1. Purpose and Scope
This policy sets out the measures that Christ Church Grammar School (the School) implements to ensure that assessment practices are fair, equitable, valid, inclusive, feasible, reliable and transparent and conform to the requirements of the School Curriculum and Standards Authority (SCSA).
The policy reflects the core values of the School – integrity, respect, excellence, care and compassion, as expressed in the Code of Ethics.
The general principles of the policy apply to students in Pre-Kindergarten to Year 12. Some aspects of the policy relating to Assessment apply only to students in Years 10, 11 and 12. The policy must be read in conjunction with the accompanying Senior School Assessment and Reporting Procedures or Preparatory School Assessment and Reporting Procedures as applicable.
2. Definitions
Assessment outline – a detailed statement of all assessment requirements, their weighting and their approximate timing.
ATAR – The Australian Tertiary Admission Rank is the primary criterion for domestic student entry into undergraduate courses in Australian public universities. It gives each student a rank between 0 and 99.95 relative to other Year 12 students in their state.
Plagiarism – is the practice of taking someone else’s work or ideas and passing them off as one’s own. For the purpose of this policy, it refers to the incorporation of somebody’s else’s work or ideas in an assignment without acknowledgement of the source.
SCSA – The School Curriculum and Standards Authority is responsible for Kindergarten to Year 12 curriculum, assessment, standards and reporting for all Western Australian schools.
WACE – The Western Australian Certificate of Education, a senior certificate recognised nationally in the Australian Qualifications Framework which is awarded to students who have successfully completed two years of senior secondary schooling and have achieved the required standard.
3. Policy Principles
At the School, assessment is an integral part of the learning process. It assists the School to:
- monitor and report on student progress
- identify difficulties with student learning and/or those that are excelling
- provide adjustments to the learning program to allow opportunities for all students to achieve intended outcomes and
- develop alternative learning programs
3.1 Responsibilities of the School
In accordance with the requirements of SCSA, the School will:
- Ensure that all assessment tasks are fair, valid, inclusive, and reliable
- Complete all required assessment tasks within the time frame set by SCSA and undertake ongoing assessments through a course of study
- Maintain accurate records of assessments and provide details of these records when requested by students and/or their parents
- Establish and maintain procedures to ensure that school marks and grades are comparable across all classes studying the same course
- Develop and provide a marking key that makes the criteria used to allocate marks clear and explicit
- Provide students and their parents with a report of academic progress and achievement, including the projected grade, once per term (See the Reporting Schedule for Senior School at Appendix 2 of the Senior School Assessment and Reporting Procedures)
- Consider and respond to queries from students regarding the marks allocated in assessments, provided such queries are received within 24 hours of work being returned. Such queries will be dealt with by class teachers in the Preparatory School, by subject teachers initially in the Senior School, then Heads of Department and ultimately reviewed by the Director of Studies.
- Re-write assessment tasks annually where appropriate to avoid the possibility that students may copy from past assessments
For students in Years 11 and 12 only:
- Provide at the beginning of the year, via the Learning Management System, the SCSA syllabus, the Christ Church Grammar School course outline and assessment outline
- Advise students of the grade descriptions for each of the courses being studied
- Advise students of the process available to them through SCSA where there is concern about inaccurate, unfair or inappropriate assessment and they are seeking to appeal to SCSA when dissatisfied with the outcome of an assessment review conducted internally by the School
- Inform Year 12 students that school marks are subject to statistical adjustment by SCSA (including statistical moderation based on the overall performance of students in the WACE examinations) and that school marks may be adjusted either up or down
3.2 Responsibilities of Students
Each student is required to:
- Complete the prescribed work requirements in each subject by the due date
- Liaise with teachers in advance where possible, concerning absences from class, missing assessments, requests for extension of time and any other issues relating to assessment
- Comply with all School policies, rules and procedures in regard to attendance, sickness, assessment and examinations. (See Appendix 1 of Senior School Assessment and Reporting Procedures for Examination Rules)
- Refrain from cheating, collusion or plagiarism (including relying on Artificial Intelligence (AI) and/ or assistance from a private tutor) in an assessment. Suspicions/allegations of cheating, collusion or plagiarism will be investigated and if the behaviour is proved to have occurred, a mark of zero will be assigned in that assessment
- Check assessed work and ensure that any queries or issues are raised immediately with the teacher
The following is applicable to students in Years 10, 11 and 12 only:
- Complete all assessment tasks outlined in the assessment program distributed at the beginning of the year including all examinations for Year 11 and Year 12 (or risk an Unfinished (U) notification) even if the student does not intend to continue that subject in Year 12
- Provide a medical certificate (issued by a medical practitioner other than a family member) in support of an absence from a scheduled assessment task in Years 10, 11 or 12 due to illness or injury. Boarders may provide a note from the School Medical Centre
- Retain marked assessment tasks until 31 December for Year 12 students and 31 March of the following year for all other students
- Complete all ATAR examinations or risk losing the grade that the School has awarded and possibly therefore, the WACE
The academic program will not be suspended for students who take on commitments associated with co-curricular, sporting and/or leadership activities and roles. Students who take on such responsibilities must be organised, plan ahead and prepare for assessments over a period of time, rather than seek last minute extensions or exemptions.
3.3 Responsibilities of Parents
Parents are encouraged to
- Support their sons to achieve their potential and to take age-appropriate initiative and responsibility for their academic performance
- Organise holidays during holiday breaks only, ensure students are present from the beginning of term until the end of term and abide by the advertised dates and times in regard to mid term breaks.
- Access their son’s live marks throughout the year and reports which are made available via the Learning Management System
- Support their son and the School in regard to their son’s academic progress
- Work collaboratively with the School if their son has special education needs. The School Psychologist maintains a set of assessment guidelines which would apply, subject to provision of required evidence of a permanent or temporary disability
- Address concerns regarding assessment outcomes in the following way:
- Discuss the mark with the student and consider with him the feedback provided by the teacher on the assessment
- Reach agreement on how the student will work to rectify his errors and improve his achievement
- Address ongoing concerns initially with the classroom teacher in the Preparatory School or the Senior School tutor, and then, if directed, with the subject teachers in the Senior School
- Avail of the opportunity to book and attend Parent/Teacher/Student interviews which are held annually in the Senior School and twice a year in the Preparatory School.
4. Related Policies and Resources
Code of Ethics
Code of Conduct for Staff
Code of Conduct for Staff – How to Comply
Code of Conduct for Students
Attendance Policy
Disputes and Complaints Policy
Managing Student Behaviour Policy
SCSA WACE Manual
Preparatory School – Assessment and Reporting Procedures
Senior School – Assessment and Reporting Procedures