LEARNING AND ASSESSMENT POLICY

The learning and assessment policy is available on the school website and in the student planner.

PURPOSE
This policy provides information for teachers, students and parents/carers about roles, responsibilities, processes and
procedures to ensure the integrity of assessment. Assessment plays an integral role in improving learning and informing
teaching. Its fundamental purpose is to assist in identifying where learners are in an aspect of their learning

AIM
This policy outlines the procedures for submission of work and completion of all assessment items (including exams) in
order to:
• Maximise the opportunity for students to demonstrate what they know and can do.
• Ensure fairness to all students.
• Ensure the mandatory completion of courses of study to achieve a result.

PRINCIPLES
The following principles form the foundation of beliefs about assessment practices.

Assessment should be:

- aligned with curriculum and pedagogy
- equitable for all students
- evidence-based, using established standards/continua to make defensible and comparable judgments about
students’ learning
- ongoing, with a range and balance of evidence compiled over time to reflect the depth and breadth of students’
learning
- transparent, to enhance professional and public confidence in the processes used, the information obtained
and the decisions made
- informative of where students are in their learning.

High-quality assessment is characterised by three attributes:

- validity, through alignment with what is taught, learned and assessed
- accessibility, so that each student is given opportunities to demonstrate what they know and can do
- reliability, so that assessment results are consistent, dependable or repeatable.

RESPONSIBILITIES – ASSESSMENT
Teachers Students Parents/Guardians
• In school-based assessment, • All students are responsible for • Support and encourage their
teachers are accountable for submitting draft and assessment children to complete and submit all
designing assessment programs items on or before the due date, drafts and assessment by the due
and making judgments about the unless an extension has been date.
standards achieved by their approved. • Inform the teacher of any difficulties
students within the assessment • All students are responsible for relating to the completion of
and reporting timeframes. arriving on time on the day for assessment tasks and provide
• Teachers will support students by examinations, unless special documentary evidence (including
providing them, where consideration has been formally medical certificates) where
appropriate, with modelling, arranged. necessary.
scaffolding, and annotated • All students must show academic
exemplar responses. They will integrity.
engage students in feedback and
reflection on their assessment,
and will be able to articulate
reasoning behind judgments of the
standards achieved.
• Teachers are responsible for
informing parents when students
do not provide work to support a
judgment of achievement, and
are likely to be awarded with a
Not-Rated (N) level of
achievement on their report card.

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INTERNAL QUALITY ASSURANCE PROCESSES
Internal moderation processes are consistently applied across the school. Assessment instruments are peer reviewed
and quality assured by subject teachers and Heads of Departments.

CHANGING SUBJECTS
Students who change subjects may be required to complete assessment to ‘catch up’ and be assigned credit for the
course. This will be negotiated with the relevant Head of Department.

SUBMISSION OF ASSIGNMENTS AND DUE DATES

1. Class time is made available to complete aspects of assessment tasks and therefore all students will have at least a
a partially completed assessment task to submit on the due date.

2. All assessment that contributes to decision-making about student academic performance must satisfy the following
criteria:
a) Submitted work must be the students’ own work.
b) A hard copy of the assessment must be presented/submitted by the end of the subject lesson on the due date.
c) If a digital submission is required (E.g. Turnitin) then a digital submission must also be submitted by the end of
the subject lesson on the due date.

3. If a student is absent on the due date, then every effort must be made to submit the assignment by the due date and
time. This can be done by delivering a hard copy to the school by 4.00pm or via email to the teacher by 6.00pm.

Extensions

An extension of time to complete an assessment task will be granted ONLY in cases of genuine prolonged illness or
exceptional circumstances (e.g. bereavement). Technology issues are not to be considered an extenuating
circumstance given access to email, OneDrive and the use of USBs. Family holidays and sporting or extra-curricular
activities are also not to be considered an extenuating circumstance. Students who have been approved for an AARA
are still required to follow the extension application process below.

Parents/guardians who believe their student needs an extension of time should follow the steps below.

Extension Application Process

Year 7 – 10 Students Year 11 and 12 Student
Step 1: Contact the appropriate Head of Department Step 1: Contact the Deputy Principal Senior Schooling
PRIOR to the due date to discuss the relevant PRIOR to the due date to discuss the relevant
circumstances. circumstances.
Step 2: Complete the student sections of the Application Step 2: Complete the student section of the Application
for Extension form, and attach supporting for Extension form, and attach supporting
documentation (e.g. parental note). Submit this to your documentation.
classroom teacher. • Illness – a medical certificate is required
• Extenuating circumstance – supporting
evidence, such as a parental note, is required

Submit this to your classroom teacher.

Step 3: Classroom teacher completes the teacher section Step 3: Classroom teacher completes the teacher section
of the Application for Extension form and provides this of the Application for Extension form and provides this
to the Head of Department. to the Deputy Principal.
Step 4: Head of Department discusses with classroom Step 4: Deputy Principal discusses with classroom
teacher and then notifies the teacher and student if teacher and then notifies the teacher and student if
approved/not approved. approved/not approved.
Step 5: Head of Department records extension in Step 5: Deputy Principal records extension in OneSchool.
OneSchool.

Non-submission of assignment on due date

Students who fail to submit assignments on the due date, without an approved extension, are to be treated as follows:
a) The teacher will make judgements on available evidence.
i. Available evidence may take form of previously submitted drafts, class work or other authenticated
evidence.
b) If no evidence is available, the student is to be given resources by the teacher in the relevant subject lesson
and the student is to be given the lesson time to submit the task. This piece of work is to be assessed against
the assignment criteria.
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 c) If a student states that the assignment is completed but left at home, the student is to be informed that the
assignment may be submitted up to 4:00pm at the school or emailed by 6:00pm on the due date. If this is not
possible, the student will have to phone his/her parent and arrange for a parent to speak with the relevant Head
of Department (Year 7-10 students) or Deputy Principal (Year 11 and 12 students). If this procedure is followed,
the submitted assignment is to replace the previous evidence for assessment purposes.
d) If no assignment is forthcoming, the evidence submitted on the due date will be deemed to be the item for
assessment and treated in the usual way:
- Marked and commented upon.
- Credited towards completion of the course.
- Credited towards the student’s level of achievement for the course.

ACCESS ARRANGEMENTS AND REASONABLE ADJUSTMENTS (AARA)

AARA are provided to minimise barriers for a student whose disability, impairment, medical condition or other
circumstances may affect their ability to read, respond to or participate in assessment. These barriers fall into three
broad categories:

• Permanent/long term
• Temporary/short term
• intermittent/episodic.

Some common AARA include:

• alternative exam conditions, e.g. extra time, rest breaks and/or small group seating
• alternative-format papers, e.g. A4 to A3 enlargement, black-and-white materials
• assistive technology, e.g. screen reader and speech recognition application, magnification application
• a reader and/or scribe

Students who require AARA are encouraged to speak with their classroom teacher, case manager or the guidance
officer. For Year 12 assessment, an AARA must be approved by QCAA and updated medical documentation is required.
Please refer to the QCAA website for more information on the AARA process.
https://www.qcaa.qld.edu.au/senior/assessment/aara.

MANAGING RESPONSE LENGTH

Students must ensure that assessment responses satisfy the designated length/duration requirements of the
assessment instrument. All assessment items will indicate the required length of response as either: word length, time
duration and/or page count. The evidence provided within a designated length/duration requirement will be considered
for assessment purposes. Any evidence in excess of these limits will not be considered.

If students present an assessment response that exceeds the required response length the following will occur:
- At the earliest available time, the teacher will notify the student that they have exceeded the response length
- The student will then be given the opportunity to clearly indicate which part of the response they would like to
redact from the response before a judgement is made on the evidence in the student response. This will be
completed with the teacher on the original copy of the response.

DRAFTING
Drafting is a preliminary version of an assessment response. It is a way in which students receive feedback from their
teachers. There are various methods for feedback to be provided and this occurs naturally as part of the teaching and
learning process.

Providing feedback is a consultative process, not a marking process. Feedback on a draft will not compromise the
authenticity of student work.

Years 7-10: Drafting may occur in multiple forms and at various times depending on subject and assessment item.
Year 11-12: One draft will be provided with feedback by a subject teacher. A draft may differ in form depending on the
subject and assessment technique; in writing or orally; to an individual or to the whole class; and/or through questioning.

EXAMINATIONS
1. Students will be notified of examination dates for each of their subjects at the beginning of each semester on a subject
specific semester overview. The school calendar also shows when formal examination blocks will be held throughout
the year for Year 10 -12 students. Students should avoid all appointments that clash with examination dates. Students
who attend an external TAFE course or participate in a School-based Apprenticeship or Traineeship (SAT) are required
to attend examinations even if they fall on a day that they would normally attend TAFE or a SAT.
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2 If a student is absent (with or without a valid reason) from a scheduled examination, the following procedures will
apply. It is the decision of the Head of Department if a “late paper” is to be the same paper, or an equivalent paper, that
a student will be required to complete.

In-Class Assessments
By “in-class assessments”, we mean any work done in a scheduled lesson or lessons at school. These may take an
oral, written, practical or performance mode

a) For written tasks, at the next lesson after the scheduled date, the student is to complete the required
assessment task on that day as directed by the teacher.
b) For oral, practical or performance tasks, the students will:
i. For an individual task:
At the next lesson after the scheduled date, the teacher will request the student to present the task
during the lesson or to suit the requirements of the class and/or teacher’s timetable. Where
necessary a suitable audience may need to be organised by the student and/or teacher.
ii. For a group task:
Depending on the duration of absence of the student after the scheduled date and at the discretion
of the Head of Department, the student may be requested to complete an alternative assessment
task if reforming the original group is impractical.

Examination Blocks

Missed Exam Procedure

Year 7 – 10 Students Year 11 and 12 Student
1. The class teacher has a responsibility to notify the 1. The Head of Department has a responsibility to notify
parent/caregiver of any student who has missed an the parent/caregiver of any student who has missed an
exam. A written statement signed by a parent/guardian, exam. A written statement signed by a parent/guardian,
or a medical certificate that explains why the student has or a medical certificate that explains why the student has
been absent from the scheduled assessment task, must been absent from the scheduled assessment task, must
be provided by the student. be provided by the student to the Deputy Principal of
Senior Schooling.

2. The class teacher has a responsibility to notify the 2. Once a medical certificate or written statement is
relevant Head of Department of the names of students provided to the Deputy Principal, a time will then be
who have not completed end of semester / unit negotiated to complete the missed exam. This should be
examination tasks and discusses when the assessment as soon as possible after the missed exam.
task is to be rescheduled.
3. If a student is absent for a practical exam, the Head of 3. If a student is absent for a practical exam, the Deputy
Department will determine the possibility of an alternative Principal will liaise with the Head of Department to
examination session. If no session is possible, an determine the possibility of an alternative examination
alternative assessment task will be set by the Head of session. If no session is possible, an alternative
Department. assessment task will be set by the Head of Department.
4. If a known absence, the student must contact the 4. If a known absence, the student must contact the
school prior to the examination block. school prior to the examination block.

If, in the opinion of the Principal it is considered necessary, students may be required to complete alternative or additional
assessment items, so that they may be deemed as having completed the course requirements, and thus, awarded a
level of achievement.

It is the RESPONSIBILITY of the student to take the following steps when an exam has been missed.
(Failure to do so may result in credit not being awarded).

Absent for One or More Examinations:

(a) On the day phone the central office and advise them of:
(1) Your Name
(2) Your Form Class
(3) Subject/s missed and teacher/s of subject
(4) Day, date and session exam/s have been missed
(5) Date of your return to school
(6) Reason of absence

(b) On the day of your return:

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 (1) Visit the relevant Head of Department (Year 7 – 10 students) of the Deputy Principal of Senior Schooling
(Year 11 and 12), to reschedule all missed exams and advise teachers.
(2) Submit required documentation (e.g. doctor’s certificate)

Failure to comply with the policy above will be regarded as wilful disregard of school policy and:

(a) Credit may not be awarded:

(b) Your teacher will inform your parents of your failure to complete required exams

ACADEMIC MISCONDUCT POLICY

Academic Integrity
Staff will consistently apply policies to develop academic integrity and minimise academic misconduct, as well as
develop assessment that enables identification of individual work.

Students must conduct their studies at Wavell State High School honestly, ethically and in accordance with accepted
standards of academic conduct. Any contrary behaviour is academic misconduct, for which the School may penalise a
student.
Types of academic misconduct and examples of behaviours:
Type of misconduct Examples
Cheating while under A student:
supervised conditions • has any notation written on the body, clothing or any object brought into an
assessment room
• communicates with any person other than a supervisor during an examination, e.g.
through speaking, signing, electronic device or other means such as passing notes,
making gestures or sharing equipment with another student.
Collusion When:
• more than one student works to produce a response and that response is submitted
as individual work by one or multiple students
• a student assists another student to commit an act of academic misconduct
• a student gives or receives a response to an assessment.
Contract cheating/ A student:
significant contribution • arranges for a tutor, parent/carer or any person in a supporting role to complete or
of help contribute significantly to the response
• pays for a person or a service to complete a response to an assessment
• sells or trades a response to an assessment.
Copying work A student deliberately or knowingly makes it possible for another student to copy
responses or looks at or copies another student’s work during an exam.
Disclosing or receiving A student makes any attempt to give or access unauthorised information that
information about an compromises the integrity of the assessment.
assessment
Fabricating A student invents or exaggerates data or lists incorrect or fictitious references. This
may include false or misleading information generated from the use of generative AI.
Impersonation A student arranges for another person to complete a response to an assessment in
their place, e.g. impersonating the student in a performance or supervised
assessment.
A student completes a response to an assessment in place of another student.
This includes use of generative AI to alter images or recordings to adapt unreferenced
material or adopt identities of other presenters or performers for audio, visual and
audiovisual assessment responses.
Misconduct during an A student distracts and/or disrupts others in an assessment room.
examination
Plagiarism or lack of A student completely or partially copies or alters another person’s work or creates
referencing work using generative AI tools without attribution. This may include text audio or
audiovisual material, figures, tables, design, images or informative text.

Plagiarism also includes the use of a translator, including an online translator, as the
work produced is not the work of the student.

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Reporting of Academic Misconduct
All teachers have a professional responsibility to report suspected Academic Misconduct to the relevant Head of
Department. All reports of suspected academic misconduct from the school community or wider community should be
referred to the relevant Head of Department. These cases should always be investigated thoroughly with evidence
gathered.

Students are provided with checkpoints and/or drafts to demonstrate the development of their response and its
authenticity over time. Student work that is suspected to have been completed as a result of certain types of academic
misconduct will be provided with a further opportunity to authenticate their response. These opportunities may include:
• Student-teacher conferencing
• Multiple choice questions about the task or the student response
• Further stimulus for the student to demonstrate understanding
• The use of version history from the Office 365 Applications

The onus is on the student to be able to demonstrate authentic development of their response over time.
Consequences of Academic Misconduct
• Cheating – If cheating in a test or examination is established, then students may not be rated for that part of the
assessment or whole depending upon the circumstances. Students who knowingly allow another student access
to their work during an assessment task may be similarly penalised.
• Plagiarism– The plagiarised section of work will be clearly labelled on the script and will be disregarded in the
awarding of criteria standards.
• All incidents of Academic Misconduct should be communicated to Parents/Caregivers, and both an Academic
Infringement and a Record of Contact should be recorded on the student’s OneSchool profile.
• In the most serious of incidents, other disciplinary action including Suspension may occur.
The following considerations can be used to assist in assessing whether the academic dishonesty is minor or major:
• Extent - how important is the case to the overall Level of Achievement of the student and how much is involved -
words, paragraphs, half an assignment etc.
• Level – Consideration given to the year level of the student.
• Knowledge - student's exposure to the accepted practices; (eg ESL, Learning Support, WSC).
• History - whether the student has been found guilty of academic dishonesty in the past.
• Review of Consequences - If students, parents or teachers feel that the case has not been dealt with fairly or
consistently, they should appeal to the Deputy Principals or Principal.

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