Our vision: A community of forward thinkers
Our Values
• Each person’s dignity
• Our community’s diversity
• Open communication
• Quality learning
The school will
• provide students with a semester assessment calendar
• provide students and parents with a Student Organiser with the Assessment Policy included
Teachers will notify students of an assignment in writing including the following information:
• clear and specific statement of the assigned task
• length, structure, time, method of presentation, etc
• specific dates for presentation of drafts and final copy
• the standards required for a specific level of achievement including evaluation criteria
Students will
• present only their work for assignments (see section on Academic Honesty)
• make full use of the class time provided to work on the assignment
• present their draft and final copies of assignments by the due dates
• complete and attach the assignment task sheet
• use the school’s standard system of referencing as described in the student organiser
Special Provisions
The school is committed to minimising barriers that prevent students from demonstrating their current knowledge and skills. Such barriers include, but are not limited to, disabilities, educational needs arising from linguistic factors and short term impairments. Reasonable adjustments for students with specific educational needs must be negotiated with the school administration with consultation with Heads of Departments, Student Services and Guidance Officer where appropriate, well in advance of the assessment. Adjustments may include, but are not limited to, extra time, alternative assessments, rest breaks, use of a writing aid. The student will be issued with a card outlining the special provisions agreed upon. Students must have this card with them when doing examinations.
Assignments
All written assignments must be submitted to the teacher by 3.10 pm on the due date. If the teacher is absent on the due date, the assignment should be given to the Head of Department, Subject Area Coordinator or a member of the Administration team by 3.10 pm on the due date. In the event that this is not possible, parents must notify the school of illness, and provide a medical certificate in the case of students in Years 11 and 12. Students should retain a copy of the submitted assignment to ensure that if the assignment is misplaced a copy is available.
Late Policy
Assignments submitted late will receive a grade based only on work completed by the due date unless a medical certificate is supplied. The student will still be required to submit the completed overdue assessment piece. If no draft was submitted the criteria sheet should reflect any evidence (including observation) collected by the teacher by the due date. If there is no student work to mark, the assignment will be considered a non-submission.
Non-Submission
When a grade for an assignment cannot be awarded, the student profile will indicate an NS standard. If there has not been sufficient work submitted to rate the student, then the student will receive an N (Not Rated) for the semester on the semester report.
Assignment Extensions/Exemptions
An extension/exemption from an assignment can only be granted in the following situations:
1.Long term illness. (Medical certificate required for students in Years 11 and 12)
2.Family bereavement or difficulties (Documentation required)
3.Exceptional circumstances as determined by the Head of Department /Deputy Principal.
Any request for an extension is to be made to the Head of Department at least 2 days prior to the due date using the appropriate form obtained from the Head of Department of the Subject. The granting of extensions is at the discretion of the Head of Department or Deputy Principal.
Class Orals
On the first day class orals begin, all students must submit a copy of the notes/palm cards they intend to use for their presentation. This makes the preparation time more equitable for all students. Students absent on this day should, at least, email their notes/palm cards to the school to arrive in time.
In the case of group orals where absence occurs, the group is to complete the task with a substitute who works from the group script. Group members will be individually assessed on that performance. To ensure ease of access by a substitute, all group members must keep a copy the whole group script. On the first day of return, the absent student is expected to complete the oral, with other group members merely supporting the process.
Exam Procedures
All students are required to attend the formal scheduled block exams and in-class scheduled assessment. Students and parents will receive an information bulletin containing the exam timetables, exam procedures and attendance requirements for exams.
1.Exemptions
Exemptions may be granted for illness and other exceptional circumstances using the appropriate form available from the Head of Department of the relevant subject. Supporting documentation is required. Individual assessment of exceptional circumstances will be at the discretion of the Deputy Principal or Head of Department.
2.Documentation
For students in Years 11 and 12, supporting documentation for illness is a valid medical certificate. For students Years 7 to 10, a letter or phone call from a parent is sufficient.
3.Non Attendance
The following procedures apply for non attendance during formal scheduled assessment (in class time), and block examinations:
Absent with documentation:
If appropriate documentation is provided, students are still required to complete the scheduled assessment. If the assessment item is not completed, EX (Exemption) for this item is recorded in the profile until the student has completed the assessment at a time determined by the Head of Department. For reporting purposes, the student can be rated on work submitted to date. If there has not been sufficient work submitted to rate the student, then the student receives an N (Not Rated) on the report card. All deferred assessments must be completed unless there are extenuating circumstances. These will be determined by the Head of Department or Deputy Principal.
Absent without documentation:
A NS (Not Submitted) rating is given for this assessment item, and the criteria sheet will indicate an NS standard. If there has not been sufficient work submitted to rate the student, then the student receives an N (Not Rated) on the report card. The parents must be notified. The student must complete the exam at a later date.
Academic Honesty and Plagiarism
Academic honesty is a set of values and skills that promote personal integrity and good practice in teaching, learning and assessment.
•Work submitted will be wholly the work of the student(s) submitting the work. It will be produced for the assigned assessment task. All instances of the use of another’s work will be appropriately referenced according to Indooroopilly State High School’s referencing guidelines.
•Intellectual property rights including, but not limited, to copyright will be respected by students and staff.
•Students will strive to submit work that gives a true reflection of their knowledge, skills, and understanding.
Malpractice is any behaviour that results in, or may result in, the student or any other student gaining an unfair advantage in one or more assessment components.
Malpractice includes:
- Plagiarism: this is defined as the representation of the ideas or work of another person as the student’s own. It includes
word for word copying of sentences or whole paragraphs from one or more sources such as books, articles, Internet sites, without referencing. - using very close paraphrasing of sentences or whole paragraphs without due acknowledgment in the form of reference to the original work.
- submitting another student’s work in whole or in part.
- submitting work which has been written by someone else (including family members) on the student’s behalf.
- collaboration on a piece of work designed for individual assessment by two or more students to produce a common product.
- Collusion: this is defined as supporting malpractice by another student, as in allowing one’s work to be copied or submitted for assessment by another
- Duplication of work: this is defined as the presentation of the same work for different assessment components.
- Any other behaviour that gains an unfair advantage for a student or that affects the results of another student (for example, taking unauthorised material into an examination room, misconduct during an examination, etc.).
Expectations are that
•All students and staff will receive instruction in legitimate academic practices. This includes what constitutes malpractice and referencing procedures. The referencing convention to be used by students is that described in the Student Organiser.
•It is the responsibility of the student submitting work to ensure that it is authentic and acknowledges the use of others’ work. This is relevant for both internally and externally assessed tasks.
•School leadership and teaching staff will model, expect, monitor and encourage appropriate use of sources.
•Teaching staff will be vigilant in ensuring that student work is legitimate and will monitor and use every effort to avoid malpractice.
•The School will communicate these standards to parents and guardians via both electronic (email and web) and personal (parent evenings) means.
Any breaches of this policy constitute malpractice and may incur academic sanctions.
Consequences of breaches may include:
•Marking of only that work which is not in breach of malpractice
•Resubmission of the work
•Suspension from school
•The work not be considered in determining the student’s grade
For students studying the International Baccalaureate Diploma Programme:
In the case of breaches in summative or externally marked assessment, the International Baccalaureate Organisation will be informed and processes followed as described in Diploma Programme General Regulations – Articles 20 and 21. There may be academic consequences arising from the malpractice.
