Student assessment and evaluation is an ongoing process. Teachers use a variety of tools such as assignments, demonstrations, projects, tests, and examinations to assess student achievement. Student achievement is reported to parents as a percentage grade on the Ontario Provincial Report Card. The final grade will be determined as follows: 70% of the grade will be based on assessments and evaluations conducted throughout the course and 30% will be based on a final evaluation and culminating activity suitable to the content of the course. In keeping with the ideals expressed in our Board's Mission Statement, students are challenged to develop individually to their greatest potential as young Catholics. This Evaluation Policy applies to all classes. Teachers recognize the need for flexibility within these guidelines. Where necessary, evaluation recommendations, or deadlines, may be modified by the subject and/or resource teacher to reflect the individual needs and/or circumstances of students in order to enable them to achieve the expectations of the course.

In order to ensure that assessment and evaluation are valid and reliable, teachers employ strategies that:

• Address both, what students learn and how well they learn;
• Are based both on the categories of knowledge and skills, and on the achievement level descriptions given in the achievement chart that appears in the curriculum policy document for each discipline;
• Are varied in nature, administered over a period of time and designed to provide opportunities for students to demonstrate the full range of their learning;
• Are appropriate for the learning activities used, the purposes of instruction, and the needs and experiences of the students;
• Are fair to all students;
• Accommodate the needs of exceptional students, consistent with the strategies outlined in their Individual Educational Plan;
• Accommodate the needs of students who are learning the language of instruction;
• Ensure that each student is given clear directions for improvement, promote students’ ability to assess their own learning and to set specific goals;
• Include the use of samples of students’ work that provide evidence of their achievement, are communicated clearly to students and parents at the beginning of the course and at other appropriate points throughout the course.

The Achievement Chart for each discipline is included in the course outline for students at the beginning of the semester. The following chart indicates a summary description of the achievement levels in each percentage range and corresponding level of achievement:

Quizzes & Tests

1. Teachers will give the class sufficient notice for up-coming quizzes & tests.
   
   
2. If a student is absent due to a legitimate reason/school-related activity on a quiz/test day, verification from a Teacher Advisor/Coach or a note from the parent/guardian must be given to the subject teacher indicating that they are aware that the student has missed a quiz/test. This note must be given to the subject teacher on the day of the student’s return. It is the responsibility of the student to make arrangements for an alternative assessment date with the subject teacher on the day of the student’s return. If the student fails to make such arrangements, the student will receive a mark of zero.
   
   
3. If a quiz/test is missed as a result of truancy or suspension, it is the responsibility of the student to make arrangements for an alternative assessment date with the subject teacher.
   
   

Deadlines for Evaluated Assignments

The ability to meet assignment deadlines is a life skill that is imperative to success in the real world.

1. The due dates for such activities will be clearly articulated well in advance by the subject teacher when the task is assigned.
   
   
2. Assignments submitted 1 day late will receive a mark reduction of 5% from the total value of the assignment. Assignments submitted 2 days late will receive a mark reduction of 10% from the total value of the assignment. If the assignment is not submitted within 2 school days from the due date, the student will receive a mark of zero.
   
   
3. The late policy does NOT apply to scheduled presentations and a mark of zero will be assigned for missed presentations.
   
   
4. If a student is absent due to a legitimate reason/school-related activity when an assignment is due, verification from a Teacher Advisor/Coach, or a note from the parent/guardian must be given to the subject teacher on the day of the student’s return. It is the responsibility of the student to make arrangements with the subject teacher to submit the missed assignment on the day of the student’s return. If the student fails to make such arrangements, the student will receive a mark of zero.
   
   
5. If an evaluated assignment is missed as a result of truancy or suspension, it is the responsibility of the student to make arrangements to submit the missed assignment with the subject teacher on the day of the student’s return. If the student fails to make such arrangements, the student will receive a mark of zero.
   
   
6. Teachers will notify the parents/guardians of students who are at risk for obtaining the course credit.
   
   

Plagiarism

St. Edmund Campion S.S. emphasizes respect and integrity for one’s own work and for the work of others. Students must acknowledge their source of information when using the words or the ideas of any other person or group of persons for any assignment or project. This applies to written and visual sources which include books, periodicals, computers, software, art, the Internet, etc. Cheating on class work, quizzes, tests, assignments, final culminating activities and exams is considered plagiarism. Students are not permitted to submit the same assignment to more than one subject teacher/course without the teacher’s explicit permission and they are not permitted to use or submit the work of another student. Students who knowingly participate in any of the preceding actions will receive a mark of zero with the possibility of suspension. Parental contact will be made and the respective Administrator will be informed.

Attendance

The Board sets out as the responsibility of each student "to be in attendance at all classes and scheduled activities, on time and with the proper materials required for full participation" (Mission Statement). Regular attendance on the part of students is vital to the process of learning. Students who habitually miss class will suffer in the evaluation process because they miss delivery of valuable curricular components.

Extended Absences

Extended absences are strongly discouraged during the school year and are detrimental to the success of the student. In the event of an extended absence, modifications to the course evaluation may only be considered after the student, parent, subject teacher, the appropriate Administrator, and guidance counsellor have consulted with one another.

Suspensions

Suspensions under Board Policy and Regulations and the authority of the Education Act will carry with them the following understandings: (As per the Board code of Student Behaviour and Discipline).

• It is the student’s responsibility to obtain and complete work during time missed while under suspension.
  
  
• A student will be fully responsible for material covered while the student was under suspension. A student will also be expected to meet deadlines for assignments due during the suspension, which were assigned prior to the suspension. Such assignments could be submitted by the student’s parent/guardian or classmate.
  
  
• A student will be permitted to write any quizzes/tests missed during the time of suspension. It is the responsibility of the student to make arrangements for an alternative assessment date with the subject teacher on the day of the student’s return. If the student fails to make such arrangements, the student will receive a mark of zero.

Final evaluations are an integral part of evaluating materials learned in each credit course of study. Final summative evaluations are worth 30% of the course mark. These evaluations may be in the form of final culminating activities, oral exams, practical exams and written exams. All final summative evaluations will occur near the end of the semester during the scheduled Final Culminating Activity period and Final Examination Period. The evaluation technique, testing environment, and weighting (i.e. percentage of course’s final grade) of the final culminating activity and/or final exam are determined by each subject’s department, according to the curriculum guidelines of the Ministry of Education, program of study, board policy, and individual student needs.

Final Culminating Activities & Final Exams

The Ministry of Education and Training stipulates that all courses have final summative evaluations which are in the form of a final culminating activity and/or a final exam. The schedule is published well in advance in the calendar section of the agenda book and students will not be excused from submitting/performing final culminating activities and/or writing final exams. Students are expected to submit all culminating activities on the established dates given by the subject teacher and write/perform all scheduled formal exams during the scheduled examination period. The late policy does NOT apply to final culminating activities and they will not be accepted after the established due date.

If a student is unable to submit a final culminating activity and/or write a final exam due to illness, a medical certificate will be required or a mark of zero will be assigned in this component of the course. This certificate must be submitted to the appropriate Administrator prior to the end of the final culminating activity period/examination period as indicated in the calendar. Family holidays and/or other appointments should be planned outside of these dates which are indicated in the calendar section.

Suspensions During the Final Culminating Activity Period & Final Examination Period

If a student is suspended during the designated final culminating activity period or final examination period, the student must see the appropriate Administrator.