Assessment & Evaluation

The primary purpose of assessment and evaluation is to improve student learning. Teachers use assessment to gather information about students’ strengths and needs as learners and to provide feedback to improve student learning. Evaluation is used to judge how well students are meeting the curriculum expectations. Marks are assigned during the evaluation process and these are included in a student’s report card grade.

Evidence of student achievement for evaluation is collected over time from three different sources – observations, conferences, and student products. Student products could include tests or exams and/or assignments for evaluation. Assignments for evaluation do not include ongoing homework that students complete in order to consolidate their knowledge and skills or to prepare for the next class.

Determining a Report Card Grade

Before making a decision about the grade to be entered on the report card, teachers will consider:

all evidence collected through observations, conversations, and student products;
equity for all students, by ensuring that tests/exams and assignments for evaluation are completed whenever possible, under the supervision of a teacher;
assignments for evaluation must not include ongoing homework that students do in order to consolidate their knowledge and skills or to prepare for the next class;
assignments for evaluation may involve group projects as long as each student’s work within the group project is evaluated independently and assigned an individual mark, as opposed to a common group mark;
when appropriate, the impact that missing assignments will have on the student’s grade when they fail to submit major assignments; and,
that bonus marks may not be included when determining report card grades.

Late and Missed Assignments for Evaluation

Students must understand that they are responsible not only for their behaviour in the classroom and the school, but also for providing evidence of their achievement of the curriculum within a time frame specified by the teacher, and in a form approved by the teacher. There will be consequences for not completing assignments for evaluation or for submitting assignments late. Each teacher will use his/her own professional judgment, including the consideration of specific individual circumstances, when determining if a late penalty will be applied. Before a late penalty is applied a teacher will use strategies to support students to meet their responsibilities including, for example:

asking the student to clarify the reason for not completing the assignment;
helping students develop better time-management skills;
taking into consideration legitimate reasons for missed deadlines;
providing alternative assignments or tests where, in the teacher’s professional judgment, it is appropriate to do so; deducting marks for late assignments; or,
the full value of the assignment may be deducted if the assignment is not submitted.

Deduction of Marks

For major assignments for evaluation, teachers may impose mark deductions for lateness, after considering individual student circumstances.

For Grades 9 and 10 courses, a 5% per day deduction up to a maximum of 15% of the assignment may be deducted.

For example, if a student earns 80% on a major assignment for evaluation, and it is handed in one day late, the mark on that assignment is 75%.
If the assignment is two days late, the mark becomes a 70%.
If the assignment is three days late or more, the mark becomes a 65%.

For Grades 11 and 12 courses, a 5% per day deduction up to a maximum of 25% of the assignment may be deducted.

Academic Dishonesty – Cheating and Plagiarism

In our schools, we strive to help students develop integrity, a strong work ethic, responsibility and learning skills and work habits needed for success beyond school. Academic dishonesty hinders students from developing these attributes and will not be condoned within our schools.

Cheating is defined as “any effort to defraud, deceive, or elude someone else.” Examples may include: taking a test or an examination in a dishonest way through improper access to answers, or giving or obtaining assistance without acknowledgement.

Plagiarism is defined as “the use or close imitation of the language and thoughts of another without attribution, in order to represent them as one’s own original work. Plagiarism often takes one of the following forms: judgement

using a quotation or sentence word for word without citing the source;
using, without acknowledgement of the original source, diagrams, charts, graphics, etc.;
submitting any work by another person and claiming it as your own.

Consequences

Consequences for academic dishonesty may escalate based on the following mitigating factors:

the grade level of the student and/or course type;
the maturity of the student; the number or frequency of incidents;
the individual circumstances of the student.

Teachers consider the factors above as part of their professional judgment in cases of suspected academic dishonesty. Consequences for cheating and plagiarism are based on the factors outlined above and may include one or more of the following: