Year 8 Course Outlines

Assessment Procedures– Stage 4 Year 8  

Year 8 Student Responsibilities

1. Attendance - Students must attend all classes to satisfactorily achieve the course requirements.

Students are expected to complete all formal and informal tasks for each course.

2. Academic Integrity - Students are required to pledge (Attachment A) that all work submitted for assessment must be their own.

3. Submission of formal assessment tasks - Students are expected to submit formal assessment tasks by the due date and sign and acknowledge submission of - tasks.

4. Absent from a formal assessment task - Where a student cannot meet a deadline for a formal task the student must:

• bring a valid explanation, e.g. doctor’s certificate or a parent/caregiver’s note to the class teacher; and

• be prepared to submit/attempt the task on the first day she returns to school.

Failure to follow the above procedures may result in a student not meeting the course outcomes and may incur

other disciplinary processes.

Late submissions and absence for assessment tasks

• a student who takes additional time to complete an assignment may be unfairly advantaged; and

• a late submission of an assignment may delay marking of the assignments and hence delay the giving of feedback to students.

Note: A student with late submission/attempt of an assessment task without a valid explanation will have:

• a letter of concern generated to parents;

• the student will be ineligible to be first or second in the course at the end of the year.

Important Note: Technology and/or computer equipment failure are not valid grounds for misadventure (not submitting or attempting a task). It is the student’s responsibility to keep hard copies of submitted assessment tasks. To assist students in the utilisation of technology, the following guidelines should be considered:

• always complete work before the deadline. This enables appropriate measures to be taken in the event of equipment failure;

• back-up files regularly;

• print out copies of drafts and keep them while the assignment is in progress; and

• bring a copy of the file to school by either USB or email a copy to the relevant teacher.

5. Diligence

It is expected that students prepare for examinations and make a serious attempt. Students must work with

sustained effort and diligence in all aspects of each course. Students must make a genuine attempt at ALL assessment tasks. Failure to complete assessment tasks may jeopardize successful completion of the course.

6. Notification of Formal Assessment Tasks

Written and/or electronic notification of formal assessment tasks will be issued at least TWO weeks prior to

assessment tasks as per assessment schedules published in this handbook. (See Attachment B)

7. Procedures relating to plagiarism

The values of PRIDE are highly regarded both in school, and later at work. When undertaking assignments at school and at home it is important that students do not use other people’s work as their own. If students submit other people’s work as their own it is called plagiarism.

Students are expected to research and prepare a range of tasks that will require them to read and use other people’s ideas and words to help them develop their own understanding. It is important that when they use other people’s words and ideas that they give them the appropriate credit. To not credit them is the same as stealing, and this is known as plagiarism. ‘Plagiarism is when you pretend that you have written or created a piece of work that someone else originated. It is cheating, it is dishonest, and it could jeopardise your results.’

All students need to understand that it is wrong to copy and submit work that they have not created themselves. Changing a few words around is still plagiarising. Some of the best methods to avoid plagiarism include:

• giving yourself enough time to research and write your own assignments (don’t leave it to the last moment);

• making effective notes – jotting down points, not copying whole sentences. Copying and pasting from the

It is important to note that the use of AI generative sites is considered plagarism.

Internet makes it very hard to avoid plagiarising;

• write your assignment from notes, not the original source of information;

• keep accurate records of where you find your information and include a bibliography for every assignment (not just when a teacher asks for it).

Bibliographies

All assignments and research tasks should include a bibliography listing the sources of information used. This would include books, webpages, encyclopaedia entries, magazine articles, etc. The bibliographic details for each item should be clearly indicated. Bibliographic details include author, title, publisher, city of publication and date (usually year). Some people may also require the pages consulted. The Internet requires 2 additional pieces of information – the URL and the date the page was accessed. 

The following are examples of one way of presenting your bibliography.

• A book with an author: KNAPP, Brian (1996), Lead and Tin, Melbourne: Reed

• A book without an author: The Law Handbook. (1997), Redfern, NSW, Redfern Legal Centre

• A web page: Tilling, Robert. (2008) Types of volcanoes,[United States]: Fact Monster http://www.factmonster.com/ipka/A0862596.html {accessed 29/8/2008}  Comfortable, Low-energy Houses (2007) [Australia]: Bureau of Meteorology http://www.born,gov.au/climate/environ/housedesign/index.shtml  {accessed 5/2/2007}

With all items in a bibliography include as many of the required details as you can find and list the entries in alphabetical order, by the beginning of the entry, ie. author or title (if no author).

8. Letters of Concern

Letters of concern are issued to students and their parents/caregivers if students

• are in danger of not meeting the course requirements

• have plagiarised part or whole of the task

• have handed in a summative assessment late

• have made a non-serious attempt

• have not submitted the task at all

The letter of concern process gives the students the opportunity to redeem themselves. The faculty Head Teacher will communicate with parents regarding the steps for task redemption and any other disciplinary processes.

9. Disability provisions

Who can apply for disability provisions? Any student with a disability recognised in the Commonwealth Disability Standards for Education 2005. The definition of ‘disability’ in the Disability Discrimination Act 1992 (Cth) includes:

• physical

• intellectual

• psychiatric

• sensory

• neurological, and

• learning disabilities, as well as

• physical disfigurement, and the presence in the body of disease-causing organisms.

Note that the disability provisions apply only where the disability is such that a practical arrangement is required to reduce disadvantage in an exam situation. Disability provisions also apply to temporary and emergency-related disabilities. A typical example of an ‘emergency’ is where a student breaks their writing arm a week before an examination. Students need to discuss their case with the School Counsellors, Head Teacher Teaching and Learning or their Year Adviser.

10. Reporting Procedures

Student reporting is the process of communicating information about student learning. It includes a student’s level of attainment and the progress they have made during a period of time. Reports contain objective information about what has been taught and about students’ current levels of knowledge and understanding, including areas for further development.

Reports draw on formal and informal assessment that has been collected routinely and recorded systematically as part of teachers’ ongoing classroom assessment practice (refer to the assessment schedule for each course in this handbook). School reports are issued twice a year; once each semester. Students must sign upon receipt of their report.

If you have a specific course enquiry please contact the Head Teacher of that Faculty. If it is a more general enquiry please contact your Year 8 Adviser.