsibility to ensure that she has no unauthorised material. If unsure, she should ask the exam or test supervisors before starting the assessment. Cheating in an assignment will be treated as follows: Where several essays indicate co-operative work, the marks will be divided between the students concerned. If work is a straight copy, no marks will be awarded to either student unless it can be clearly established that one party is innocent. Where there is reasonable doubt students could be given the opportunity to be questioned on the material, or given the opportunity to complete a similar piece of work. If work is plagiarised, marks should only be awarded on the portion of the work that is original. Assessment tasks missed because of transfer or course change While it is not essential for transferring students to do all those assessment tasks previously completed by other members of the class, teachers should ensure that they collect sufficient assessment information to determine where transferring students "fit" in relation to other students at the time of assigning final grades and/or numerical assessments. Students should be given assistance with any work missed that is essential to their progress in a subject being continued in subsequent years. Alternatively, parents should be made aware of gaps so that they can take some action. Policy - Assessment and Reporting Page 20 of 36

21 Policy - Assessment and Reporting Page 21 of 36

22 Use of data from assessments completed at another school Grades from other schools can be used as a guide but need not be taken into account if they seem to differ from the assessments which follow. Award grades on the basis of work done while at St Mary's. Teachers role in making the absence from test system work If a student is absent, please automatically send a test, clearly marked with the student s name to Upstairs Admin on the day of the test. Many girls now know that they need to sit the test immediately on return and will sometimes come in first thing on the morning of their return to school. In those instances it is important that the test is readily available to the person supervising. Please complete an orange cover sheet with clear instructions. Please include details regarding the time allowed and any notes, calculator etc permitted. If the student concerned normally has extra time for some disability, please note how much extra time is needed. Remind students that Admin just before 8.00am and that tests will start promptly at 8.00am. If girls come later than that, they will have to finish at the same time as the others. Starting time for afternoon tests is 3.45pm or 4.00pm to allow sufficient time for refreshment. Please do not take the postponing of tests lightly. Tests are only to be taken at times other than those set, because of illness or some emergency. ASSESSMENT RECORDS Senior School (from the Staff Handbook) Assessment and record keeping is largely the responsibility of the Heads of Departments. A sheet of notes regarding the assessments required of you and how they are derived will be available from them, or failing that from the teacher in charge of a subject. Deadlines for the submission of results will also be their prerogative. The SCSA requirements are as follows:- Years 7, 8, 9, 10 no records are required by the SCSA, unless students are doing accredited CC courses. Year 11 a grade for each course unit (both Semester I and Semester II, forwarded together) a grade and mark if a student is exiting a course in Year 11 and intends to sit the exam are required for all students for all courses in early December. Year 11s doing Year 12 courses have their results submitted with the Year 12 lists due in very early November. Additional work should be devised for the Year 11 group once the Year 12 students have gone. Year 12 Proposed grade distribution for all stage two and stage three course units by early September. New awards for WPL have been announced. Date for nominations is to be advised, but mid- September is likely. Wholly School Assessed (Stage 1) courses require a grade for each unit, in early November Policy - Assessment and Reporting Page 22 of 36

23 WACE examination courses (Stage 2 and 3) require a mark and a grade for each unit in early November regardless of whether units were taught sequentially or concurrently. For courses with separate practical and written components, results must be recorded and submitted separately. WACE courses 2A and 2B or 3A and 3B if non examination candidates, require a grade only The WACE examinations are compulsory for Year 12s studying Stage 2 and 3 courses, unless exempt. EXAMINATIONS Senior School (from the Staff Handbook) Year 12, Semester I Exams are held during May, and Semester II Exams (WACE Mocks) in September. Year 11, Semester I Exams are held during May and Semester II in Term IV. Year 10, Semester I Exams are held at the end of Term II, and their final exams in Term IV. Year 9s have their only exams in Term IV, apart from History and Geography which are one semester courses, examined mid year. Year 7s and 8s have tests rather than examinations; the times and content being at the discretion of departments. Preparation of Papers It is essential that sufficient work is set to take up the time allocated for the exam. Papers should be set out in a consistent format, such as that used in the WACE exams, or as show in Appendix A. Policy - Assessment and Reporting Page 23 of 36