To achieve a Satisfactory (S) result in a unit, students must submit work that is genuinely their own. All students enrolled in VCE, VM and VPC are expected to demonstrate academic integrity and comply with school and VCAA authentication requirements.
Students must:
submit work that is their own
acknowledge all sources used, including books, websites, AI tools and any other resources
acknowledge any assistance received from another person
not copy, plagiarise or cheat
not receive excessive assistance from another person, including teachers, parents, tutors or peers
not submit the same piece of work for assessment in more than one study or more than once within the same study, unless specifically authorised
not share, publish or distribute assessment tasks that are being used for assessment during the current academic year
not knowingly assist another student to breach authentication rules.
Students may:
use information and ideas from a range of sources, provided they are acknowledged and presented in the student's own words
receive general feedback, prompting or advice that helps them improve or refine their own work.
Students must not:
copy another person's work or use work from any source without acknowledgement
submit work produced by another person or generated entirely by Artificial Intelligence as their own
copy model or sample responses provided by teachers or other sources
have another person substantially rewrite, correct or complete their work.
To support authentication, students are expected to:
complete assessment tasks under the conditions set by their teacher
retain drafts, notes and other evidence showing the development of their work
participate in progress checks, draft submissions or conferences where required
demonstrate their understanding of their work if requested by their teacher
submit assessment by the published due date unless an approved extension or special provision has been granted.
Teachers will monitor the development of student work and may compare it with previous work completed by the student. Where there are concerns about authenticity, teachers may request additional evidence, require the student to complete further work, or require the task to be resubmitted where permitted.
If a teacher cannot authenticate that the submitted work is the student's own, or there is insufficient evidence that the learning outcomes have been achieved, the work may not be accepted for assessment and the student may receive a Not Yet Satisfactory (NYS) or Not Satisfactory (N) result in accordance with school and VCAA requirements.
Sunshine College maintains fair and consistent procedures for managing suspected breaches of assessment and authentication rules. Allegations may be raised by any member of the school community and will be handled respectfully, confidentially and in accordance with the principles of procedural fairness.
Teachers are responsible for informing students of assessment and authentication requirements, monitoring student work, and reporting any suspected breaches to the Year Level Coordinator.
Year Level Coordinators coordinate the investigation process, gather relevant evidence, communicate with students and parents/carers where appropriate, and provide recommendations.
Student Engagement Leaders (or Principal delegate) are responsible for making the final decision and determining any consequences.
When a suspected breach is identified, the Year Level Coordinator will conduct a preliminary investigation to determine whether further action is required. Where appropriate, the student's work may be withheld from assessment until the investigation is complete.
If a formal investigation is required, relevant evidence may include:
the student's submitted work, drafts and notes
teacher observations and authentication records
digital evidence, where applicable
discussions with the student and other relevant parties.
Students will be informed of the allegation and given an opportunity to respond before any decision is made. They may be asked to explain or demonstrate their understanding of the submitted work and may bring a support person to any formal meeting.
Following consideration of all available evidence, the decision-maker will determine an appropriate outcome based on the balance of probabilities.
Possible outcomes may include:
a warning
resubmission or completion of an alternative task, where permitted
refusal to assess part or all of the submitted work
a Not Yet Satisfactory (NYS) or Not Satisfactory (N) result, where appropriate
school disciplinary action in accordance with the school's Student Engagement and Wellbeing Policy.
Students will be advised of the decision, the reasons for the outcome, any consequences, and their right to appeal. All records relating to the investigation will be securely maintained by the school.