- Overview
- Attachments and References
- Definitions
- Assessment Guidelines
- Student Responsibilities
- Teacher Responsibilities
- Changing a Course
- Completion of a Course
- Acceptable Reasons for Non-Submission or Non-Completion
- Transfer from Another School
- Policy on Fairness (Cheating, Collusion, and Plagiarism)
- Referencing Sources of Information
- Examinations
- Students Requiring Special Consideration
- Reporting Achievement
First created | 24 March 2015 |
Last reviewed | 9 June 2020 |
Review cycle | Two years |
Approver | Academic Executive |
Owner | Projects Manager |
Stakeholders | Staff |
Child Safety | National Principles 1, 4, 5, 7, 8, 10 |
Overview #
- We aim to provide quality, Christ-centred education for all our students. As such, we will provide equitable assessment of a high standard in the delivery of all Year 7-10 courses.
- This policy reflects the importance of assessments in Years 7-10 and their contribution towards a student’s final grades and marks. Some section may be subject to change, and students will be notified if this is the case.
- The Head of Students (Year 7-9) is primarily responsible for the implementation of this policy, with input from the Head of Students (Year 10-12).
Attachments and References #
Staff should read this Assessment and Reporting Policy in conjunction with the following documents:
Definitions #
- Assessment or assessment item or assessable work means any piece of work completed by a student for which the marks will count towards that student’s grade for the subject concerned.
- Collusion means a situation where a student works together with another student, or with some other person, on an assessment when this is not done with the teacher’s permission but the work is still submitted as the student’s own. This is never allowed and will always receive a penalty.
- Cooperation means students working together on a task, where this is done with the permission or encouragement of teachers. There may be sections of the syllabus which allow cooperative work to be submitted for assessment, and if so, the teacher will make this clear. Unless students are specifically instructed by the teacher that cooperation is permitted for a particular piece of assessable work, students should assume that it is not permitted.
- Plagiarism means cases where a student copies someone else’s work and passes it off as his or her own. This may be done either by copying directly, without acknowledgment, or by re-wording the ideas and not giving credit to the original source. This is never allowed and will always receive a penalty. While Cooperation is often a good way of learning, Collusion and Plagiarism both have the intention to deceive and gain credit for someone else’s work. This is dishonest and has no place in a Christian school. Universities and other tertiary institutions do not allow such practices either.
Assessment Guidelines #
- A course outline, assessment schedule, and the weighting of each assessment will be provided to students at the commencement of the learning program in each course.
- This may occur at the start of each Term, Semester, or at the commencement of each Unit, and will vary from subject to subject.
- Records of Assessment are maintained in SEQTA Marks Book.
- Assessments will conform to the College’s belief statements.
Student Responsibilities #
It is the student’s responsibility to:
- take responsibility for their achievement in each course and to complete the prescribed work requirements by the due date;
- complete all assessment tasks described in the assessment outline;
- maintain notes and assessment pieces in each course studied;
- maintain a good record of attendance, conduct, and progress. A student who is absent from a class for five lessons or more per Term may be deemed to be at risk of not completing the course unit or subject requirements.
- initiate contact with their teachers concerning their absence from class, missed in-class assessments, and requests for extension of the due date for out-of-class assessment tasks and any other issues pertaining to assessment.
Teacher Responsibilities #
It is the teacher’s responsibility to:
- develop a teaching/learning program that meets the requirements of the Australian Curriculum;
- ensure that assessments are fair, valid, and reliable;
- provide students with timely assessment feedback and guidance;
- specify a reasonable time frame on the assessment criteria/outline within which feedback, guidance, and a marked assessment will be provided to students. The timeframe should allow for meaningful feedback and planning for intervention if needed. Any deviation from the timeframe set on the assessment criteria needs to be communicated to the parents and students in class;
- meet school and external timelines for assessment and reporting;
- inform students and parents of academic progress as appropriate;
- maintain the integrity of assessments, exams, and in-class assessments. These may not be given to students prior to the arranged date if the student has identified that they will be absent. Even with acceptable reasons, a different exam or assessment must be provided;
- issue clear information regarding all assessments, including tests or exams (content, format, marks, weighting in overall course assessment, times, etc.)
- base assessments on much more than just tests and exams. All course assessment programs should include some home-based assignment work and some ‘in-class’ exercises;
- issue assessment tasks in the written form on printed sheets and/or through SEQTA. Many students misinterpret verbal instructions regarding assessments and assignments and putting these matters in writing also assists parents who wish to know what is happening or what their children are required to do;
- provide a planned, structured, and printed outline of assessment programs which is issued to students at the beginning of a course (during the first week of that course);
- consider the range and type of assessment tasks which go towards making up a balanced assessment program (e.g. not all ‘easy’ type tasks, or not all ‘short answer’ worksheets, or not all ‘multiple choice’ tests, etc.);
- plan and coordinate their assessment programs and approaches. However, it is not essential for teachers to operate identical assessment programs.
Changing a Course #
- In Year 7-8 all courses are prescribed.
- In Year 9-10, students may select electives, with more electives chosen in Year 10 than in Year 9. This is to allow greater specialisation as the student progresses through his or her Secondary years.
- Generally, it will not be possible for Year 9-10 students to change courses after Week 3 of Term 1, as the student would be unable to complete all the course requirements. The College will only consider course changes in exceptional circumstances if it is feasible, and the changes must have parental support.
- Subject changes will require that space is available in the classes that wish to be changed to and will require a ‘Change of Subject’ form obtained through the Admin Office.
Completion of a Course #
- A grade is assigned for each course if the student completes the College’s education and assessment program within the given timeframe. Students are required to:
- submit all out-of-class assessment tasks for marking on the due date;
- attempt all in-class assessment tasks on the scheduled day.
- Unless there is a reason that is acceptable to the College, failure to attend a scheduled in-class assessment task, or to submit an out-of-class assessment task on time, may result in the student either:
- receiving a lower grade than expected at the end of the course unit (if there is sufficient evidence from the assessment tasks complete to assign a grade),;or
- receiving a ‘U’ (Unfinished) notation instead of a grade (if there is insufficient evidence to assign a grade).
- Where a student is likely to experience difficulty meeting a deadline, they must discuss the matter with the teacher at the earliest opportunity before the due date. One extension per subject, per Semester, may be granted to students who apply before the due date. For any late out-of-class assessment task, where the student does not provide a reason which is acceptable to the College, the following schedule of penalties will be applied:
- Day 1-3: 10% per day reduction in mark;
- Day 4: 50% reduction in mark;
- Day 5: No mark recorded.
- For any missed in-class assessment task where the student does not provide a reason which is acceptable to the College, a mark of zero will be recorded. Absence from a specially scheduled assessment task must be verified (addressed to the relevant Director of Students for Year 7-8 or 9-10) either by:
- medical certificate;
- letter from parent; or
- phone call or email from parent.
- If a student does not submit an assessment task or attend a scheduled in-class assessment task (or these absences occur regularly), the teacher will contact the parent or guardian to discuss the risk of the student not completing the course unit and to negotiate a solution.
- In the case of a prolonged absence where a student is unable to attend for a lengthy period of time due to injury or illness, the College will endeavour to provide support to the student’s learning program.
- As soon as possible, the student or parent must meet with the relevant Director of Students to discuss alternative arrangements.
- A minimum of 80% of classes must be attended and assessments completed before an end of year grade/mark can be submitted.
Acceptable Reasons for Non-Submission or Non-Completion #
- The penalty for non-submission or non-completion will be waived if the student provides a reason that is acceptable to the College, for example:
- where sickness, injury, or significant personal circumstances for part or all of the period of an out-of-class assessment task prevents completion and submission;
- where sickness, injury, or significant personal circumstances prevent a student attending on the day that an in-class assessment task is scheduled.
- In such cases the parent or guardian must contact the College before 9:30am on the day and provide either a medical certificate or a letter of explanation immediately when the student returns.
- Where the student providing a reason acceptable to the College for the non-submission or non-completion of an assessment task the teacher will:
- negotiate an adjusted due date for an out-of-class assessment task or an adjusted date for an in-class assessment task (generally within two days of the student’s return), or
- re-weight the student’s marks for other tasks (if there is sufficient evidence to assign a grade), or
- decide on an alternative assessment task if, in the opinion of the teacher, the assessment is no longer confidential, or
- statistically estimate the student’s mark for the assessment task on the basis of his or her marks in similar tasks.
- Events that can be rescheduled are not a valid reason for non-completion or non-submission of an assessment task.
- Family holidays during term time are not considered a valid reason for non-completion or non-submission of an assessment task.
- In exceptional circumstances, the parent or guardian may negotiate the development of Documented Plan with the relevant Director of Students. This plan shows how the missed lesson time will be compensated for and any modifications to the assessment outlines for each course unit will be stipulated. The plan will be discussed with the parent or guardian and provided to the student.
Transfer from Another School #
- It is the responsibility of any student who transfers into a class from the same course at another school to provide the College with the details of all completed assessment tasks and reports.
- Marks may need to be statistically adjusted and, where necessary, adjustments and an IEP developed. This may be negotiated as necessary.
Policy on Fairness (Cheating, Collusion, and Plagiarism) #
- It is important that all students are treated fairly in the assessment of their work, and that they are assessed for work they have done and not for work done partly or wholly by someone else. Work submitted for assessment must be the work of the student. Students need to be very careful about working together with other students or using the work of other students, or any other written material in completing assessable work.
- There are certain rules which must be followed. This policy statement is to make clear the extent to which working together is permissible, and the penalty for copying or cheating. The words usually used to describe these actions are cooperation, collusion, and plagiarism.
- Students shown to have compromised the integrity of their own work through cheating, collusion, or plagiarism will not have that work accepted as valid evidence of their achievement.
- If a student is believed to have engaged in cheating, collusion, or plagiarism, the teacher will refer the matter to the relevant Head of Students for Years 7-9 or Years 10-12 at the College. Where a student permits others to copy their work they will also be penalised.
- The College acknowledges that the issue of appropriate use of the Internet for research and information must be addressed in classes where the Internet is used. Where a student is deemed to have inappropriately copied/plagiarised work from the Internet, similar consequences to ‘traditional’ plagiarism will apply.
- Where collusion or deliberate plagiarism is discovered, the relevant Director of Students will be informed and show the assessment. The student(s) concerned will be interviewed and the following penalties will apply:
- a mark of zero for the whole assessment task; or
- a mark of zero for part of the assessment, where the teacher can identify the part of the assessment task that has been copied or plagiarised.
- The assessment will be corrected as usual, but the reasons for giving a mark of zero will be written on the assessment by the teacher.
Referencing Sources of Information #
Any sources of information which a student uses should be listed at the end of the assessment and refer to the sources of information obtained. See the examples below for a minimum referencing standard.
Reference List #
A list of all sources of information should be provided at the end of every piece of work under the heading ‘References’, using the following layout. Items should be listed in alphabetical order by author if there is one, or by title if there is no author.
Note that one column should be used for the author and another for all the other information. If there is no author given, leave the column blank for that item.
Books
Haddock, K. Modern Earthmoving Machines. (Hudon, Wisconsin: Iconografix, 2011), pp. 18-25.
Magazine Articles
Talbott, S. ‘Now for a Moscow Peace Conference’, Time Australia. Vol. 6, No. 45, 11 November 2001, p. 20.
Encyclopedia Articles
Comstock, G. ‘Television’, World Book Encyclopedia. Vol. 19. (Chicago: World Book, 2014), pp. 110-129.
Radio or Television Program
Seven Nightly News [Television broadcast]. Perth: TVW Enterprises. 16 February 2014.
Internet Articles
Rehoboth Christian College Home Page [Online], World Wide Web: URL: http://rehoboth.wa.edu.au (Accessed 16 February 2014) (or whatever the date the student last accessed it was).
In-Text Referencing #
Any information taken from another source must be acknowledge in the following way, whether the wording has been altered or not. After the information, the author’s surname, the publication date of the source, and the page number on which the information is found should be written in brackets. The correct layout is as follows:
(Comstock, 1990: 125)
Any information taken directly from another source must be written inside inverted commas and then acknowledged. For example:
‘The Canadian people own about 12 million television sets, or 474 for every 1,000 people’ (Comstock, 2014: 125).
Any information taken from another source where the student has altered the wording slightly should not be written in inverted commas, but must still be acknowledge as shown:
There are 474 television sets for every 1,000 people in Canada (Comstock, 2014: 125).
Examinations #
- Regulations: When attending examinations, students must adhere to the regulations that pertain to that examination. Any special requirements will be issued by the subject teacher or with notes attached to the examination timetable. Infringements will result in an appropriate penalty.
- Attendance: Students must attend scheduled examinations. In exceptional circumstances, special alternative arrangements may be negotiated with the relevant Director of Students, prior to the examination date.
- Participating in family holidays will not be accepted as an exceptional circumstance.
Students Requiring Special Consideration #
- The College will ensure that students with special educational needs are catered form in an appropriate way. Students or parents with questions about special consideration should contact the relevant Head of Students.
- The Heads of Students are also the Exams Officers in charge of the Year exams. Applications for special conditions need to be made at least one month prior to the start of the exam block, and prior to the publication of the exam timetable. If a student believes he or she qualifies for such assistant (such as extra time, use of a computer, or a scribe), they should see the relevant Head of Students as soon as possible so that the Head can apply these conditions to all relevant College assessments, tests, and exams.
Reporting Achievement #
- Students will be kept informed of their progress throughout their study of a course. Teachers will assess completed tasks and provide prompt assessment feedback to the student. Parents will be informed about a student’s progress regularly through the College’s reporting process available through SEQTA.
- The reporting process is ongoing through SEQTA with an academic report at the end of Semester 1 and 2. Parent/Teacher meetings will be held shortly after the Semester 1 formal reporting period Students and parents or guardians will be informed by the subject teacher when it is identified that there is a risk of the student:
- not achieving their potential; and/or
- not completing the course requirements.
- Reports will conform to the standards described in the Western Australia SCSA Policy for Reporting on Student Achievement.
- Students will receive an A-E mark in each Learning Area, and may also receive a percentage score in core subject areas. Students will also receive a 1-5 mark for Attitude, Behaviour and Effort in each Learning Area. Form teachers will provide an overall student comment on each report.
- Parents will be given an opportunity to meet with staff at parent/teacher evenings following the release of Semester Reports. Parents may schedule a meeting with specific teachers to discuss their student’s progress and achievement.
- Parents are encouraged to email or meet with staff if they have any concerns or questions about their child’s progress. Teachers may be contacted through Direct Messages on SEQTA or through teacher email. All email addresses are listed in the College Information Handbook. Students with concerns should contact their teacher directly.
- Parents may request information on how their student is achieving as compared with the student’s peer group at the College.