Assessment

Assessment and Reporting for Lower School Students

General

Rossmoyne Senior High School offers students a balanced curriculum and provides them with opportunities to achieve the outcomes of the Curriculum Framework. The Outcomes and Standards Framework continues to be the reference point for reporting student and school progress.

The word assessment comes from the Latin asseddere, to sit beside and reflects the notion of assessment being more than just testing and measuring, but an on-going process of teachers giving feedback and planning subsequent learning programs.

Teachers make judgements about student achievement using a variety of assessment tools, including marks from tests and common assessment tasks, anecdotal comments, observations, Progress Maps, work contained in presentation folders and portfolios, digital recordings of student performance in delivering monologues, working in groups or debating.

In keeping with the Principles of Assessment from the Curriculum Framework, assessment information should enable teachers and students to know what students can do assisted and what they can do unassisted and what they can do working in groups and what they can do working alone. It should enable them to distinguish between work that is original and non-routine and work that is reproductive or memorised. Fair assessment is based on criteria which are valid and transparent and applied with consistency and without discrimination.

Reporting to Parents
Informal Reporting:
Teacher judgements about student performance occurs informally on a regular basis in a variety of ways:

information sheets explaining performance on tests or Common Assessment tasks
discussion using presentation folders or portfolios
digital recording of student performance in groups, debates
comments on student work using tables to detail the outcomes sought
displays, digital videos
annotations in a homework diary
notes and letters home, phone calls

Interim Reports
Interim Reports are sent home to parents of Year 8s at the end of Term 1 with provision for parents to contact individual teachers to discuss their child’s transition to high school. A Parent Evening for Lower School students will be advertised through the school newsletter and web site. At any stage of the year, a parent can request an informal progress report .

Formal Reports:
As per Federal Government requirements, teachers report to parents formally each semester using grades referenced to the Outcomes and Standards Framework. These are standardised reports identical for every school reflecting the Department of Education and Training priority of a common approach to reporting.

Student academic achievement is reported in grades from A-E in the learning areas studied as well as students’ attitude, behaviour and effort. The report also has provision for teacher comment.

The report issued at the end of Year 9 will also show whether students have reached the standards set (Achievement Targets).

In addition, Year 9 students will also be issued with a separate report giving important information on their performance in state-wide tests in Science and S&E and national tests in literacy (language conventions, writing and reading) and numeracy. Selected Year 10s will have similar reports showing their performance in national ICT tests.

School position reports for individual students showing their achievement in relation to other students in the school and available upon request.

Reporting Responsibilities
It is a student’s responsibility to:

be aware of the grades they have achieved and plan to improve these grades, with teacher guidance
maintain a good record of attendance, behaviour and progress
initiate contact with teachers concerning absence from class, missed assessments and other issues pertaining to assessment.

It is a teacher’s responsibility to:

develop a learning program consistent with the outcomes of the Curriculum Framework
provide students with a subject overview and details of assessment
ensure that assessments are fair, valid and reliable
maintain accurate records of student achievement and assessment
inform students and parents of academic progress
advise parents via Letters of Concern or similar if a student’s performance is lower than expected.

It is a parent’s responsibility to:

provide information about students with special needs to the school on enrolment so that a student’s special needs can be discussed to ensure that the school can provide the most appropriate program
keep the school up-to-date with information about a student’s learning strengths and weaknesses
contact Student Services as soon as possible if they are aware of a problem with their child, either academic, social or emotional. Early identification is vital particularly where students are diagnosed with a learning disability or disorder.

For some students the school, in consultation with the parents, may devise an individual report based upon a student’s individual education plan.

Physical Impairment
Parents should disclose and discuss their individual child’s needs in relation to any physical impairment at the enrolment meeting with the Deputy Principal.

Exemption from Particular Classes
Section 72 of the School Education Act 1999 provides for a parent, on the grounds of conscientious objection based on personal, philosophical, religious or educational belief to ask an exemption for a child from attendance at classes at which a particular part of a course of study is taught. Requests for an exemption are to be in writing to the school Principal and will be considered on a case by case basis.

Lower School Awards (Years 8 and 9)

Outstanding Student Award – Awarded to students who have achieved the highest level of academic success in their various classes across the Learning Areas during the semester.
Certificates of Commendation- Awarded to students in recognition of their outstanding contribution and commitment across the Learning Areas during the semester.
Certificate of Excellence – Awarded to students who have achieved a predetermined number of ‘A’ grades across the Learning Areas during the year.
Year Coordinator Award – Awarded to acknowledge a students contribution to their year group during the year.
Leadership Award – Awarded in recognition of a students leadership in the year group during the year.

Year 10

Certificates of Excellence – Awarded to students who have achieved a predetermined number of A grades across the learning areas during the semester.
Outstanding Student Award – Awarded to students who have achieved the highest level of academic success across the learning areas during the semester.
Diligence Award – Awarded to a student who has demonstrated commitment and focus to achieve their potential during the semester.

Assessment and Reporting for Upper School Students

Assessment guidelines for students in Years 11 and 12 are set by the Curriculum Council. All information regarding assessment will be provided to students at the beginning of their course.

It is the student’s responsibility to:

complete and submit the prescribed work requirements in each subject by the due date. Students will be notified of any amendments
maintain a good record of attendance, conduct and progress. A student who is absent for five days or more per term is at risk of not achieving the outcomes of the course
initiate contact with teachers concerning absence from class, missed assessments and other issues pertaining to assessment
only in exceptional and justifiable circumstances will work submitted after the due date be assessed. If a student is unable to meet the deadline, he/she must see the subject teacher before the due date to negotiate arrangements for completion of the work.

Assessment Structure Subjects:

It is the teacher’s responsibility to provide students with:

access to the Curriculum Council's syllabus statements for each upper school subject The syllabus statements can also be downloaded from the Curriculum Council website http://www.curriculum.wa.edu.au

an outline of the course work for the year
an assessment program including the weightings given to each assessment item
information concerning the significance of failure to complete ALL assessments.

Marks and Grades

At the completion of the first semester in Years 11 and 12 students will receive a report showing:

the mark attained in the examination
a mark out of 100 based upon class assessments and the examination according to the stated assessment policy
a grade for the subject assessed against the Grade Related Descriptors.

At the end of the year, Year 12 students will receive a statement of results showing:

a mark out of 100 for the subject based upon the class assessments and the examinations according to the stated assessment policy. The moderation processes of the Curriculum Council may amend this mark
a grade for the subject assessed against the Grade Related Descriptors. This grade will not be amended by the Tertiary Entrance Examination results.

At the end of second semester Year 11 students will receive a report showing:

a mark out of 100 for the second semester for each subject based upon the class assessments and the examination according to the stated assessment policy
a grade for the subject assessed against the Grade Related Descriptors
the mark attained in the examination.
A mark out of 100 for each subject for the year based upon the class assessments and the examination according to the stated assessment policy.
A grade for the year for each subject assessed against the Grade Related Descriptors. The grades awarded will be:

             A          Very high achievement.
             B          High Achievement.
             C         Satisfactory Achievement.
             D         Limited Achievement.
             E          Inadequate Achievement.

Common Assessment Framework Subjects

It is the teacher’s responsibility to provide students with:

access to the Curriculum Council's syllabus statements for each subject. The syllabus statements can also be downloaded from the Curriculum Council website http://www.curriculum.wa.edu.au

an outline of the course work for the year
the subject outcomes, the outcome components and performance criteria
an outline of the planned assessment tasks
an outline of the rating and grading procedures.

Ratings and Grades
At the end of the first semester the students will receive a report showing the ratings for the assessment tasks completed for each of the outcomes. At the end of the year the students will also receive a grade of A, B, C, D or E for the subject. A completed matrix of ratings will be available to parents upon request to the school.

The ratings given for each outcome to be assessed in an assessment task are:
             VH       Very high achievement
             H          High achievement
             S          Satisfactory achievement
             ND       Not demonstrated.
Should any one outcome be rated as 'not demonstrated' the student will receive a grade of "D" or "E" for the subject.

WACE Courses
All students will be provided with a course outline (including task deadlines) and an assessment outline at the commencement of the learning program. The assessment outline shows how teachers gather evidence and record achievement. Teachers will use marking keys based upon course content and drawn from relevant parts of the outcomes progressions. Teachers will use marking keys to rank students’ achievement.

Typically students study a course of paired units (2A/2B, 3A/3B etc). Teachers will make a decision about the final grade for the unit based upon the ranked list of achievement grade descriptors and information from moderation activities. Teachers will not allocate a grade to individual assessment tasks.

At the end of the first semester, all students will be allocated a grade (and a numerical mark out of 100 in accordance with the school’s unit outline for students enrolled in stage 2 and 3 units). These grades and marks will be forwarded to the Curriculum Council for moderation purposes. Similarly at the end of the year, this process will be repeated. The Curriculum Council’s role is to ensure consistency of judgements between schools.

Parents will be informed about a student’s progress regularly and particularly when a student is at risk of:

not achieving their potential
not completing the course requirements and/or
being judged at risk of not achieving at least a C grade.

Further information on assessment and reporting with the new WACE courses is available on the Curriculum Council website http://www.curriculum.wa.edu/au.

Subject Changes / Commencing a Subject Late

For a range of reasons students sometimes need to change subjects. These changes are only made after much consultation involving the student, staff and parents. If changes to courses are needed, it is best they are made as early as possible in the term. Changes to WACE courses are not normally possible after the first month, since to do so would place the student at risk of not completing course requirements. Changes to Assessment Structure and Common Assessment Framework subjects should not be made after the beginning of term 2 except in exceptional circumstances. Requests for a change of subject must be made in writing by a parent to the Deputy Principal.

At the time of selecting an alternative subject students will be made aware of catch-up work expected of them and implications of late entry to the course. Students will be informed of the assessment program, especially the weightings given to various components

When students from other schools enter classes part way through the course, credit will be given to work completed already in their previous school, where appropriate.

Consequences of submitting work late

In the Assessment Structure subjects a mark penalty may be imposed on work that is submitted after the due date.
In Common Assessment Framework subjects, work submitted after the due date will only be assessed to determine whether or not the outcome has been demonstrated (i.e. “S” or “ND”).
Year 12 work will not be accepted after 3.00pm Friday of the first week in Term 4, unless otherwise negotiated with the teacher.
Year 11 work will not be accepted after 3.00pm on the day one week prior to their last day of timetabled classes, unless otherwise negotiated with the teacher.

Cheating/Plagiarism

Cheating is any act by a student to wilfully and knowingly attempt to alter or wrongfully influence any assessment by the school. For example, a student will be regarded as having cheated if they:

present assignment work that is not the student’s own work (plagiarism)
copy another person’s work in a test or examination
use unauthorised materials in tests and examinations
gain an unfair advantage by getting material from other students
pass on information to give other students an unfair advantage.

Where a student is suspected of cheating the matter shall be referred to the Head of Learning Area and the Year Deputy Principal, where the appropriate evidence will be examined and consequences imposed if it is established that cheating has occurred.

Allocation of the “U” grade

A student who does not complete all items of the assessment program for Assessment Structure and Common Assessment Framework subjects may be awarded "U" (Unfinished) as the assessment for that subject. A similar scenario applies to WACE courses where failure to complete the assessment program may result in a student being given RNM (requirement not met). When a U/RNM is allocated, the subject does not appear on a student’s Statement of Results and may well jeopardise that student’s meeting Secondary Graduation requirements.

Interim Reports

The transition periods Year 10 to 11 and Year 11 to 12 are critical times and teachers are committed to giving parents and Year 11 and 12 students early feedback on their progress. Interim reports for Year 11 and 12 students will be sent home with a Parent Night scheduled close to this time.

Before School or Period Zero Testing Policy

Morning tests will not commence before 7.50am and be concluded by 8.50 am.
There will be no more than two testing periods per week:

- Year 11 on Mondays and Wednesdays. (some exceptions)
- Year 12 on Tuesdays and Thursdays. (some exceptions)

In the week before the first examination period there will be no Period Zero Testing.
For Year 11: In the week before the second examination period there will be no Period Zero testing.
For Year 12: In the two weeks before the second examination period there will be no Period Zero testing.
In the period from the commencement of the year to the first exam period no subject will have more than 2 Period Zero tests.
In the period from the end of the first exam period to the second exam period no subject is to have more than 3 Period Zero tests.
In Term 4, for Year 12 subjects, there will be 2 mornings available in week 1.
Any student who has a clash between a period zero test and a class that has been regularly timetabled to have a period before school must go to their normal class unless they have negotiated with their teacher an equitable arrangement between period zero tests and classes before school.
Late Arrival: A student arriving late to the test is to be admitted to the test room and permitted to complete as much as possible within the scheduled time. The result achieved is the result to be recorded.

Time in lieu

Students and staff supervising period zero testing may leave early on a day in which the subject has a Period 8 or arrive at 9.45am on a day in which the subject is on Period 1 or leave school grounds at the end of Period 7. This may not necessarily be on the day of the test. Teachers can arrange two periods in lieu after two tests.
If arrangements have been made with the teacher to stay at school for these times, students must be in the classroom for the full time and not wander around the school.
Time in lieu must not interfere with another subject.
Those without a period 1 or 8 will have to make some other arrangements but the students will have to remain at school supervised by their subject teacher.

Suspension
Students on suspension are required to attend any Period 0 tests set during the period of the suspension. They will be required to leave the school immediately on completion of the test.

Examinations

Unless there are exceptional circumstances, students who miss an examination shall NOT be permitted to sit the exam at another time. The status of such students shall be determined by the relevant Deputy Principal, the appropriate Head of Department/Learning Area or Teacher‑in‑Charge and the appropriate Year Coordinator.

Parents/Guardians of a student who cannot attend an examination (or students themselves if they live independently of family) must notify the Deputy Principal on the day of the examination.

A letter explaining the student's absence must be forwarded with the student on his/her return to school. In the case of illness, a doctor's certificate must be provided, indicating the reason for the student's inability to sit the examination.

Interruption-free and Assessment-free periods

In order to reduce some of the pressure on students as they prepare for examinations and to allow quality revision time, the two-week period before the examination block will be free of excursions, camps, major productions or other events likely to distract students.

The week prior to the exams will be free of all assessments. (English may conduct a comprehension test during this week, as it requires no study in preparation for the test.)

Appeals against School Assessments

If a student believes the grade, numerical assessment or competence rating which they have been awarded by the school is incorrect, he/she may ask the school to review the results.

Students are required to make written application to the Principal, requesting a review, within five days of the release of results of assessments.

An assessment review does not require the school to re‑mark a student's work. It is intended to determine whether:

the weightings specified by the school in its assessment program conform with Curriculum Council guidelines
assessment procedures conform with the stated assessment program
there were no computational or clerical errors in determining the assessment.

Please note: A teacher's judgement about the worth of individual assessment tasks will not be subject to review.

If, after an assessment review has been completed at the school, a student still believes that the Curriculum Council assessment guidelines have not been followed then the student may lodge an appeal with the Curriculum Council. An appeal should be made on the prescribed form available from the school or the Curriculum Council, and forwarded to the Curriculum Council by the nominated date. A fee is payable for each subject named on the application form.

The Curriculum Council will request a school to re-determine assessments only if it can be shown that the Curriculum Council assessment guidelines were not followed by the school.

Appeal against Training Package Competency Assessment in VET Subjects
A review of an assessment of a competency within a training package may be directed against the assessment or it may be a grievance regarding the conduct of the trainer. The Principal may reject the appeal, require a reassessment or support the appeal.

To reassess a “not yet competent” decision for a Unit of Competence from a Training Package, an assessment review panel will refer to the Assessment Guidelines for the particular Training Package to reach a decision. Unresolved disputes may be lodged with the Training Accreditation Council as a last resort.

Exemption From Particular Classes
Section 72 of the School Education Act 1999 provides for a parent, on the grounds of conscientious objection based on personal, philosophical, religious or educational belief to ask an exemption for a child from attendance at classes at which a particular part of a course of study is taught. Requests for an exemption are to be in writing. The school must make reasonable effort to provide alternative means for exempted students to achieve the same outcomes as other students.

Awards
Years 11 & 12

Subject Outstanding Student Award - Awarded to the outstanding student/s in each subject in Years 11 and 12.
Certificates of Excellence - Awarded to students in upper school who, in their Semester 1 report, have either achieved at least six (6) A grades in six (6) Assessment Structure subjects or a combination of A grades in Assessment Structure subjects and ratings of ‘Very High’ for all outcomes assessed in the Common Assessment Frameworks subjects.
Diligence Award – Awarded to a student who has demonstrated commitment and focus.
Report Stickers - Awarded to students with all A’s or B’s or a combination of all A’s or B’s in Assessment Structure subjects and a rating of ‘Very High’ or ‘High’ for all outcomes assessed in Common Assessment Framework subjects.

Special Awards for Year 12

The Outstanding Student of Year 12 (Dux of the School)
The Outstanding VET Student of Year 12 Award
The Outstanding Student of Year 12 WSA Award.
Sports Abassador
A.K. Jones Medal
Rotary All-Rounder Award
P&C Diligence Award
The Ellen Barnes Multi-cultural and Diversity Award
Parliamentary Award

Each year the Curriculum Council grants awards to recognise individual excellence and each year Rossmoyne Senior High School students figure prominently among the awardees.

Students in Year 11 and 12 need to be aware that eligibility for one of the 40 General Exhibitions, for example, requires students to be studying at least 2 subjects from List A and two from List B (previously known as List 1 and List 2 subjects).

The Beazley Medal: TEE is awarded for excellence in tertiary entrance rank subjects or courses. It is awarded to the highest ranked eligible student with a general exhibition.

The Beazley Medal: VET is awarded for excellence in studies that include structured workplace learning and VET. It is awarded to the eligible student who has demonstrated the best results in a vocational program.

Certificates of Distinction are awarded to the top 0.5 per cent of candidates sitting the exam/top 0.5 per cent of students in WSA subjects.

Certificates of excellence are awarded to students achieving at least 10 A grades over Years 11 and 12.

Full details of the selection criteria and eligibility for these awards can be found on the Curriculum Council’s website http://www.curriculum.wa.edu/au.