Assessment, Evaluation and Grading

ASSESSMENT AND EVALUATION AND GRADING

Assessment is the process by which the teacher gathers information on a student’s achievement and provides feedback to guide further learning throughout the course.

Evaluation is the process by which the teacher judges the quality of student work, using four established categories of criteria, and assigns one of four achievement levels to represent that quality.

Grading is the process by which the teacher determines the student’s most consistent level of achievement in each category and arrives at an overall value to be placed on the report card as a summary statement of student performance. In Ontario secondary schools, the values assigned on the report card is in the form of a percentage grade. A student must achieve at least fifty per cent in order to earn credit for the course.

Seventy per cent of the final grade will be based on evaluations conducted throughout the course. The remaining thirty per cent will be based on final evaluation activities.

Evaluation policies and course expectations are unique to each department and to each course. Teachers will inform students of the evaluation policies and of their particular requirements at the beginning of each course. Assessment and evaluation policies are established to meet the essential learning outcomes or expectations as outlined by the Ministry and the School Board.

PLAGIARISM

Plagiarism is considered to be

stealing or passing off as one’s own the ideas or words of another.
using a created production without crediting the source.
presenting as new and original an idea or product derived from an existing source.

The potential for plagiarism has increased with the availability of information on the Internet. It is important that students are aware of the need to cite sources of information. Students will also be provided with an outline of the requirements for citing the sources they use at the beginning of a course.

Should plagiarism occur, the assignment will not be accepted by the teacher. If the teacher judges the plagiarism to have been inadvertent, the work will have to be redone and re-submitted to demonstrate achievement of the curriculum expectations. If the teacher judges the plagiarism to have been deliberate, the occurrence will be dealt with as a behaviour issue under the school’s code of conduct. The matter will therefore be referred to the Principal. These consequences would also apply if a student submits the work of another student (e.g., an assignment from a previous year or one submitted to another teacher).

FORMAL EXAMINATIONS

Formal examinations (where applicable) are held at the end of each course. The value of each examination varies according to grade level and subject. Please remember that all exams must be written on their scheduled date. Only absence due to illness accompanied by a medical certificate, or the death of an immediate family member are acceptable reasons for any alteration to this policy. Requests to reschedule final examinations due to travel plans or jobs will not be granted.

ACADEMIC REPORTS

Academic reports will be issued the following four times during the school year:

Midterms report for Semester 1 courses will be issued in Mid-November.
Final reports for Semester 1 courses and midterm reports for de-semestered courses will be issued at the beginning of February.
Midterm report for Semester 2 courses will be issued in mid-April.
Final reports for Semester 2 and de-semestered courses will be issued in early July.

The quality of the learning skills demonstrated by the students in each course will be reported during each reporting period. Each of the following learning skills: works independently, teamwork, organization, work habits/homework and initiative will be evaluated using the following letter symbols:

E = Excellent S = Satisfactory G = Good N = Needs improvement

PROVINCIAL REPORT CARDS

The Provincial Report Card, Grades 9 -12 is the formal means for communicating student achievement. The report card contains separate sections for reporting on two distinct but related aspects of student achievement: the achievement of curriculum expectations (includes the student’s percentage grade, with comments on Strengths, Areas for Improvement, and Suggestions for Next Steps) and the development of learning skills (Independence, Teamwork, Organization, Work Habits/Homework, Initiative.)

ONTARIO STUDENT RECORD (OSR)

The Ontario Student Record is an official record for a student. Every Ontario school keeps an OSR for each student. The OSR contains achievement results, credits earned and diploma requirements completed, the Ontario Student Transcript (OST) and other information important to the education of the student. Students and their parents (if the student is not an adult) may examine the contents of the OSR. The Education Act and freedom of information legislation protect these records.

FULL DISCLOSURE

The Ontario Student Transcript (OST) will include full disclosure for all secondary students taking grade 11 and 12 credit courses; this includes all courses taken or attempted, and credits earned for grade 11 and 12 courses. If a student repeats a grade 11 or 12 course that the student previously completed successfully, each attempt and its mark will be shown on the OST; however, the student will only earn one credit for the course.