Senior School Handbook

Assesments

POLICY AND PROCEDURES FOR SECONDARY SCHOOL ASSESSMENT

Assessment is an integral part of teaching and learning that at the senior secondary level:

  • identifies opportunities for further learning
  • describes student achievement
  • articulates and maintains standards
  • provides the basis for the award of a certificate

As part of VCE studies, assessment activities enable:

  • the demonstration of the achievement of an outcome or set of outcomes
  • judgment and reporting of a level of achievement on a task or collection of tasks for School-assessed Coursework, School-assessed Tasks, Externally-assessed Tasks or examinations

Monitoring the results of VCE assessment also provides feedback, which informs curriculum implementation, assessment design and curriculum review.

In each VCE study, teachers and schools determine the assessment tasks to be used at Units 1 and 2. In Units 3 and 4, specified assessment tasks are set.

At the Units 3 and 4 level of a VCE study, School-assessed Coursework, School-assessed Tasks, Externally-assessed Tasks and examinations provide assessment results that are used in the calculation of a student’s study score.

The key principles underpinning all VCE assessment practice ensure that the assessment instruments enable judgments to be made about demonstration of the outcomes and levels of achievement fairly, in a balanced way and without adverse effects on the curriculum or for the education system.

Assessment should be acceptable to stakeholders – including students, schools, government and the community. The system for assessing the progress and achievement of students must be accessible, effective, equitable, reasonable and transparent.

RULES AND PROCEDURES FOR THE COMPLETION OF SACS & SATS

AUTHENTICATION:

  1. A student must ensure that all unacknowledged work submitted for assessment is genuinely his/her own.
  2. A student must acknowledge all resources used, including:
    • text, websites and source material
    • The name/s and status of any person/s that provided assistance and the type of assistance provided.
  3. A student must not receive undue assistance from any other person in the preparation and submission of work.

Acceptable levels of assistance include:

  • the incorporation of ideas or material derived from other sources (for example, by reading, viewing or note taking), but which has been transformed by the student and used in a new context
  • Prompting and general advice from another person or source which leads to refinements and/or self-correction.

Unacceptable forms of assistance include:

  • use of, or copying of, another person’s work or other resources without acknowledgment
  • corrections or improvements made or dictated by another person
  1. A student must not submit the same piece of work for assessment in more than one study.
  2. A student who knowingly assists other students in a breach of rules may be penalised.
  3. A student must sign an authentication record for work done outside class at the time of submitting the completed task. This declaration states that all unacknowledged work is the student’s own.
  4. Where a SAC/SAT is not completed entirely within class time, students must ensure that these authentication requirements are satisfied. Failure to meet these will result in the non-assessment of the task;

ON THE DAY OF A SAC OR SAT (assessment day for a subject or exam)

  • If a student is absent due to a medical concern, he / she is required to obtain a medical certificate dated on the day of the absence in order to be eligible for a scored assessment.
  • Failure to obtain an appropriately dated medical certificate for an absence from a SAC or SAT will result only in a S or N result with no scored assessment.
  • If a student has been absent when a SAC/SAT was held in class, the SAC/SAT will be scheduled for redemption within one week. The redemption must occur within the week of the student’s return to school. A medical certificate dated on the day of the absence must be presented in order for the assessment to be awarded a numeric score.

SCHEDULING ASSESSMENT TASKS

  • Students will be advised of the date for the completion of an assessment task(s) in advance; at least one week prior to the scheduled assessment. The task will be entered on Compass Learning Tasks.
  • All School Assessed Coursework (SAC) assessments and School Assessed Tasks (SAT) must be completed in line with the directions issued by the class teacher.  These directions will identify clearly the due dates of such assessments, the nature and length of the task to be undertaken, and any other special requirements;
  • For each assessment task students should be provided with the
  • type of assessment task and date for completion
  • time allowed for the task
  • allocation of marks
  • nature of any materials they can utilize when completing the task
  • opportunity to demonstrate the highest level of performance 
  • An extension for a SAC/SAT task can only be granted before the due date and where there is sufficient documented evidence of a significant medical issue having impacted on the completion of the task.  An ‘Application for an Extension’ must be completed and submitted to the Sub-School Leader before the due date of the task;
  • The late submission of SAC/SAT work, beyond the time and date set by the classroom teacher, will result in the work being assessed for an “S” or “N” only, where an extension has not been granted.  The work will receive a “NA” (Non-assessed) and NO numeric score or grade;
  • Technical or computer failure will not be accepted as a reason for the granting of an extension.  In line with the VCAA requirements, it is the student’s responsibility to ensure that sufficient backups and hardcopies of their work are maintained to avoid any “loss” of work.  Similarly, printing difficulties are not grounds for the granting of an extension;

RESCHEDULING ASSESSMENT TASKS​​​​​​​

  • Students are required to obtain a Medical Certificate for an absence from an assessment task due to illness. (See section above re Attendance requirements)
  • If a student has been absent when a SAC/SAT was held in class, SAC/SAT redemption must occur on the following Thursday between 3.30 pm and 5pm (ie within one week of the student’s return to school) at the PD Room. Please see your teacher on return to school to arrange this SAC redemption and check your email and the Compass portal for the scheduled time. All incomplete SACs will be returned after one week and students will not qualify for a graded assessment.
  • Students are given three attempts to complete a SAC/SAT task. Failure to be present for SAC redemption will forfeit an attempt.
  • Where a student is absent for an assessment task, the teacher will complete the SAC/SAT redemption form available from the Senior School Office and submit this with the assessment task for completion by the student.
  • If a student is absent from the rescheduled date, the Senior School Coordinators will make contact with parents/guardians.
  • SAC Restoration Coversheet – 2020 must be included for each student
  • Leave individual student SACs in blue tub in Senior School Office.
  • Instruct Year 11 & 12 students to attend the next available timed session on either the Thursday or Monday (if applicable).  Appointment must be made with STS prior to attending a session. If students are unable to complete outstanding SACs within the scheduled timed assessment sessions they will be required to attend the next after school SAC assessment session from 3:20 pm to 4:40pm.
  • Completed SACs will be pigeon holed in main staff room.

SAC COMPLETION CONDITIONS

  1. Students must bring their own writing equipment, erasers, ruler, etc. These must be carried and stored in a clear plastic pocket.
  2. Pencil cases and bags

SACS & SATS COMPLETED OUTSIDE OF CLASS TIME

AUTHENTICATION

Students are required to ensure that all unacknowledged work submitted for assessment is genuinely his/her own. For School-Assessed Coursework and School-Assessed Tasks (SAC/SAT) completed out of class, teachers will monitor and record the progress of each student through to completion. In order to ensure authentication, students work and its development is regularly sighted, with records kept of each of the sightings.

Students are required to complete the following document(s) as part of the Authentication process for School-assessed course work or school-assessed tasks completed outside of class time and submit to their teacher(s) with the assessment task.

  1. Authentication record for School-assessed Coursework
  2. Authentication Record for School-assessed Tasks

 

[Documents available from classroom teachers]

 

RETURN OF ASSESSMENT TASKS

Teaching staff will return assessed SACs/ SATs to students at the completion of each unit, Units 1 and 2 respectively.  SACs and SATs may contain written annotations, including mark allocations. Teaching staff will distribute feedback to each student in a timely manner following the completion of each assessment task; giving consideration to cross marking and moderation processes.

The feedback will identify the relevant key performance descriptors and provide each student with a guide to the level of performance typically demonstrated within each range on the assessment task/s.  Performance descriptors provide holistic statements of achievement developed from the outcome statement and its key knowledge and key skills, as specified in the study design. They provide guidance for the marking of assessment tasks.