ABC of Guidelines and Policies
GENERAL GUIDELINES
This booklet is designed to inform students in writing of the assessment requirements for each course
Written advice to students includes:
(i) the components and their weightings for each course as specified in the Assessment Requirements;
(ii) the nature of each assessment task (e.g. assignment, test, project, etc.);
(ii) an indication of when the various assessment tasks will take place;
(iv) the mark value of each task in relation to the total number of the marks for the course;
(v) details of the administrative arrangement associated with each task (e.g. if the student is absent or submits the work late etc.).
(vi) details of the school’s policy on cheating in assessment tasks.
Students who repeat the Higher School Certificate (H.S.C.) Course or transfer from other schools will have their assessments and final rank based upon the most recent performance.
NOTE:
I Printed copies of this Assessment Policy will be distributed to all H.S.C. Course students, and to the staff responsible for the implementation of the policy.
II A printed formal report of each student’s progress will be sent to the parents after the Trial H.S.C. exams.
III Additional written reports may be sent to the parents of students who are deemed to be ‘at risk’ or in danger of receiving an “N” determination. Parents of these students will be informed in writing as required and additional written notification will be sent to those students who continue to remain ‘at risk’.
IV Parents are encouraged at all times to consult with the school regarding student progress.
V Head Teachers will keep a progressive record of each student’s marks for each assigned task as provided by the subject teacher.
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Satisfactory Completion of a Course (H.S.C. courses)
The following course completion criteria refer to both Preliminary and H.S.C. courses.
Course completion criteria
A student will be considered to have satisfactorily completed a course if in the Principal’s view, there is sufficient evidence that the student has:
(a) followed the course developed or endorsed by the Board; and
(b) applied themselves with diligence and sustained effort to the set tasks and experiences provided in the course by the school;
(c) achieved some or all of the course outcomes.
Students who have not complied with the above requirements cannot be regarded as having satisfactorily completed the course. The Principal will then apply the ‘N’ determination, and that course will not appear on the Record of Achievement.
Principals may determine that, as a result of extended absence, the course completion criteria may not be met. Clearly, absences will be regarded seriously by the Principal.
A Principal may also make a ‘N’ determination for non-completion or failure to make a genuine attempt at assessment tasks worth in excess of 50% of available assessment marks.
‘N’ Determination
Where the Principal considers that a student’s pattern of attendance or application could result in the application of a ‘N’ determination, the student will be warned and the parents or guardian advised in writing.
Students may be deemed not to have satisfactorily completed a course if there is:
(a) omission, to a significant degree, of experiences which are integral requirements of the syllabus, e.g., assignments, practical work, participation in class;
(b) preparation so limited that poor examination performance is likely to result;
(c) failure to make a genuine attempt at assessment tasks which contribute in excess of 50% of the available marks. If a student’s attempt at a particular task scores zero, it is a matter for the teacher’s professional judgment whether the attempt is a genuine one.
Students who receive an ‘N’ determination have the right of appeal.
Eligibility to sit for the H.S.C.
Students must satisfactorily complete a pattern of Preliminary and H.S.C. courses which include:
at least 12 units in Year 11 and 10 units in Year 12;
at least 2 units of a Board-developed course in English
at least three Board determined courses of two unit value or greater.
NOTE: Only students seriously considering continuing or tertiary studies need to strive for an Australian Tertiary Admission Rank.
In order to receive an ATAR, a minimum of 10 Board-developed units must be studied.
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NO CONSIDERATION CAN BE GIVEN IF THESE POLICIES ARE NOT FOLLOWED
All students are expected to perform all tasks which are part of each subject’s assessment program.
What happens if a student is absent for an Assessment Task?
Any assessment task not attempted by a student will score zero marks unless the following applies:-
1. If the student is able to show that the non-attempt of the task is because of reasons approved by the school, then an estimate may be given or the original task may be given or a completely new equivalent assessment task may be given instead. The decision as to what should happen will be made by the teacher and relevant Head Teacher together, after the student concerned has seen the Deputy Principal.
2. If a student knows in advance that the set task will not be attempted, an Assessment Variation form must be completed, and, together with any supporting documentation must be submitted to the Head Teacher concerned BEFORE the due date for the task for any consideration to be given. The variation form can be collected from the Deputy Principal.
3. If the non-attempt is due to Illness or Misadventure, the form must be completed (available in this booklet and/or from the Deputy Principal) and submitted to the Head Teacher concerned on the first day of return to school. At this time Point 1 (see above) must then be followed.
A medical certificate is the preferred option to support absences due to illness.
Failure to follow the above procedures will result in zero marks being awarded.
What happens if a student is absent when details of a task are given?
Every effort will be made by the teacher to make sure all students receive task details. However, it is the ultimate responsibility of every student, to make sure when they return to school after an absence, that they ask their teachers if any assessment task details have been handed out. Teachers will record in their markbook the dates when tasks are distributed to students.
TASK DETAILS
All assessment task details will be given to students in written form.
How much notice should be given of each task?
At least two weeks written notification.
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MEASURING ACHIEVEMENTS
This is done by:
- assessments throughout each course, based on set tasks, which may include assignments, projects and tests; school based assessments count 50% towards the final result
- the Higher School Certificate examination itself, which measures performance under examination conditions. The exam counts for 50% of the final result.
HIGHER SCHOOL CERTIFICATE INFORMATION
Three basic pieces of information are recorded on the Certificate:
- an examination mark for each Board-determined course;
- an assessment mark for each course (which is moderated for Board-determined courses);
- An HSC mark which is the average of the two marks above.
RECORDS OF ACHIEVEMENT
These will state all courses satisfactorily completed on both the Preliminary HSC and the HSC and will be awarded to:
- students who receive the Higher School Certificate;
- students who do not qualify for the Higher School Certificate but otherwise complete Year 12;
- students who satisfactorily complete Year 11.
USE OF TECHNOLOGY
Students must understand that an appeal against technology failure will not be accepted. At all times students are advised to not just rely on the ‘hard drive’ for keeping files, but to also save their work on to a separate disk.
All submitted work must be in “hard copy”. Work handed in on disk will not be accepted/marked unless otherwise determined by the individual teacher.
SATISFACTORY APPLICATION AND ATTENDANCE
Satisfactory application and attendance are essential for the award of a Year 11 Record of Achievement/Year 12 Record of Achievement/The Higher School Certificate.
What is the policy on material presented late?
Material presented late will receive zero marks. If a student knows that due to illness or some other misadventure, the deadline date cannot be met, a variation form must be submitted before the due date.
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How many tasks may be attempted on the same day?
No more than two class tasks. (Hand in research assignments not included).
Can Assessment Tasks be scheduled in the week prior to a major examination?
No.
To whom is the task handed?
The task must be handed to the class teacher personally (or a nominated member of staff if that teacher is absent) by 3.15 pm on the due date. A task submitted after this time will be regarded as late. A task cannot be left on a teacher’s desk. It must be handed to the teacher.
What happens if a student is proven to be dishonest in an Assessment Task or is involved in a non-serious attempt?
Procedures to be adopted are in accordance with those which operate during the HSC Examinations.
(i) Students who cheat, in any way, in an HSC Assessment Task will receive a zero mark for that task.
(ii) Students who fail to make a serious attempt in an HSC Assessment Task will also receive a zero mark for that task.
(iii) Cheating also includes those students who during an assessment task provide material or make their work available to other students.
In both cases the student concerned will be interviewed by the Head Teacher and the Principal and the appropriate decision will be made known to the student concerned.
What records will be kept?
Every teacher and every subject department will keep records of Assessment marks. Students are advised to keep their records.
Students will be given details (preferably in writing) at least two (2) weeks prior to the nominated date.
CHANGE IN DATE/TASK DETAILS
Only in exceptional circumstances will this be permissible. This is particularly the case for all tasks associated with an examination timetable. If a date is changed two (2) weeks written notification will be given.
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ASSESSMENT TASK APPEALS
There are two circumstances whereby students can make an appeal:
(1) Students who believe that circumstances beyond their control have affected their performance in an assessment task, can lodge an appeal by obtaining from the Deputy Principal an “Assessment Variation Application Form”, filling it in and return it to the Deputy Principal as soon as possible after the assessment task but NO LATER than the THIRD day after the date of the completed task.
(2) Students who have been penalised (receiving zero marks) for not following the rules and procedures as outlined in the previous pages of this school’s assessment policy, can also lodge an appeal. This is done by the students and/or parent writing a letter to the Deputy Principal outlining reasons as to why the penalty should be reconsidered.
In both cases above, the appeal will be examined by the Deputy Principal and the Head Teacher of the subject concerned. The student will then be informed both orally and in writing of their decision.
If the student remains unhappy with this decision, a second appeal can be made to the school Principal. To do this, the student and/or parent will need to write a further letter outlining reasons for an appeal. All previous documentation should be included with this letter. The Principal will review the total circumstances of the case including the processes outlined which might also include interviews with staff, student and parent. This decision will remain final and concludes the matter at school level.
Review of ‘N’ Determination
The procedures for a school review of a ‘N’ determination follow those laid down for other school reviews of assessment as follows:
(a) A student seeking a review of a ‘N’ determination must apply to the Principal by the date listed in the timetable (Section 1) of the ACE manual.
(b) The review will be based only on whether the assessment program conformed with its stated program, and whether there were computational or clerical errors. Judgments of the worth of individual assessment tasks are not part of this review process.
(c) The school will advise the Examinations and Certification Branch by letter of the outcome of any review of ‘N’ determination, by the date stipulated in the timetable in Section 1 of the ACE manual.
(d) Any subsequent appeal to the Board will focus on whether the school review properly and correctly considered the matters before it.
(e) Appeals must reach the Examinations and Certifications Branch of the Board by the date stipulated in the timetable in Section 1 of the ACE manual. The Board will advise students and Principals of the outcome of any appeals as soon as possible, after the examinations.
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H.S.C. ASSESSMENT REVIEW PROCEDURES
Students will be issued, at the conclusion of their final examination in the school, notification issued by the Board of their rank order in each course satisfactorily completed.
If their rank order is significantly different to what they might have expected, students may then appeal to the school against the school assessment rank.
It must be understood that a review is merely a way of correcting inadvertent procedural errors and not a means of appealing against teacher judgments or the nature of the assessed tasks.
An application for review must be made on the application form available from the Principal.
Students wishing to apply for a review must submit an application form to the Principal no later than three days after the completion of their last H.S.C. examination.
The school review committee will consist of:
1. The Principal
2. The Head Teacher of the faculty concerned.
3. Another teacher who was not concerned with the compilation of the assessment.
In carrying out the review the committee will address the following questions:
a) Did the assessment program conform with the stated program?
b) Did the school’s assessment policy follow the directions given by the Board’s mandatory weightings?
c) Were all calculations done correctly?
If in the committee’s opinion all the above are correct, then the appeal should be rejected and the student notified in writing. If the review shows that an error has been made, the appeal should be upheld and the marks of all candidates in the course adjusted accordingly. If the appeal is rejected and the student is still dissatisfied with the outcome, the student has the right to make a final appeal to the Board for a determination.
