Assessment, Feedback, Reporting and Recognition Policy and Procedures (AFRR)

BACKGROUND

ROOTY HILL HIGH SCHOOL

ASSESSMENT, FEEDBACK, REPORTING and RECOGNITION (AFRR) POLICY and PROCEDURES.

This policy should be read in conjunction with the school’s attendance, curriculum, wellbeing and school evaluation policies. It is underpinned by the school’s PERSIST values, student agency and capability driven assessment practices. As evidenced in the school’s strategic planning documents since 2010, the school has shifted its assessment, reporting, feedback and recognition practices to better meet the needs and aspirations of students. This policy reflects the move towards ensuring the delivery of new ways of knowing, doing and being in the school’s approach to the planning, design, implementation, evaluation and modification of its assessment, feedback, reporting and recognition practices.

POLICY

At this school, the main purpose of assessment and reporting is to give every student the opportunity to do his or her best. We expect students to use assessment to improve their learning and develop skills in agency to ensure they are making progress, reaching higher levels of attainment and making decisions for their own futures.

There are 4 integrated components of this policy. At Rooty Hill High School:

1. Assessment is a “point in time” judgment made by a learner, peer, teacher or external authority that enables improved learning, confident judgments about progress and attainment, increased capacity to understand and take agency for interrogating progressive assessment and making informed decisions.

4. Recognition is a central feature of the school’s culture where students, staff, families, community and partners use practices of recognition and acknowledgment to shape a positive culture and build on strengths, successes and continuing improvement.

3. Reporting is informed by self, peer, teacher, community, subject based and external evidence and includes formal and informal systems of reporting on a range of domains using traditional, digital and personalised forms that focus on positive and futures focused reflections prepared by students and the teachers.

2. Feedback is fundamental to understanding assessment and is required (ethically and for compliance) for all assessment and learning tasks - formal, informal, summative and formative. Feedback starts from identifying those areas students can do and those they still need to do to do their best.

Rooty Hill High School is committed to ensuring that its Assessment, Feedback, Reporting, and Recognition Policy and Procedures are aligned with the curriculum, assessment and reporting requirements of the NSW Department of Education (DoE), Australian Curriculum, Assessment and Reporting Authority (ACARA), NSW Educational Standards Authority (NESA) syllabuses, credentialing requirements, obligations under the Disability Discrimination Act 1992 and the Education Act 1990 and innovative, evidence informed school practices

The purpose of this policy document is to outline the principles and protocols that underpin Rooty Hill High School’s (RHHS) strategy for implementing and evaluating school practice against:

1. The New South Wales Education and Standards Authority – NESA – mandatory requirements

RoSA https://curriculum.nsw.edu.au/ace-rules/ace1/achieving-rosa

HSC https://curriculum.nsw.edu.au/ace-rules/ace1/achieving-hsc

2. Department of Education policies and procedures for compliance with mandatory requirements

Curriculum policy standards

Curriculum planning and programming, assessing and reporting to parents K-12

NSW Registration Process for the Government Schooling System Manual

CPM SECONDARY ROSA (7-10)

CPM Secondary HSC (11-12)

Stage 6 - monitoring implementation and support

3. Provisions that govern the elimination of discrimination against persons on the ground of disability

Disability Discrimination Act 1992

Disability Standards for Education 2005 - Department of Education, Skills and Employment, Australian Government (dese.gov.au)

DoE Disability Strategy

4. Innovative, evidence informed school principles and practices as outlined below.

ASSESSMENT (integrating assessment of, for and as learning)1

‘Another way of thinking about assessment is to think of it as the process of establishing and understanding where students are in their learning. Where are they up to? What do they know? What do they understand? What can they do at this point in time?’ (Professor Geoff Masters)2

Assessments at Rooty Hill High School allow for improved learning. Teachers do this by:

• allocating 40% of learning time to assessment,

• using formative and summative assessment and

• using task-based success criteria as formative assessment in each lesson/learning cycle.

Formative assessment, is defined as:

“ … an adaptive process where assessment evidence of student learning is used by teachers to modify their instructional practices or by students to adjust their learning strategies. In formative assessment, evidence elicited during learning is gathered, interpreted and used by teachers and students to make better teaching and learning decisions.” (OAFI 2012)

It is implemented through five ‘key strategies’:

1. “clarifying, understanding, and sharing learning intentions;

2. engineering effective classroom discussions, tasks and activities that elicit evidence of learning;

3. providing feedback that moves learners forward;

4. activating students as learning resources for one another;

5. activating students as owners of their own learning.”

(Embedding Formative Assessment, Wiliam, 2011)

Summative assessment

“is typically used to evaluate student learning, skill acquisition, and academic achievement at the conclusion of a defined instructional period. It is an assessment of learning.” (Re-assessing assessment. CESE 2015)

At Rooty Hill High School, based on assessments, teachers make judgements and informed decisions about:

• student academic progress and achievement in each subject

• progress on personalised strengths-based learning goals and subject based goals

1 Assessment for Learning: Assessment for learning involves teachers using evidence about students' knowledge, understanding and skills to inform their teaching. Sometimes referred to as ‘formative assessment', it usually occurs throughout the teaching and learning process to clarify student learning and understanding.

Assessment as Learning: Assessment as learning occurs when students are their own assessors. Students monitor their own learning, ask questions and use a range of strategies to decide what they know and can do, and how to use assessment information for new learning.

Assessment of Learning: Assessment of learning assists teachers in using evidence of student learning to assess achievement against outcomes and standards. Sometimes referred to as ‘summative assessment', it usually occurs at defined key points during a teaching work or at the end of a unit, term or semester, and may be used to rank or grade students. The effectiveness of assessment of learning for grading or ranking purposes depends on the validity, reliability and weighting placed on any one task. Its effectiveness as an opportunity for learning depends on the nature and quality of the feedback.

2 (Source: https://www.teachermagazine.com.au/articles/thinking-differently-about-assessment-with-professor-geoff-masters)

• capabilities using student or teacher identified work samples and

• measures from external and internal assessment including high-stakes external assessment measures, portfolios and post-school destinations

At the end of each semester and at the end of each course students undertake summative assessments that contribute to grades and qualifications. In Year 12 assessment tasks are summative tasks because they contribute to the final Year 12 mark along with the major works and the HSC examination.

FEEDBACK

‘Feedback is said to be effective if students act on it to improve future work. In order for it to be useful and effective, certain principles must be adhered to and there must also be a learning context to which feedback is addressed’ (Hattie and Timperley 2007) 3

At Rooty Hill High School teachers use feedback for:

• identifying areas for improvement and growth

• imparting information for student progress in the most effective, time-efficient manner

• providing comments on written work ensuring the feedback aligns with the marking criteria

• improving classroom practice

REPORTING

“Reporting is the process of communicating information about student achievement and progress gained from the assessment process. The purpose of reporting is to support teaching and learning by providing feedback to students, parents and teachers. Students’ learning achievements and progress are also reported to other schools and to employers. This information about students’ achievement is valuable for school and system wide planning and reporting.” (Principles for Assessment and Reporting in NSW Government Schools, 1996)

“Consistency involves on-balance, evidence-based decisions about students’ progress towards the achievement of standards as articulated through the language of outcomes. It is important because it ensures fairness, a range of assessment events, equity in access and entitlement and quality teaching and learning.” (Consistency in Assessment and Reporting. A Support Package for Secondary Schools, 2002)

At Rooty Hill High School systems are in place for the reporting of:

• student progress and achievement;

• progress on personalised strengths-based learning goals and subject based goals;

• capabilities using formative or summative assessment and teacher professional judgement in Years 7-10

RECOGNITION

“Responsible behaviour is a chosen behaviour, it cannot be given, it can only be taken. Our goal is to assist students to become responsible, self-disciplined, self-reliant, independent problem-

solvers and learners. Where responsibility is developed and student learning observed, the school recognises ‘above the line’ behaviours.” (Discipline Without Stress, Marshall, 2005)

At Rooty Hill High School systems are in place to ensure recognition of students:

• using Choice Theory principles of recognition and self-determined consequences;

• focused on progress and improvement;

• through the ways in which students demonstrate the school values in participation, effort, respect, responsibility, innovation, creativity, success in curricular, co-curricular, extracurricular, safety, teamwork and leadership;

• individual learning journeys.

PERSIST Values

Participation & Enthusiasm

Inclusion, participation and engagement underpin assessment, feedback, reporting and recognition principles and practices.

GUIDING PRINCIPLES & PRACTICE CRITERIA FOR ASSESSMENT, FEEDBACK, REPORTING AND RECOGNITION

Students learn best when:

• they are at the centre of the learning and assessment process as autonomous, engaged and responsible learners

• assessment strategies and tasks are inclusive because they:

o provide universal, targeted and intensive opportunities for students to demonstrate what they know and can do in each subject and in core capabilities

o are varied and structured to embrace and challenge the full range of abilities, utilising questions with progressive degrees of difficulty and higher order thinking

o cover a range of formative and summative strategies

o build on students’ prior knowledge; incorporate cultural knowledge where appropriate; require the participation of all students

o make connections to real world issues and challenges, whenever possible

o are fair and equitable, recognising cultural diversity and maintaining a range of voices

o provide students with a range of ways to demonstrate their learning including when teachers and peers observe students as they perform tasks

• feedback encourages and supports them to better engage with learning and assessment

• reporting reflects the full range of ways students demonstrate achievement of capabilities and course outcomes at school for a range of curricular, co-curricular and extra-curricular activities

• recognition is given for academic, sporting, cultural and civic achievements by students within and beyond the school. It will focus on ways students have demonstrated their leadership, strengths and tenacity

Excellence:

Assessment, feedback, reporting and recognition principles and practices ensure students make progress and have the opportunity to do their best.

Students learn best when:

• assessment practices are designed to ensure NESA compliance and:

o provide students with accurate information about their progress in the course or attainments with a learning progression

o provide teachers with accurate information about individual learning and progress

o provide information about student achievement of course outcomes

o provide useful and accurate information for the preparation and collation of A-E grades and semester reports

o enable the school to provide NESA with the grade information required for the award of RoSA and/or the HSC

o support teacher decisions around feedback, reporting and recognition

• assessment strategies and tasks:

o are focused on progress as well as attainment and invite students to do their best

PERSIST Values

GUIDING PRINCIPLES & PRACTICE CRITERIA FOR ASSESSMENT, FEEDBACK, REPORTING AND RECOGNITION

o require students to demonstrate a depth of understanding, intellectual rigour and the opportunity to present or analyse alternative perspectives

o challenge students to make meaning and demonstrate that they can organise, re-organise, apply, analyse, synthesise and evaluate knowledge and information

o are limited in number, but of high quality, and are spread across the year to ensure that students can demonstrate their personal best performance on each task

• feedback

o starts with student strengths and what they can do

o is given by teachers, students, peers for class work, assessment tasks and participation in other programs

o uses the feedback cycle: what I can do, what I still have to do, how I compare to others, what actions I need to take to do better

• reporting practices encourage:

o students to aim for a personal best

o students to improve their performance against outcomes, standards, progressions and benchmarks

• recognition acknowledges progress, achievement, effort, diligence and tenacity.

Respect & Responsibility

We ensure integrity, fairness and honesty in our assessment, feedback, reporting and recognition practices

Students learn best when:

• they have the skills and encouragement to plan and prepare to ensure assessment tasks are submitted by the due date

• assessment practices:

o give students agency for their learning by developing self-assessment skills to enable them to:

▪ reflect on their own learning,

▪ set SMART learning goals, and

▪ identify strategies to plan the next steps for their learning

o provide opportunities for student agency and student and parent feedback on assessment policies and practices

o monitor student progress to ensure they have the knowledge and skill to take responsibility for the completion of their assessment tasks

o inform teacher actions to ensure all students have access to the resources required and the skills to complete assessment tasks

• feedback practices recognise student strengths and what they can do, need to do and how to do it

• reporting practices:

o ensure students can co-construct their report comments for parents and guardians in ways that are compliant with reporting policy, respect privacy legislation and reflect respect for students and parents

o give students responsibility for the performance reflected in any reporting process

PERSIST Values

GUIDING PRINCIPLES & PRACTICE CRITERIA FOR ASSESSMENT, FEEDBACK, REPORTING AND RECOGNITION

o give students opportunities to have a voice in any discussion or feedback on their performance

o include opportunities for students to demonstrate behaviours against the school values using formal and informal reporting and recognition

• recognition is given in ways that respect the social and cultural diversity of the school, key groups, and the needs of individuals

Success

Through challenging and targeted assessment tasks, opportunities for self-evaluation of progress and performance, students work towards quality, success and recognition for themselves.

Students learn best when:

• assessment tasks:

o are outcomes based, where criteria and assessment rubrics or marking criteria are explicit and continuous improvement is evident in the quality of assessment task design, delivery and in the quality of student work submitted

o ensure students make progress towards and can reflect on their achievement of subject based goals each semester

o are carefully planned to meet the NESA curriculum requirements and learning expectations for each course

o use information that is based on formative and summative tasks

o allow students sufficient time to complete

o are scaffolded effectively to provide the stage appropriate level of challenge

o reflect in their design what students already know, what they need to know, and what they need to be able to do to successfully complete their assessment requirements

• feedback practices:

o give students the opportunity to reflect on their work, identify areas of strength and improvement and consider opportunities for growth

o are used by teachers to improve teaching and learning programs and lesson design

o develop student skills in self-evaluation, peer-evaluation and the use of critical (friend) feedback

o give students access to exemplary work samples, standards and benchmarks

o ensure students have both targeted and consistent information to allow for preparation for all internal and external assessments

• reporting processes are clearly linked to improving the quality of student achievement and the quality of teaching and learning

• recognition of effort, progress and achievement are celebrated in the classroom, during year assemblies and whole school celebratory events

Innovation & Creativity

Students learn best when:

• learning and assessment tasks:

o provide the opportunity for choice in design, presentation and content

PERSIST Values

Assessment provides students with the opportunities to learn about and grow in persistence, collaboration, discipline, imagination and inquisitiveness.

GUIDING PRINCIPLES & PRACTICE CRITERIA FOR ASSESSMENT, FEEDBACK, REPORTING AND RECOGNITION

o give students opportunities to clarify, analyse and re-frame the question to generate new ideas and discover new ways of looking at challenges, issues and solutions

o utilise a range of questioning techniques to encourage recall, comprehension, analysis, deep thinking (What? Why? How?) and synthesis to prompt imaginative thinking, problem-solving, generate curiosity and possibilities

o focus on a variety of substantive communications in oral, aural, written, artistic and technology-based forms

• feedback practices:

o ask more questions than offer advice or direction

o involve ‘what if?’ discussions

• reporting processes:

o use the best available technology to ensure both the quality of reporting and the manageability of the process

o have a clearly articulated link between the formal reports and the curriculum, assessment and learning activities undertaken by students

• recognition practices focus on progress as well as attainment in critical and creative thinking, including novel means of presentation that add to the quality of the response

Students learn best when:

• assessment practices:

o focus on improving their learning outcomes

o build skills and support student progress in meeting learning outcomes

Assessment practices acknowledge and support student uncertainty as they learn to take risks for learning growth over time.

o recognise and accommodate for the individualised and personalised needs of students

o and tasks are thoroughly evaluated using the syllabus, student and teacher feedback and assessment results to ensure reliability, validity and continuous improvement in design and implementation

o allow students, together with their teachers, to know and understand the DoE, NESA and school guidelines and processes for assessment and for issues such as late and non-completion of assessments, malpractice, disability provisions and adjustments for students with diagnosed or imputed learning disabilities

o ensure assessment tasks are scheduled and publicised in advance in course assessment booklets and on the school and assessment calendar to ensure an equitable workload across the year, across all subjects

o are used to establish the mapping of curriculum and pedagogy in the form of comprehensive teaching and learning sequences and lesson design

• feedback is:

o constructive, specific, meaningful, and timely enabling improved learning, progress and achievement

PERSIST Values

GUIDING PRINCIPLES & PRACTICE CRITERIA FOR ASSESSMENT, FEEDBACK, REPORTING AND RECOGNITION

o based on demonstrating progress against published capability benchmarks, success criteria and subject course performance descriptors

• reports use ethical, inclusive, constructive and professional language to engage students in self-reflection and their own improvement

• recognition is given for quality work, quality behaviour and quality language in a variety of academic and non-cognitive areas

Teamwork & Leadership

Collaboration, conversation, trusting relationships, underpin assessment, peer feedback, student reporting and school recognition principles and practices.

Students learn best when:

• assessment practices:

o ensure students and teachers work together to identify and plan learning goals, design clarified learning intentions and success criteria to be achieved, monitor progress and make necessary learning adjustments

o embed collaborative teaching and learning strategies that are used to adequately prepare students to successfully complete assessment tasks

o give students the opportunity to work collaboratively to improve skills in completing assessment tasks and in preparing for external assessments

o that require (and assess) teamwork are transparent, equitable and recognise both the work of the team and the individual in the success of the team

• feedback recognises and is designed to promote individual, team and class progress and performance.

• reporting includes student comments and reflection and gives students agency over their learning, progress and performance

• recognition systems focus on the effort and achievement of teams, classes and the school as well as individuals.

PRINCIPLES

ACADEMIC REQUIREMENTS FOR ALL STUDENTS

Successful learning at Rooty Hill High School is based on three key components

Component 1: ATTENDANCE

• Students are expected to attend a minimum of 90% of all classes – this is essential to achieve course outcomes, cover the content of each course and enable accurate assessment of effort and participation in a course.

• Non-attendance is a predictor that a student will not meet requirements to progress. In Years 10, 11 and 12 serious non-attendance can result in ‘withdrawal from RoSA’ which means the student cannot automatically proceed to the next year of study. NESA may refuse to grant a Record of School Achievement (RoSA) to a student whose attendance or application at school has been of such an unsatisfactory character that the granting of a RoSA would not, in the opinion of the Authority, be justified. (Excerpt from Education Act 1990 No 8 – 94 (3)) Source: https://education.nsw.gov.au/teaching-and-learning/student-assessment/stage6

• In Years 7-9 serious non-attendance can prevent a student progressing to the next year of study.

• In Years 10-12 serious non-attendance may result in the issuing of an ‘N’ Determination. This is outlined in detail on page 22 and in Appendix 11 on page 53.

• Regarding student absences:

Parents are required to explain the absences of their children from school promptly and within seven school days to the school. An explanation for absence must be provided to the school within 7 days of the first day of any period of absence.

Student attendance in NSW public schools procedures

• When a student has received an exemption for leave or has successfully applied for leave, individual arrangements for assessment tasks will be made.

• Students must check with all teachers regarding work missed due to absence and what they need to do to catch up. The Year Adviser can assist students and parents.

Component 2: APPLICATION AND SUSTAINED EFFORT

Expectations:

Students will study each course in Years 7 – 12 for the required hours and at a satisfactory level. To be successful a student should work with diligence and sustained effort on tasks set to be completed and undertake experiences required by the school to achieve course outcomes.

Indicators of possible failure to demonstrate ‘diligence and sustained effort’ or possible failure to fulfil course requirements to the school’s satisfaction include:

• an excessive number of absences or lateness to school, particularly if these are unexplained

• an excessive rate of absences from or lateness to classes in one or more courses, or subjects, particularly if these are unexplained

• a recurring pattern of lateness or absences

• poor achievement in class tasks, assignments and success criteria caused by lack of application

• poor learning behaviour

• failure to submit assessment tasks (see below)

• failure to complete class work and homework

• proven cases of malpractice. In Stage 6 the HSC can be withheld in cases of malpractice (see Academic Integrity and Malpractice - Appendix 13, page 61).

If at any stage during the course it appears that a student will not achieve a sufficient number of course outcomes, a warning letter will be sent. The purpose of these letters is to:

i. formally inform students and their parent or carer that course outcomes are not being met and the possible consequence of this;

ii. give students a warning and adequate information in time for them to correct the problem, and/or

iii. clarify their current status regarding an unsatisfactory determination.

Component 3: ASSESSMENT AND EXAMINATIONS

Students are expected to complete ALL assessment tasks for each course they are studying by the due dates.

i. Year 12, HSC – 3-4 tasks

ii. Year 11, Preliminary – 2-3 tasks

iii. Years 7-10 – maximum of 2 tasks per semester

Some assessment tasks will involve attendance at excursions, field studies etc. In these cases, attendance is compulsory. If there is a financial cost, the school can assist students where there is a financial need to do so.

All work submitted for assessment must be the student’s own work. Students are required to acknowledge all sources and provide footnotes and references for all information cited. (see Practices in Relation to Academic Integrity and Malpractice - Appendix 14, page 67)

It is the student’s responsibility to be aware of assessment task dates for all courses and to organise their own schedule accordingly. Students can book themselves into the Learning Centre or Senior Study for help with any assessment task.

Students are expected to complete the 3 elements of assessment

i. external assessment

ii. internal school assessment

iii. self-assessment including overall goal setting, subject goal, self-evaluation and student report comment writing

The following table lists the assessment and examination programs that students undertake at Rooty Hill High School. Detailed requirements and procedures for students are included in student assessment information documents.

EXTERNAL

Universal (year based)

• NAPLAN (Year 7 & 9) – Term 1 Weeks 7 – 8 (March)

• Check-In tests in reading and numeracy in Term 3 (Years 7, 8, 9)

• NSW Public Schools Survey – student survey

• Year 10 & 11 RoSA

• VALID – Year 8 (November)

• HSC Examination – (October - November)

• HSC Minimum Standards - Years 10 and 11 –Minimum Standards reading, writing and numeracy tests. These tests will run four times a year for each student until they have achieved the minimum standard.

• PAT in literacy, numeracy & critical and creative thinking (June, end Term 2)

• Year 11-12 course-based summative assessment tasks

INTERNAL

• Year 7 – 10 assessment tasks

• Personalised Learning (strength based).

• Trial HSC Exam (Term 2)

• Year 7-12 internal examinations (see calendar)

• Year based self-assessment annotations for reporting

Targeted

• Year 12 Major works:

- Society & Culture PIP

- CAFS IRP

- Drama

- Visual Arts

- Music 1 & 2

- Music Extension Portfolio

- English Ex 2

- IT Timber

- Design & Technology

Intensive

• Early entry to university application.

• Scholarship applications

• Year 10 Minimum Standard Bootcamp (practice tests)

At Rooty Hill High School all students are prepared for these examinations by undertaking both preparation for the content of the examinations and skill-development in examination strategy. The school will provide external invigilators to supervise these exams.

i. Year 11 final examinations will be held in the last weeks of Term 3

ii. Year 12 Trial HSC will be held in the final weeks of Term 2

Students and their families will be issued with a school developed document – Academic Requirements for All Students – at enrolment and at the start of each new academic year. It provides information on assessment, feedback (including marking) reporting and recognition. The information will be distributed electronically and in hard copy and will contain:

• information about the school including bell times, student expectations, school organisation, homework requirements and the school’s recognition systems.

• assessment requirements and examination procedures for students including samples of key forms they will be using including, where appropriate:

i. a statement of student expectations

ii. an outline of the school’s requirements for assessment

iii. an explanation of N-Determinations, illness and misadventure and submission of assessment tasks

iv. an outline of the requirements for successful completion of coursework including the need for student work to be “their own work” with all sources acknowledged.

v. an outline of the requirements for achieving RoSA grades.

vi. an outline of the requirements of the HSC

vii. the assessment calendar for the year.

viii. a table for each subject outlining the outcomes, assessment task type, weight, maximum mark to be awarded, proposed Term and Week of assessment or due date for hand-in tasks. Dates will be confirmed when students receive their assessment notification information.

THE RECORD of SCHOOL ACHIEVEMENT (RoSA)

The NSW Education Standards Authority (NESA) issues the Record of School Achievement (RoSA) to eligible students who leave school before completing the Higher School Certificate (HSC). The RoSA is a cumulative credential, that contains a student’s record of academic achievement up until the date they leave school. The RoSA could cover results awarded in a period of time from the end of Year 9 up until and including some results from Year 12.

The RoSA records grades awarded in completed Stage 5 (Year 10 and possibly some Year 9 results if students have studied a one-year elective course) and Preliminary Stage 6 (Year 11) courses, HSC (Year 12) results, and where applicable participation in any uncompleted Preliminary Stage 6 courses or HSC courses.

To be eligible for a RoSA a student must have: i. attended a registered school and met the attendance requirements imposed by the DoE on behalf of the Minister, ii. undertaken and completed courses of study that satisfy NESA’s curriculum and assessment requirements for the RoSA, iii. completed Year 10 https://curriculum.nsw.edu.au/ace-rules/ace1/achieving-rosa

MINIMUM STANDARDS ASSESSMENT

To be eligible for the award of HSC all students must achieve minimum level 3 on three tests –reading, writing, numeracy – that are conducted online at various times throughout Year 10, 11 or 12. To support students with this accreditation, at Rooty Hill High School both Learning Support and some curriculum areas play a significant role.

Learning Support provide the following:

• universal, targeted, and intensive support based on subject grades and NAPLAN performance

• completion of a cycle of support involving a Workshop, a Practise Test followed by the actual Minimum Standards test for those students in the targeted and intensive levels

• scheduling retesting when necessary, where possible to give students best chance of success

• ensuring all eligible students are entered for disability provisions in accordance with information from Individual Learning Plans or Health Plans

• support from SLSOs to assist in the completion of tests

• Intensive Support Program (ISP) in Years 7-10 using learning progressions and NAPLAN /Minimum Standards questions, designed to target skill development for those students achieving test performance in the lowest NAPLAN quartile.

Curriculum Faculties:

• create ‘Bootcamp’, or integrate Minimum Standards skills into units of work to prepare students for the Minimum Standards tests

• regularly book students into the Senior Study for further skill development

HSC minimum standard

HSC minimum standard resources

SECTION A: ASSESSMENT PRACTICES AND PROCEDURES

PRACTICES IN RELATION TO SCHOOL COMPLIANCE WITH NESA and DoE RoSA, PRELIMINARY & HSC ASSESSMENT REQUIREMENTS

There are 3 key areas of accountability for conducting the ROSA, Preliminary and HSC assessment and examination program.

1. Ensuring students understand and follow the NESA rules and procedures as outlined in NSW Education and Standards Authority HSC Rules and Procedures

At Rooty Hill High School the Head Teacher Senior School and Year Adviser work collaboratively to support student understanding and compliance by:

• Convening a Year 12 meeting to issue the NESA Higher School Certificate Rules and Procedures booklet to students. See Appendix 1 on Page 32 for the contents of the 2025 version of this publication.

• Requiring students to sign to acknowledge receipt of the booklet

• Explaining various sections of the booklet to students at each Year Meeting held throughout the HSC year to ensure they understand all requirements, particularly those in relation to malpractice

• Distributing and explaining the booklet’s contents and requirements to all Stage 6 teachers.

• Requiring Stage 6 teachers to explain to students how the procedures apply in their subject area and note this in their registration

2. Ensuring teachers and supervisors are compliant with the requirements of the new (Clarified) ACE rules which govern HSC assessment, credential and curriculum, (K-12), Life Skills, Malpractice, Preliminary RoSA, Schools Online and VET https://curriculum.nsw.edu.au/ace-rules

At Rooty Hill High School each Head Teacher Curriculum and the nominated Deputy Principal will complete all HSC compliance documents in Term 4 and Term 1 as required. The documents will then be ratified by the Principal and uploaded to SPaRO, for sign-off by the Director, Educational Leadership by the end of Term 1.

School-based compliance documents and modules have been developed to cover the following areas, ensuring:

• Teacher understanding and familiarity with the syllabus and NESA assessment and reporting guidelines as well as evidence that information in NESA bulletins has been used to make changes where required (Curriculum Check, Compliance Module 1 – see Appendix 2, page 33)

• HSC courses of study are taught and assessed in accordance with NESA syllabuses and related school-based assessment requirements (Curriculum Check, Compliance Module 1 – see Appendix 2, page 33)

• A scope and sequence for each course that includes the timing of the assessment tasks (Curriculum Check, Compliance Module 2 – see Appendix 3, page 36)

• Lesson plans and registration documents (Curriculum Check, Compliance Module 3 – see Appendix 4, page 38)

• Assessment tasks, evidence of marking and correlation between the mark and the grade in relation to the course performance descriptors and assessment criteria, work samples and evidence of feedback (Curriculum Check, Compliance Module 4 – see Appendix 5, page 41)

• Evidence of formative assessment and class monitoring against success criteria (Curriculum Check, Compliance Module 4 – see Appendix 5, page 41)

• Compliance with the school’s assessment calendar (Curriculum Check, Compliance Module 2 –see Appendix 3, page 36)

• Policies and procedures developed to ensure compliance with NESA HSC requirements (Curriculum Check, Compliance Module 1 – see Appendix 2, page 33)

• Curriculum requirements as determined by the Minister are met

• All Board Endorsed Courses taught at the school have current NESA endorsement

• All VET courses taught at the school have an ‘Authority to Deliver’ by the school’s RTO

• All VET courses taught at the school are delivered in accordance with the relevant Course Information Guide and follow an RTO approved training and assessment strategy

• School systems are in place to monitor and support student achievement of the HSC minimum standard

• Procedures that ensure all HSC candidates are eligible for the HSC and have been entered in their correct courses of study for the HSC

• All students seeking an ATAR satisfy the eligibility requirements

• All students enrolled in English EAL/D and languages courses meet the eligibility requirements and documentation is retained

• All students studying English Studies, Mathematics Standard 1 and VET courses who seek an ATAR are entered into the appropriate Optional HSC examinations

• All students have read and signed their Confirmation of Entry form and forms are retained at school

• All students with disability are supported to participate in the HSC on the same basis as their peers including the provision of reasonable adjustments and applying for HSC disability provisions. Teaching and learning programs show evidence indicating universal, targeted and intensive strategies used to accommodate the needs of students completing the course (Curriculum Check, Compliance Module 3 – see Appendix 4, page 38)

• Every eligible student studying a Stage 6 course has completed the ‘HSC: All My Own Work’ program

• School policies and procedures are in place for the ongoing monitoring of:

o student eligibility for the HSC and ATAR

o work presented by students in assessment tasks and submitted works (Curriculum Check, Compliance Module 3 – see Appendix 4, page 38)

o school and teacher compliance with NESA requirements for teaching, curriculum and assessment

3. Ensuring support for teachers teaching students in a Stage 6 course for the first time. Each year as part of the DoE Curriculum Monitoring Processes the Principal is required to provide details of any new or inexperienced teacher who is teaching an HSC course for the first time and to identify the support provided by the school for each individual teacher. (Rooty Hill High School HSC Teacher Support – see Appendix 6, page 44).

At Rooty Hill High School support is provided by:

i. Curriculum Head Teachers:

• Confirming the names of any teacher whom they currently supervise who is teaching an HSC course for the first time and outlining details of the support provided to the teacher

• Mentor teachers to develop strong understanding of subject-specific NESA syllabus and assessment requirements, Rooty Hill High School programming and assessment guidelines, faculty compliance procedures

• Source relevant resources and support materials to be shared with the teacher

• Make recommendations for targeted professional learning related to the teaching of the specific HSC course

• Assist teachers to connect with local or state-wide subject-based teacher networks

ii. The Head Teacher Mentor:

• Beginning teachers meet regularly with the Head Teacher Mentor

iii. The Professional Practice Mentors:

• Provide support for teachers within their own faculty specifically in relation to school pedagogical frameworks and teaching strategies that support the frameworks and meet the specific curriculum or course requirements

SCHOOL-WIDE ACCOUNTABILITIES

1. Each teacher will use these procedures and document assessment practices in line with the NSW NESA Assessment and Reporting guidelines for each course and the school’s principles and practices.

2. Each faculty will develop and document the implementation practices for each subject that ensure NESA compliance for each element of the following assessment, marking and feedback practices.

3. Each subject team will publish course performance descriptors with the assessment schedule for each course.

4. All subjects in all years will have an assessment calendar outlining when tasks will be due.

5. All subject teaching teams will have evidence held in their Faculty Teams folders that can be used at audit of assessment, marking and reporting practices in the subject.

ASSESSMENT NOTIFICATION – for assessment tasks used for grading student progress and performance

All subject teaching teams will:

• Provide a minimum of two weeks written notification for every assessment task

• Provide a marking rubric and/or marking guide for every assessment task

• Upload the assessment notification and support material to each Google Classroom for each class

• Use the Rooty Hill High School Notification of Assessment Task template (updated 2024) – either on paper and/or distributed to each student electronically. (Notification of Assessment Task – see Appendix 7 (Senior School) and 8 (Junior School), pages 45 & 46)

• Check their class list to ascertain whether any student is on the SUPPORTED STUDENT LIST or has applied for HSC DISABILITY PROVISIONS. If so, contact should be made at this time with an appropriate person from the Learning Support Faculty (the Head Teacher Learning Support, Senior Study teacher or Senior School Learning & Support Teacher) to provide a copy of the task and arrange for support.

• Maintain a register to show that each student has received the task. This is required for Years 10, 11 and 12 and must be kept by the teacher and/or as part of the faculty’s registration of assessment documentation. Where an assessment notification is managed through Google Classroom the teacher will ‘assign’ the notification to each student and incorporate it into the lesson. This becomes the electronic task notification register. The classroom teacher will follow up with any student absent during the lesson.

• Set realistic timeframes for work to be completed in class (40% of learning time), or enough time for the tasks to be successfully completed at home where students can complete those tasks independently and with access to the technologies required.

ASSESSMENT TASK SUBMISSION

All subject teaching teams will ensure that:

• Records are kept of the submission of each task by each student. This may be done through Google Classroom electronic submission facilities or by requiring students to sign a hard copy which is held securely in the faculty.

• Students have every opportunity to complete work on assessment tasks and submit them on time in line with the school’s explicit target to eliminate Bands 1 and 2 by eliminating non-submission. This is done by:

o All hand-in tasks must be submitted by 6pm on the date due for submission (any extension on this time for special circumstances must be pre-approved by the class teacher and Head Teacher).

o Curriculum Head Teachers work with the assessment task schedule coordinator to spread tasks across the available weeks to facilitate student submissions and reduce student anxiety.

o Include ‘Type or method of submission’ in the information provided to students in the notification of assessment task information. This should be provided in the OUTLINE OF TASK box and should include for example ‘turn into Google classroom’ or ‘submit in hard copy’. If task is not submitted according to instructions provided, students will be deemed not to have submitted the task.

• In the senior school (Years 10 – 12) a task submitted after the due date must be supported by an APPROVED illness / misadventure / special consideration form with accompanying medical evidence and/or other documentation. Failure to do so will result in a zero being awarded. The details relating to illness / misadventure / special consideration can be found on pages 61 and 64 of this booklet.

• Assessment tasks for students in Years 7 – 9 that are submitted late should be explained by parent contact either by phone or a note or other acceptable, relevant documentation.

• Students have access to the following support:

o The Senior Study and Learning Centre facilities and staff which are made available to students for support with classwork and assessments.

o The Learning Support and Wellbeing Teams can co-ordinate to assist students to achieve their best, to accommodate special considerations and support students during assessment tasks including Minimum Standards, NAPLAN and HSC exams. This support will either be universal, targeted or intensive based on need.

ASSESSMENT TASK DESIGN REQUIREMENTS

Except in the case of a single teacher subject, subject teaching teams will collaboratively design and develop assessment tasks, undertake agreed marking practices, analyse results and elicit feedback for improvement. They will:

• Ensure assessment tasks are rigorous and adequately reflect the expectations of the Stage, providing scope for students to demonstrate achievement at the highest levels

• Ensure adjustments are made for students with disabilities using the school’s guidelines which are underpinned by the Disability Discrimination Act 1992 (Commonwealth), the Disability Standards for Education 2005 and the Nationally Consistent Collection of Data (NCCD) guidelines related to the appropriate level of adjustment/s from one of four levels:

o Support provided within quality differentiated teaching practice

o Supplementary adjustments

o Substantial adjustments

o Extensive adjustments

• Be mindful of the advice provided by the Department of Education about the provision of adjustments for students with disability to ensure assessment activities are accessible to students with disability in relation to:

o The assessment process

o The assessment activities

o Alternative formats for responses

See Diversity in learning/Special education/Assessment and reporting for guidelines.

• Apply a range of assessment strategies to assess a wide number of syllabus outcomes and/or capability benchmarks. These strategies must be backward mapped into teaching and learning programs.

• Assess only those outcomes that are appropriate to the task. Note: not all outcomes need to be assessed using summative assessment tools.

• Ensure alignment between the learning outcomes to be assessed and the planned assessment methods highlighting what can be assessed at the lesson, topic and course levels.

• Include assessment criteria such as task-based success criteria, marking criteria or rubric, support materials where relevant and ensure these are made known to all students and relevant teachers.

• Ensure the effort required to complete the proposed assessment is proportionate to the marks and weight assigned.

• Ensure the mode of assessment is fair and inclusive to all students and there have been opportunities for each student to use in-class supports, lessons and, where appropriate learning support tutorials.

• Ensure that agreed feedback given to students is explicit and reinforces what they did well, what they could have done to better meet criteria and how their work can be improved.

• Apply quality control measures for all tasks particularly tests and exams including developing sample answers to increase reliability and eliminate mistakes prior to the implementation of the assessment task.

See Appendix 9 on page 47 for advice on setting a quality assessment task.

ASSESSMENT TASK CONSISTENCY, FAIRNESS, MARKING AND CORRELATION

Each subject teaching team and the faculty will have a statement outlining its marking practices that includes how assessment tasks will be marked (eg. using SOLO taxonomy), who will mark the tasks, how marking will be validated and how marks on individual tasks will be correlated with the course performance descriptors and assessment criteria as part of an overall assessment program for each course in each year. As part of the correlation process, teaching teams will identify when to apply special considerations or linear mapping as part of overall correlation to ensure reliability, fair distribution and, where appropriate validity.

All subject teaching teams will:

• Ensure assessment tasks are explicitly assessing what students are expected to learn, and be able to do, at each stage (in compliance with the NSW syllabuses) and that progress and performance are measured against how well they meet those expectations.

• Ensure student progress and achievement is assessed and reported against a set of achievement standards.

• Ensure that all summative assessment tasks are marked within 2 school weeks of the completion of the assessment tasks unless there are extenuating circumstances and ensure effective and timely feedback is provided.

• Ensure accuracy in marking and build teacher capacity and interrater reliability by implementing a marking practice which replicates external marking standards such as those used for the HSC - using control scripts, pilot marking, judge marking for example. These marking activities should enable the collection of student work samples for Years 10 and 11 RoSA and the HSC.

• Develop procedures to ensure marks are recorded accurately and reliably on the faculty mark-book on the SENTRAL database with consistent back up on the faculty external hard drive. Back-up copies must also be kept and accessible to the team, not just the class teacher.

• In the case of approved illness or misadventure involving extraordinary circumstances leading to a student being unable to submit an assessment task the Head Teacher will seek approval from the Principal to award an estimate. In this circumstance, if approved, the teaching team in concert with the Head Teacher will record an estimate based on completed comparable assessment tasks which assessed similar outcomes. The estimate mark must be awarded AT THE END OF THE COURSE. The fact the mark is an “estimate” must be indicated on the mark-book.

• Ensure that students in each year group are allocated grades based on the prescribed amount of assessment tasks per course:

o Year 7-9

o Year 10 RoSA

o Year 11 RoSA

o Year 12 RoSA/HSC

Maximum of 2 assessments tasks per semester

Maximum of 4 assessment tasks per year

Maximum of 3 assessment tasks per year

Maximum of 4 assessment tasks

• Use professional judgment within each class and course to ensure school wide consistency in the use of “cut off marks” which are only a guide. Assessment results that fall just below the award of a

higher grade (boundary results) should be evaluated carefully in relation to student overall performance against course performance descriptors. When it can be argued that a student is performing at the level of the higher grade, it should be awarded.

• Consider the allocation of grades based on aggregated marks as per the table below BUT through the lens of course performance descriptors and teacher professional judgement of overall performance. Course performance descriptors describe the main features of a typical student's performance at each grade measured against the syllabus objectives and outcomes for the course. The A to E grade reflects the level of achievement demonstrated by the student at the end of each semester or course.

A = 90-100

B = 75-89 At and above grade level

C = 50-74 Satisfactory at grade level Task completed

D = 25-49

Working towards grade level

E = 0-24

Non-submission

Non-serious attempt

• Ensure teachers make professional, on-balance judgements about which grade best matches each student’s level of achievement using marks and work samples from summative tasks.

INVALID OR UNRELIABLE TASK RESULTS

In exceptional circumstances, a completed task may be determined to be invalid or unreliable. This might occur when the task fails to discriminate, or doesn’t meet syllabus requirements, or the content or skills have not been previously taught or the occurrence of some extraordinary circumstance or situation resulting in some unforeseen disadvantage.

In the event that a task is considered to be invalid or unreliable the Principal should be informed immediately. In consultation with the relevant Head Teacher the task may be:

• re-weighted and supplemented with an additional task

• redesigned and repeated

• discounted in the assessment program

• compensated by some other means.

Where an additional task is given, both tasks will count towards the final assessment mark, but the weighting of the first task will be reduced. Students will be informed in writing if this occurs. The value of the overall task weighting, however, will not change.

EXAMINATIONS

Examinations and tests are one type of assessment and become more important as a component of assessment in Years 10 -12. In preparing and implementing examinations subject teaching teams will:

i. Follow the guidelines for setting quality assessment tasks (see Appendix 9 – Quality Assessment at Rooty Hill High School on page 47).

ii. Ensure students know what knowledge areas and skills the test will cover.

iii. Ensure examinations differentiate for all students and allow for questions to challenge a range of learner interests and abilities.

iv. Complete sample answers for marking before the exam is printed to ensure that questions are valid.

v. Ensure confidentiality for questions and papers.

vi. Complete the examination cover sheet before submitting papers for printing.

vii. Submit papers for printing at least seven working days before the exam.

viii. Ensure students know how to do the examination (exam strategy and process) and have a written outline of the topics, content, understandings and skills that will be tested.

ix. Ensure (in consultation with the Learning Support Team) appropriate disability provisions are provided to those students who qualify for that provision.

Once examinations are completed, teaching teams:

i. Ensure they follow faculty procedures for maintaining consistency in marking.

ii. Provide detailed feedback to assist students to improve their examination performance.

WORK SAMPLES

Schools are required to retain some work samples for all courses in Year 10 and Year 11 (except Life Skills and VET courses) and for Year 12 English Studies, Maths Standard 1 and Numeracy. Work samples and associated assessment task notifications are collected and retained to demonstrate how grades are awarded in accordance with state-wide standards. For Stage 5 courses that are delivered in Year 9 (ie. 100-hour courses), the work samples must demonstrate performance at the end of Year 9.

Schools must retain a minimum of 2 work samples that represent each grade (A-E) that the school has awarded in a course. For Year 10 and Preliminary, these do not necessarily need to change each year but must always be an accurate representation of the pattern of grades awarded. Where tasks are performance or visual in nature, recordings or images must be retained. Work samples must be:

• Students’ original work, without teacher comment

• Drawn from assessment activities conducted in the latter half of the course

• Based on outcomes and content from current syllabus

• A clear demonstration of performance towards the end of the course that is typical of students awarded a particular grade by the school.

ASSESSMENT REVIEW PANEL

Rooty Hill High School has introduced an Assessment Review Panel whose members include the Principal, Head Teacher Senior School and the executive member who co-ordinates school assessment matters. At times the panel may be extended to included staff with particular course expertise or student leaders.

APPEALS PROCESSES

NESA has made it clear that students and schools have the right to appeal on a number of grounds. They can appeal to either the Assessment Review Panel, the Principal or NESA depending on the area of dispute. The decisions that can be appealed include:

a. Marks allocated to an individual assessment task

b. NESA decision to withhold an HSC course result because of a non-serious attempt

c. Malpractice

d. Task being deemed to be invalid or unreliable

e. ‘N’ Determination for non-completion of particular courses

f. Assessment ranking in HSC course

g. Final Stage 6 grade in English Studies or Mathematics Standard 1

h. NESA withholding HSC or RoSA credential

i. School decision in relation to illness/misadventure appeal

j. NESA decision in relation to illness/misadventure

k. NESA decision in relation to disability provisions application

l. Group appeal for specific occurrence that impacted a number of HSC candidates

In relation to the HSC there may be occasions when a group appeal or special consideration is required on behalf of a number of students. In this circumstance the school will lead the co-ordination and submission of the appeal to NESA. The appeals procedures for Rooty Hill High School are outlined in Appendix 9 on page 45

GROUP APPEALS AT ROOTY HILL HIGH SCHOOL

There may be occasions, outside of the HSC, when a group or cohort of students in Years 7-12 may be affected by circumstances beyond the teachers’ or school’s control (eg. COVID, flooding) or that may impact on learning continuity and the completion of assessment tasks. In this instance, the:

i. teacher/s should discuss the circumstances with the Head Teacher

ii. Head Teacher should take the recommendations to the Principal to consider

iii. recommendations may include:

• an extension for the whole group

• rescheduling an in-class assessment or the due date

• or other solutions that ensure students have opportunity to do their best on the task. iv. teacher/s will notify all students of changed timelines or dates.

‘N’ DETERMINATIONS

There are two key areas of accountability for students and staff in protecting the integrity of the NESA qualifications students receive. The first is the issuing of an N-Determinations and withdrawal of RoSA and /or HSC based on attendance. The second is issuing of an N-Determinations for a course based on attendance, incomplete course work or failure to complete. N-Determination ACE Rule 4.2 The procedures for Rooty Hill High School are outlined in Appendix 10 on page 48.

ILLNESS AND MISADVENTURE

The school’s misadventure and illness procedures for Years 10-12 are underpinned by the NESA guidelines for the HSC Illness/Misadventure ACE Rule 9

The school’s procedures for Years 7-9 are informed by the DoE Assessment and Reporting Guidelines. The procedures for Rooty Hill High School are outlined in Appendix 11 on page 56

SCHOOL BUSINESS AND THE COMPLETION OF SCHEDULED ASSESSMENT TASKS

It is the student’s responsibility in consultation with the class teacher to satisfy any assessment task requirements scheduled during the allocated times for work placement or involvement in other school activities. The procedures for Rooty Hill High School are outlined in Appendix 12 on page 59

ACADEMIC INTEGRITY AND MALPRACTICE

Malpractice in any form, including plagiarism, misrepresentation, collusion and breach of assessment conditions is unacceptable. Malpractice occurs when a student breaches the conditions set for assessment in an attempt to gain an unfair advantage. NESA treats allegations of malpractice in relation to the HSC very seriously and detected malpractice will limit a student’s marks and jeopardise their Higher School Certificate. A finding of malpractice for students in Years 7-9 or RoSA in Years 10-11 will impact student results and may jeopardise their total assessment marks

Student conduct amounting to malpractice may range from unintentional failures to comply with assessment rules and procedures to deliberate attempts to gain an unfair advantage involving intentional wrongdoing. Should malpractice be suspected, students will be required to demonstrate that the submitted work is entirely their own.

Serious and deliberate acts of malpractice amount to corrupt conduct and, where appropriate, NESA will report matters to the Independent Commission Against Corruption. Academic Integrity - ACE Rule 10 The procedures for Rooty Hill High School are outlined in Appendix 13 on page 61.

DISABILITY PROVISIONS for the HSC and OTHER COHORTS

The Disability Discrimination Act 1992 (Cth) and the Disability Standards for Education (2005) require NESA to ensure that students with a disability can access and respond to an examination. NESA may approve disability provisions for the Higher School Certificate examinations if a student has a permanent or temporary disability that would, in a normal examination situation, prevent them from reading the examination questions and/or communicating their responses.

At Rooty Hill High School the Learning Support Team is responsible for the identification of students needing disability provisions and subsequently the timely submission of applications as set out in the NESA guidelines Disability provisions and appeals - ACE Rule 6 The procedures for Rooty Hill High School are outlined in Appendix 14 on page 64.

SECTION B: FEEDBACK

PRINCIPLES AND PRACTICES

The main purpose of feedback is to provide information to the teacher as to:

• where the students are going (in relation to the learning intentions which must be clear, offer challenge and lead to commitment),

• how they are going there (relates to the success criteria, an expected standard and to prior performance), and

• where they need to go to next (what is the next challenge?) (Hattie, Visible Learning p 182).

Feedback needs to be focused, specific and clear (Hattie ibid p151). It should provide information relating to the task, or process, that helps move students forward in their learning objectives. (Nottingham, Challenging Learning p5)

Dylan Wiliam notes two principles are almost always in play in those classrooms where feedback is most effective.

“First, teachers must establish the classroom as a safe place for making mistakes as the best learners fail often. Second, teachers who use feedback effectively convey the idea that smart is not something you just are; it’s something you can become. In this regard, the most important word in a teacher’s vocabulary is ‘yet’. When a student says ‘I can’t do this,’ the teacher adds, ‘yet’”.

(Wiliam, Feedback: Part of a System, 2012)

Feedback enables students to recognise their strengths as well as areas for development, and to identify and plan with their teacher the next steps in their learning. Students should be provided with opportunities to improve their knowledge, understanding and skills. Subject teaching teams will ensure students receive feedback that:

• is timely, specific and related to the learning and assessment intention

• is constructive and personalised, providing meaningful information to students about their learning in a variety of forms

• focuses on the activity, correcting misunderstandings

• identifies and reinforces students’ strengths

• provides information about how they can improve in an open-ended manner so students can think about and apply the feedback

• facilitates the development of and provides opportunities for self-assessment and reflection during the learning process

• informs future teaching and learning opportunities.

Feedback can occur at any point in the teaching, learning and assessment cycle. It will:

• include regular teacher–student dialogue to guide student learning

• focus on particular knowledge, understanding and skills related to content, and/or processes applied to an activity.

Students may benefit from opportunities to self-assess, self-monitor and make judgements about their work in relation to standards and should be provided with regular opportunities to reflect on their learning. Source: NESA - Effective Feedback

Teacher, peer and self-assessment and feedback about student learning is essential for students and integral to teaching, learning and assessment. Feedback can clarify for students how their knowledge, understanding and skills are developing in relation to the syllabus outcomes and content being addressed and how to improve their learning. Each subject teaching team will adapt the school’s principles and practices on feedback and will publish a statement of practice that will be implemented in each class and course. It will be updated annually.

Practices

Feedback at Rooty Hill High School allows for improved learning and recognises and promotes individual, team and class progress and performance. Teachers do this by:

• identifying areas for improvement and growth

• ensuring their feedback is constructive, specific, meaningful, and timely enabling improved learning, progress and achievement

• demonstrating progress against published capability benchmarks, success criteria and subject course performance descriptors

• imparting information for student progress in the most effective, time-efficient manner

• providing comments on written work ensuring the feedback aligns with the mark/grade awarded

• encouraging and supporting students to better engage with learning and assessments

• training students to give beneficial feedback to other students in class

• develop student skills in self-evaluation, peer-evaluation and the use of critical (friend) feedback in developing digital portfolios

• sharing with students exemplary work samples, standards and benchmarks

• incorporating time into lessons for feedback on class work, assessment tasks and participation in other programs

• recognising student strengths and what they can do, need to do and how to do it

• giving students the opportunity to reflect on their own work, identify areas of strength and improvement and consider opportunities for growth

• reflecting on the feedback given to improve teaching and learning programs and lesson design

• asking more questions than offering advice or giving direction

• engaging in ‘what if?’ discussions

Feedback can come in several forms:

i. Collective feedback to whole class or large group of students

ii. Individual teacher feedback to student at the task or product level

iii. Peer to peer feedback

iv. Multi-peer feedback

v. Self-feedback where the student monitors their own learning processes

vi. Student to teacher feedback

Formative Feedback

The following strategies based on the work of Dylan Wiliam, 2009, should inform lesson planning and design to provide opportunities for students to give and receive feedback at various points during the lesson:

i. clarifying, sharing and understanding learning intentions and criteria for success by using the BBC

ii. engineering classroom activities that elicit evidence of learning

iii. providing feedback that moves students forward

iv. activating students as instructional resources for one another

v. activating students as the owners of their own learning.

Summative Feedback

The following feedback strategies should be considered to provide effective feedback to students. Feedback is best when it is:

i. written on assignments and given verbally – this is effective when the written feedback is accompanied by verbal feedback. It should be constructive, focusing on what the student did well, where they need to improve and what they need to be able to do to improve.

ii. provided immediately after assessments are marked (usually within 2 school weeks after task submission)

iii. separated from the awarding of a mark or a grade so that the focus of the feedback is for future growth and progress

iv. discussed with students. Teachers might like to ask students which mode of feedback they would prefer.

Giving Oral Feedback

Adapted from information provided by Victorian DoE Oral feedback is the most regular and interactive form of feedback and can be a highly effective way of helping learners know what they need to do to move forward with their work. It can be targeted to individuals or groups but has the advantage that others can listen to what is said and learn from it indirectly. Oral feedback is usually spontaneous, but teachers should recognise that it needs to be detailed, personalised and provide the information learners need for it to be effective.

Oral feedback has advantages over written feedback. It is:

• immediate – misconceptions can be dealt with as they occur

• specific to the context of the learning at that time

• dynamic and adaptable – encourages discussion of ideas and can be adapted to respond to specific student needs

• ongoing – it is a continuous and regular part of a lesson and is often used to assist students to connect learning to previous lessons

• versatile – questioning, modelling and explaining can all be used as strategies to provide feedback

• stimulating and motivating – students enjoy immediate feedback and quick improvements can be made as the learning is fresh

• personalised – facial expressions and positive body language enhance constructive advice

Giving Written Feedback

Adapted from information provided by Victorian DoE Traditionally, teachers spend hours marking student written work, correcting spelling and grammatical errors and providing marks and comments. What matters is the quality and nature of the marking.

The value of much marking in many classrooms is very limited. It can even be counter-productive if students find it difficult to make sense of the grades and comments and become discouraged and unsure of themselves.

Written feedback can be very powerful by teachers:

• ensuring the learning outcomes or learning intentions are used as the points of reference in their comments

• providing clear evaluation of student strengths in the task and identify areas for improvement

• identifying the next steps for the student to take in their learning journey.

• focussing on just 2 or 3 points for improvement at any one time that will aid the student to bridge the gap between current performance and future targets

• diagnosing student misunderstandings and difficulties with the content or concepts.

• providing informative feedback on a selected number of tasks rather than limited feedback on all student work

• marking the work with the student alongside which will allow for discussion into the decisions made by the teacher as she marked as well as an opportunity to coach the student to identify ways to improve similar work next time

• shaping comments in such a way as to invite a verbal or written response from the student

SECTION C: REPORTING

PRINCIPLES AND PRACTICES

Reporting about student achievement and progress to students and parents is a critical responsibility of schools and teachers. In addition, reports may be provided (in line with privacy guidelines) to other schools, employers and training organisations. Rooty Hill High School uses the mandatory A – E grades required by the government for all schools in NSW. In addition, positions in courses are shown for students undertaking studies towards the award of the HSC.

Reporting takes a variety of formal and informal forms including:

• Formal academic reports are issued

o at the end of Terms 2 and 4 for Years 7-10,

o at the beginning of Term 4 for Year 11

o at the end of Terms 1 and 3 for Year 12.

• A one-page academic summary for Years 7 & 11 issued at the end of Term 1.

• Parent/Student – Teacher interviews held in Terms 1 and 3.

• Portfolios issued at the end of each year, containing records of student participation in the life of the school as well as a summary of their merit and significant achievement awards.

• Results provided from NESA for Year 10 and 11 RoSA and Year 12 HSC examinations.

• Results provided from ACARA for NAPLAN in Years 7 and 9.

• Results (grades) provided to NESA for RoSA candidates submitted by the school in Term 4.

• Year 10 Stage 5 and Year 11 Stage 6 Record of School Achievement provided from NESA.

• Assemblies, merit awards and other forms of recognition (see below).

• Contact with parents by letter or telephone.

• Class meetings.

In the formal academic reports issued at this school student achievement will be reported:

• against selected outcomes, (both subject and competency) in academic studies

• against the school’s values and

• against the school’s and DoE standards for behaviour and other non-cognitive domains.

Teachers will ensure that reporting informs parents and assists students to improve their performance.

Teachers will ensure that reporting, including the validation of student written comments on their own performance and progress, is handled in an ethical, fair and professional manner.

Reports for Years 7 – 11 will indicate a grade (A – E) for each course. The number of students in each grade for each course will be retained by the faculty and will be produced for parents wishing to know grade details.

End of semester reports will show student grades against the whole cohort enrolled in a particular course (eg Year 7 English) and each course will be required to undertake cohort assessment at least once per semester to correlate marks and grades in each class.

At Rooty Hill High School, the following occurs:

1. Each teacher will be expected to conduct formative assessment, through the use of learning intentions and success criteria, as well as summative assessment, to provide regular feedback to students and parents on student learning performance. It would be expected that feedback on formative assessment would occur in each class and that more detailed, summative assessment feedback would be conducted for each student at least four times a year.

2. Teacher feedback to students should include a combination of a wide range of verbal feedback tools, recognition documents, detailed written feedback in workbooks or on submitted

assessment tasks, telephone contact, ‘N’-Determinations (where appropriate) and submission of work for Principal and Deputy Principal awards.

3. Each teacher will use the school’s recognition scheme and other positive strategies to report to the majority of students and their families.

4. Staff will be expected to give students time and opportunities to upload evidence for their selfreporting through #MyLearningHub. This portfolio of evidence is then available for students when they leave school, or as an evidence depository for student reporting.

5. Grades allocated on student reports will be derived from:

a. Year 7-9 – assessment tasks completed by the end of each semester upon which grades will be based. For Year 9 Electives assessment results for the whole year (not semester based) are used to ensure that RoSA grades can be given for 100-hour courses.

b. Year 10-11 RoSA – Assessment tasks completed, marked and returned to students as at the report writing period.

6. Formal reports will be constructed using a variety of assessment tasks. Teachers will meet the deadlines set in the faculty and school calendar in collecting data and completing reports.

7. Report comments will be co-created between students and their teachers. These comments will then be validated by the class teacher and uploaded to the reporting software. Students will also work with the wellbeing team to create strengths statements for their overall strengths and goals for the upcoming semester of learning.

8. All teachers are encouraged to contact parents by telephone and letter. When a student’s attendance, behaviour or learning performance is not at the standard required, parents should be contacted as soon as possible.

9. Feedback to students and parents will focus on both positive feedback and/or issues of concern and teachers will be sensitive to the particular circumstances of each student and their family.

Please note – NO SUBJECT-BASED ACADEMIC REPORT WILL BE ISSUED WHEN:

(i) a student has been enrolled at the school after 60% of assessment has been completed in a semester. In this case the student will receive a statement of enrolment for that semester.

(ii) a student whose absence from school (explained or unexplained) means they have been unable to complete a satisfactory level of course work and / or assessment tasks IN ALL SUBJECTS. In this case the student will receive a statement of enrolment for that semester.

(iii) a student, through no fault of their own, is unable to complete a satisfactory level of course outcomes in the mainstream program (or equivalent Life Skills program) for 1-2 terms due to long periods of illness or hospitalisation, attendance at the school’s MH1 program or family or personal circumstances. In these cases, students will receive a Record of Achievement

SECTION D: RECOGNITION

PRINCIPLES AND PRACTICES

One of the school’s key principles is the recognition of student participation, improvement and achievement across the full range of school life, including academic performance, sports, arts, leadership and school & community service (civics). It is anticipated that all students will receive recognition and acknowledgment and that all students will earn recognition in one or more ways.

In particular, as a school that uses Choice Theory, it is important to distinguish between recognition and reward. At this school achievement is recognised for the quality of the achievement and there is no system of levels or hierarchy. However, there are targets for recognition in the school plan to ensure that students and staff keep their focus on positive recognition and achievement for all students.

The following types of recognition are used across the school and all teachers and faculties need to ensure that quality work, behaviour and language are recognised consistently and as a strategy to maintain a positive behaviour culture.

RATIONALE

Quality Award: Teachers give Quality Awards to encourage students to improve, to demonstrate courteous, positive behaviours in the school-community and to recognise when a student makes a positive, high-quality contribution to any aspect of school life: academic, sporting, cultural and civic.

PRACTICE

Given in class by the class teacher who keeps a record in their personal folder. The target is 100% of students to receive at least one quality award each year.

Students should take their awards to the Deputy Principal who notes the award and issues a “raffle” ticket. Once a week a “Quality” draw is held at the school assembly and a student name is drawn. The successful student receives a prize.

Participation Certificate

Given to students who participate in specific activities organised by the school.

Certificate of Merit

Letter of commendation

Given to students whose performance in an activity deserves recognition at a faculty or equivalent level.

For example:

• producing excellent classroom results

• excellent test & or assessment results

• performance in an individual or team sport at school level

Presented at Year/School Assemblies and/or at special class meetings with the Head Teacher.

Entered onto Sentral by the organising teacher

The target for the school is that 50% of students will receive at least one certificate of merit each year.

Presented at Year/School Assemblies and/or at special class meetings with the Head Teacher.

Certificate of Significant Achievement

• taking a leadership role

• performing an act of school service

• fundraising

• taking part in a creative arts night

• taking part in an aspect of the school’s leadership program.

• excellent attendance

Given to students who have performed and achieved at a significant level in a school, school-community, or community activity.

For example:

Letter of commendation

Principal’s Award for Outstanding Achievement:

• achieving recognition in an outside competition (credit & above)

• representing the school in dance, drama or music

• outstanding assignment work referred to the Principal or Deputy Principal

• artwork selected for display in the community,

• achieve at zone level in an individual or team sport

• regional or state level performance (debating, sport, dance, music, drama)

• outstanding overall School Report

• 100% attendance

At the end of Stage 4, Stage 5 and Stage 6, students can apply for the Principal’s Award for Outstanding Achievement. A student can achieve a maximum of three of these awards in their school life.

This award will be given to students who:

• have achieved Certificates of Significant Achievement in at least two of the following areas: academic studies, sport, arts, leadership & civics.

• have at least five quality and/or Merit awards (Stages 4 & 5).

Entered onto Sentral by the teacher, who includes the name of the course or event, a description of the reason for the recognition (what, when, how – e.g. great assignment, effort and improvement this term).

The target for the school is that 25% of students will receive at least one certificate of significant achievement each year.

Presented at End of Term Presentation Assemblies

Entered onto Sentral for printing and distribution. A detailed description of the “event” and reasons for the award should be written on the Sentral report, including whether the work was recognised by the DP or Principal.

Presented at annual Excellence Assembly in February.

Nominations are made through Year Adviser or Senior Executive. An application form is completed by the student and is supported by detailed evidence of their achievements.

• have behaved in a positive way in class and school.

• have set and worked towards personal academic goals and maintained sound academic progress.

On occasions, the principal may give this award to a student for an outstanding individual achievement.

Sports Awards In addition to these forms of recognition, there are a series of sports awards given at the Sports Assembly. These are detailed in the program of the Sports Assembly.

Special Awards In addition to these forms of recognition, there are a series of special awards given at the Excellence Assembly. These are detailed in the program of the Excellence Assembly.

External Awards Students may also be recognised by external agencies; these are detailed in the program of the Excellence Assembly. Examples include: careers and VET agencies, Victor Chang awards.

Presented at annual Sports Assembly

Presented at annual Excellence Assembly.

Presented at annual Excellence Assembly

DOCUMENTS

All templates in relation to this policy are held on Teams, SENTRAL, Google Classrooms and/or are included in the student information documents. These documents can be found on the school’s website and in paper form on request.

MONITORING AND EVALUATION

This policy will be introduced in Term 4, 2022 monitored throughout 2022 – 2023.

This policy was reviewed and evaluated from Term 4, 2024 – Term 2, 2025. This version will be introduced in Term 3, 2025 and reviewed at the end of 2027.

APPENDICES

Appendix 1: HSC Rules and Procedures Student Booklet

TABLE OF CONTENTS from 2025 Higher School Certificate RULES AND PROCEDURES (published by NSW Education Standards Authority)

https://www.nsw.gov.au/sites/default/files/2024-09/nesa-2025-hsc-rules-and-procedures.pdf

Appendix 2: Curriculum Check: Compliance Module 1 – NESA, DoE and School Requirements for Curriculum

2025 HIGHER SCHOOL CERTFICATE CURRICULUM CHECK: MODULE 1

NESA, DOE AND SCHOOL REQUIREMENTS FOR CURRICULUM

Course:

Purpose: Rooty Hill High School commits to providing quality teaching and learning experiences that support students to achieve the school’s stated vision. As a starting point, all curriculum and assessment documents must be compliant with NESA syllabuses and policies. NESA and Department of Education (DoE) policies are implemented to suit the Rooty Hill High School context.

NESA has agreed procedures related to registration for ensuring compliance with curriculum and assessment practices through its registration processes.

https://www.nsw.gov.au/sites/default/files/2023-08/nsw-registration-process-for-the-governmentschooling-system-manual.pdf

The Department distributes a comprehensive Guide to HSC Monitoring each year which is essential reading for all school executives.

https://view.officeapps.live.com/op/view.aspx?src=https%3A%2F%2Feducation.nsw.gov.au%2Fcontent% 2Fdam%2Fmain-education%2Fdocuments%2Fteaching-and-learning%2Fcurriculum%2Fleadingcurriculum-k-12%2Fhsc-monitoring-advice-2025.docx&wdOrigin=BROWSELINK

Rooty Hill High School has an annual curriculum and assessment monitoring process to ensure it meets its obligations for NESA and DoE requirements. The school firmly believes that quality curriculum and assessment design supported by effective reporting and authentic recognition of achievement are foundational for student engagement and achievement.

Please complete the following sections with reference to course specific requirements, making sure to use the current syllabus, assessment and examination materials, and support materials as per NESA website.

SECTION 1: What are the current syllabus requirements (in brief)? WHAT VERSION DATE IS PROVIDED ON THE SYLLABUS?

WHAT IS THE COURSE STRUCTURE AND REQUIREMENTS? 1 2 3

FOCUS AREA INDICATIVE HOURS ARE THERE ANY MANDATORY COMPONENTS FOR THE COURSE:

ARE THERE ANY SPECIFIC REQUIREMENTS FOR ANY SECTION OF THE COURSE?

ARE THERE ANY MANDATORY OR RECOMMENDED LEARNING ACROSS THE CURRICULUM AREAS OR KEY COMPETENCIES?

Indicate from the list below or add others not provided:

 Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander histories and cultures

 Asia and Australia’s engagement with Asia

 Sustainability

 Critical and creative thinking

 Ethical understanding

 Information and communication technology capability

 Intercultural understanding

 Literacy

 Numeracy

 Personal and social capability

 Civics and citizenship

 Difference and Diversity

 Work and Enterprise

 collecting, analysing and organising information

 communicating ideas and information

 planning and organising activities

 working with others and in teams

 problem solving

 using mathematical ideas and techniques

 using technology OR using a range of technologies

SECTION 2: Rooty Hill Specific Requirements and Time Allocations

Rooty Hill High School has 75-minute lessons, with varying numbers of lessons allocated throughout a fortnightly timetable for each subject/course for each year. During teaching team preparation of scope and sequence, teaching program and assessment, it is important to ensure that specific course requirements relating to percentage of time, or number of hours in the course for a specific purpose are calculated accurately.

Now that you have identified the NESA requirements, use the timing information below to assist with some general planning of how those requirements can be achieved at Rooty Hill High School.

As YOU MOVE ON TO MODULE 2 CONSIDER, for example:

• what term you plan for a text,

• how many weeks you are spending on a project, or

• how many lessons per cycle will be assigned to practical work.

Use the following timetable advice to design and check the plans for unit delivery:

4 2024 9.5 weeks (officially, but week 11 is short.)

1 2025 11 weeks (officially, but weeks 1-2 are short effectively offering max of 2 days teaching time).

2 2025 10 weeks (we lose 2xSDD and a public holiday)

11 weeks (officially, but weeks 1-2 are short effectively offering max of 2 days teaching time).

11 weeks (officially, but weeks 1-2 are short effectively offering max of 2 days teaching time).

Also note – Trial HSC exams in weeks 9 and 10. 10 weeks (we lose 2xSDD and a public holiday) 10 weeks (we lose 1xSDD and a public holiday)

3 2025 10 weeks (we lose 1xSDD) 10 weeks (we lose 1xSDD) Also note – Yearly exams in Weeks 8 and 9. 10 weeks (we lose 1xSDD)

THESE GUIDELINES WILL ASSIST WITH CONSIDERATIONS FOR TIME ALLOCATIONS:

Year 12 NESA Courses for 2024-2025

2 unit courses in Year 12 have 6 x 75 minute lessons per fortnight. This is 7.5 hours per fortnight.

2 unit courses in Year 12 needing 25% of course time will need 8 weeks.

2 unit courses in Year 12 needing 20 hours will need nearly 6 weeks (use multiples for 40 and 60 hours).

Extension courses needing 20 hours will need 10 weeks.

Consider when major works/projects are due and where that may impact scope and sequence.

Appendix 3: Curriculum Check: Compliance Module 2 – Scope and Sequence and Assessment Schedule 2025 HSC CURRICULUM COMPLIANCE CHECK: MODULE 2

SCOPE AND SEQUENCE AND ASSESSMENT SCHEDULE

Discussion Points could include:

✓ How will the team review the scope and sequence to take into consideration student ability and attainment, strategic school planning and curriculum reform?

✓ How does faculty mapping of syllabus content and outcomes support continuity of student learning from one concept to the next?

✓ How is syllabus intent incorporated into planning to improve student learning for all students?

✓ Following the analysis of the previous year’s HSC results, should the scope and sequence be amended in any way to improve potential student performance?

ENTER YOUR RESPONSES TO EACH OF THE STATEMENTS BELOW FOR EACH INDIVIDUAL COURSE USING THE FOLLOWING KEY:

Y = YES

N = NO

P = PARTIAL

NA = NOT APPLICABLE

FACULTY:

SCOPE and SEQUENCE and ASSESSMENT SCHEDULE

Scope and Sequence:

1 Shows: school name and logo, faculty, subject/course and the correct calendar year.

2 indicates units into which the syllabus has been divided for the purposes of programming.

3 indicates duration of the units throughout the HSC year – from Term 4 to Term 3.

4 indicates indicative hours for units or other teaching sections or topics as per the syllabus.

5 indicates outcomes covered in each unit throughout the course numerically or in narrative form directly matching the syllabus.

6 shows a logical flow of units over the HSC year.

7 locates assessment tasks at specific points across the FOUR TERMS.

8 shows specific-subject requirements (for example, text requirements, student research projects, a site study or time allocated to major aspects of a course such as practical hours, completion of indicative hours (VET), mandatory formal examination).

9 shows additional information based on school requirements, or common practice in particular subject areas where required.

10 Do you also maintain an Outcomes Map as well to plot outcomes throughout the course?

Assessment Schedule (as distributed to students in Year 12 HSC Assessment Booklet)

11 maps out a variety of syllabus-appropriate assessment approaches so that students have opportunities to show what they know and can do in different ways.

12 contains the specific week/s for assessment with task types, components and weightings clearly outlined.

Administrative Tasks

13 Scope and Sequence is clearly labelled indicating YEAR and COURSE and uploaded to Sharepoint (Faculty Teams).

14 Assessment Schedule is clearly labelled indicating YEAR and COURSE and uploaded to Sharepoint (Faculty Teams).

15 Students are provided with course outlines and Course Performance Descriptors.

16 Faculty processes are in place for the ongoing review of NESA timetable of actions for secondary schools (released Term 4) to ensure schedules and timing for scope and sequence align with NESA requirements.

17 Faculty processes are in place for ensuring that all outcomes for the course are covered and taught within the required time period (e.g. by incorporating ongoing monitoring of scope and sequence and outcomes map throughout the year).

Appendix 4: Curriculum Check: Compliance Module 3 – Programming, Teaching and Learning and Google Classroom 2025 HSC

CURRICULUM COMPLIANCE CHECK: MODULE 3

PROGRAM OVERVIEWS, TEACHING AND LEARNING SEQUENCES AND GOOGLE CLASSROOMS

Discussion points could include:

✓ Is there clear alignment between syllabus content, course outcomes, scope and sequence, teaching programs, learning cycles and learning activities, assessment records and student work samples?

✓ How is the monitoring of alignment documented?

ENTER YOUR RESPONSES TO EACH OF THE STATEMENTS BELOW USING THE FOLLOWING KEY:

Y = YES

N = NO

P = PARTIAL

NA = NOT APPLICABLE

PROGRAM OVERVIEWS, TEACHING and LEARNING SEQUENCES and GOOGLE CLASSROOMS

Use of Rooty Hill High School Programming Template

Program Overview and Teaching Learning Sequences are documented using the RHHS approved template (200804 version)

1 are completed for all units taught.

2 have: school name or logo . subject/course, unit title Class completing the unit is clearly noted.

3 match scope and sequence for title, timing and assessment, using the language from the syllabus.

4 match outcomes mapped on scope and sequence or outcomes mapping grid.

5 show outcomes written numerically or in narrative form directly matching the syllabus wording.

6 provide a rationale and/or context for the unit (Learning Goals / Driving Question).

7 indicate mandatory requirements such as site studies or research projects in the Learning Intentions section.

8 list cross-curriculum learning focuses/capabilities/key competencies.

9 are developed for all units taught by the teacher/teaching team.

10 match and align with syllabus outcomes listed in the scope and sequence, outcomes map (if used).

11 list teaching resources.

12 are registered by the teacher with date and teacher’s signature or initials. This may be done on a corporate or individual program – either electronic or hard copy.

13 are always evaluated at the conclusion of each unit.

14 sequence teaching/learning strategies to reflect syllabus content listed in ‘learn about’ and ‘learn to’ outcomes (older syllabuses) or content requirements (for NESA NSW Syllabuses that have been updated).

15 identify cross-curriculum learning/ learning across the curriculum/ key competency focuses at appropriate points throughout the course.

16 show where adjustments have been made to cater for specific student needs and interests.

17 indicate assessment experiences showing range of assessment approaches for the unit.

18 have explicit teaching strategies appropriate for the content, skill or learning across the curriculum area throughout the program.

19 show evidence of teaching/learning strategies that are: contextually relevant. varied, to allow for breadth of learning experiences for students developed to provide increasing challenge throughout the year and course

20 indicate evidence to demonstrate that teachers are catering for the learning needs of students: from diverse backgrounds and with specific learning profiles, including Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander students and students with disabilities. who may be considered high performing or gifted Administrative Tasks

22 is created for each class or course being taught.

23 has been shared with the Head Teacher or Faculty account to ensure access in case of absence.

24 is accessible for all students in the class.

25 Stream Requirements

- For Senior Classes students can post and comment

- For Junior Classes students can only comment Classwork on the stream should show attachments and details (rather than condensed notifications).

21 Teaching and Learning Programs for each year are held in electronic folder.

26 Each lesson is uploaded onto Google Classroom with a BBC outlining the requirements of the lesson/cycle. This may be in the stream or at the beginning of the document students will be using.

27 The task/s for each lesson is/are uploaded onto Google Classroom with the date/s it was taught as registration of programs.

28 Students have a clear place to complete their work, which is shared with the teacher and can be monitored. e.g. Students may create a “workbook” at the start of the year or unit and share with the teacher. “Worksheets” may be created for the lesson and published so each student gets a copy; these are automatically shared with the teacher.

29 Assessment tasks are posted and shared with teachers so that marking can occur no matter the “completion” status.

30 Classes are archived at the end of each year.

Appendix

5: Curriculum

Check:

Compliance

Module 4 - Assessment Checklist 2025 HSC CURRICULUM COMPLIANCE CHECK: MODULE 4

ASSESSMENT PLANNING AND PROCEDURES

Discussion points could include:

✓ How early could / should students receive an assessment task or all assessment tasks for the course?

✓ How are the skills required for success in each task explicitly taught, built, practised and formatively assessed throughout the course?

✓ How does the marking criteria provided to students support their success in the task?

✓ How are assessment tasks checked to ensure alignment with the scope and sequence and written advice to students?

✓ How are staff supported in ensuring consistency of marking and applying consistent teacher judgement?

✓ How are staff required to record student assessment information?

✓ How prepared is the faculty in the case of a student appeal lodged in relation to an assessment task?

ENTER THE APPROPRIATE RESPONSE TO EACH OF THE STATEMENTS BELOW FOR EACH COURSE USING THE FOLLOWING KEY:

Y = YES

N = NO

P = PARTIAL

NA = NOT APPLICABLE

ASSESSMENT

Assessment Practices and Planning

1 Assessment practices are consistent with the RHHS Assessment Feedback Reporting and Recognition principles, policy and procedures https://teams.microsoft.com/v2/?lm=deeplink&lmsrc=homePageWeb&cmpid=WebSign In&culture=en-au&country=au

and the information provided to students in the Year 12 HSC Assessment Booklet. https://teams.microsoft.com/v2/?lm=deeplink&lmsrc=homePageWeb&cmpid=WebSign In&culture=en-au&country=au

2 Assessment practices are consistent with NESA guidelines and are updated as needed. Staff are familiar with the NESA Clarified ACE Rules (October 2024) as outlined in summary document prepared for Rooty Hill High School. https://teams.microsoft.com/v2/?lm=deeplink&lmsrc=homePageWeb&cmpid=WebSign In&culture=en-au&country=au

3 Assessment practices are in place to provide appropriate adjustments to students when required and accord with NESA guidelines. https://educationstandards.nsw.edu.au/wps/portal/nesa/11-12/Diversity-inlearning/stage-6-special-education/adjustments

4 Assessment practices that involve students with a disability undertaking an internal examination are conducted in accordance with NESA’s Principles for Examination Modifications.

https://educationstandards.nsw.edu.au/wps/portal/nesa/11-12/hsc/disabilityprovisions/needing-provisions

5 There is COMPLETE alignment between the assessment schedule provided to students in their 2024-25 HSC Assessment Handbook and the outcomes noted on the 2025 Scope and Sequence.

6 Assessment tasks are planned to offer diversity, utilising a variety of syllabus appropriate approaches so that students have opportunities to show what they know and can do in different ways.

7 Quality control procedures are in place through faculty practices prior to tasks being finalized and distributed.

8

Student notification of each assessment task is:

• provided in writing at least 2 weeks prior to due date,

• on the school approved RHHS NOTIFICATION OF ASSESSMENT TASK template.

STAGE 6 ASSESSMENT NOTIFICATION

9 Students are provided with the following assessment task information:

• an overall schedule setting out when assessment tasks are planned to take place (issued with the Year 12 HSC Assessment Booklet)

• the components and their weightings for each task in accordance with NESA documents

• the general nature of the task

• the weight value of the task in relation to the total weighted mark for the course

10 Teachers remind students about school procedures in relation to HSC assessment regarding:

• student absence

• late submission of tasks

• illness / misadventure

• malpractice

• appeals processes

11 Where faculties have specific requirements for assessments, these are provided in writing to students in the Outline of Task section on the school approved assessment notification template.

12 Assessment tasks align with the big ideas, concepts, outcomes and skills that have been taught in the program.

13 Assessment tasks match outcomes mapped on the outcomes mapping grid or noted in the Scope and Sequence.

14 Assessment tasks assess only those outcomes that have been taught.

15 It is clear that the assessment task is assessing each of the outcomes listed on the task.

16 Assessment tasks are issued along with:

• criteria for success such as marking criteria or rubric,

• support materials such as scaffolds where appropriate, and

• information and instructions to ensure that all students and teachers of the course have access to all resources.

17 Assessment tasks use NESA key terms in a consistent manner.

18 Faculty processes are in place for registering that tasks have been submitted by all students

19 Processes are in place for equitable and efficient scheduling of marking, recording and reporting student achievement.

20 Processes are in place for ensuring notifications are distributed at least 2 weeks prior to the due date.

21 Faculty processes are in place for registering that notifications have been received by all students

22 Faculty procedures for marking are in place, taking into account teacher capacity and reliability of marks through rigorous marking activities.

23 Faculty processes for realignment of assessment marks against marking criteria and performance band descriptors are in place and utilised ONLY immediately following the marking of the task and PRIOR to returning the task to students.

24 Faculty procedures for recording of marks are in place ensuring security and the retention of backups.

25 Faculty processes are in place for assessment task registers to include student work samples selected to appropriately represent a typical answer for each of the bands awarded for the task.

Within Teaching Units

26 Formative assessment activities or tasks are clearly designed for frequent, interactive checks of student understanding to identify learning needs, provide feedback to students or to adapt teaching strategies.

27 Assessment is embedded in learning activities or tasks and informs the planning of future learning activities, tasks or support.

28 Specific feedback points are planned in each learning cycle. These points are incorporated into lesson success criteria and link to the formative assessment task.

29 There is evidence of self-assessment and/or peer assessment opportunities within teaching units.

30 Students have the opportunity to set personal learning goals and the criteria that will be applied to judge their performance.

Appendix 6: ROOTY HILL HIGH SCHOOL 2025 HSC TEACHER SUPPORT

COURSE:

TEACHER NAME:

Email address:

HEAD TEACHER NAME: __________________ SIGNATURE: ___________________________________ ✓ Indicate item

REASON FOR SUPPORT:

Has not taught the course ✓

Beginning teacher

Head teacher out of area

Other:

SUPPORT PROVIDED BY:

Network or association

Head teacher at school

Experienced teacher at school

Head teacher at another school

Experienced teacher another school

Other:

SUPPORT PROVIDED:

Team teaching

Mentor support

Correct syllabus check

Reduced teaching load

Subject specific meetings

DoE professional learning

Observing others’ lessons

Stage 6 specific workshops

Teaching program discussion

Assessment compliance check

Statewide staffroom meetings

External provider professional learning

Other

DETAILS OF SUPPORT

Rooty Hill High School 2025 Term 1 ENGLISH Faculty

Year 10 English - Notification of Assessment Task X

Assessment Task No X:

What is the task? – What is the topic?

Date of Notification:

• Day Month Date, 2025

Teacher(s):

Outcomes Assessed

H1 Write out the full outcome as per the syllabus

Outline of Task:

Method of submission:

Weighting: 00%

Due Date: Via Google Classroom

6PM Day Month Date, 2025 Week 00 Term 0

Notes

1. Hand-in assessment tasks are due on the above-mentioned date. Students should follow the instructions of their teacher about submitting the task.

2. Tasks submitted/done after the due date will receive a mark of zero and be recorded as a non-attempt unless an illness/misadventure or special consideration application (available via the Head Teacher Senior School) is submitted. Each case will be considered on an individual basis in consultation with the school’s Assessment, Reporting and Recognition Policy and Procedures.

3. Computer and printer malfunctions will not be accepted as excuses for failing to submit work on time, except in exceptional circumstances.

4. All work must be the student’s own work. Malpractice in any form, including plagiarism, misrepresentation and collusion is dishonest and unacceptable. Should malpractice be suspected, students will be required to demonstrate that the submitted work is entirely their own. All sources of information must be acknowledged in a reference list and all quotes must be in “quotation marks” with footnotes citing the reference. Use the referencing section of the Year 12 HSC Assessment Handbook for guidance.

5. For this assessment task the use of GENERATIVE AI is:

APPROVED

NOT APPROVED

6. The following statement must be returned with work submitted on paper or a copy must be kept when work is submitted electronically:

This is my own work. I have not copied the work of others, nor misrepresented the work of others as my own, or colluded with others on this task. I have acknowledged all sources of information.

Student Name: ____________________________Student Signature: _________________________Date:

Rooty Hill High School 2025 Term 1 HSIE Faculty

Year 7 History - Notification of Assessment Task X

Assessment Task No X:

Topic: Task Type: This task is out of __ marks.

Date of Notification:

• Day Month Date, 2025

My teacher(s):

Outcomes being assessed in this task:

Due Date: Via Google Classroom

6PM Day Month Date, 2025

Week 00 Term 0

H14-CON-01 describes continuity and change over a period of time in relation to a historical context

Outline of Task:

Method of Submission:

Notes

7. Hand-in assessment tasks are due on the date as set out above.

8. Students should follow the instructions of their teacher about submitting the task.

9. Tasks submitted/done after the due date will receive a mark of zero and be recorded as a non-attempt unless there are special reasons not to.

10. All work must be the student’s own work. Malpractice in any form, including plagiarism, misrepresentation and collusion is dishonest and unacceptable.

11. For this assessment task the use of GENERATIVE AI is:

APPROVED

NOT APPROVED

12. The following statement must be returned with work submitted on paper or a copy must be kept when work is submitted electronically:

This is my own work. I have not copied the work of others, nor misrepresented the work of others as my own, or colluded with others on this task. I have acknowledged all sources of information.

Student Name: ____________________________Student Signature: ____________________________ Date:

Appendix 9: Quality Assessment at Rooty Hill High School

QUALITY ASSESSMENT AT ROOTY HILL HIGH SCHOOL

Notes taken from the videos prepared by Melanie Douglas and Buen Diaz School Development Day 3, Term 2, 2022

A. STUDENT COMMENTS

a. In those assessment tasks where you achieved good results, WHY DID YOU DO WELL?

• Teacher took time to explain all the concepts

• Teacher showed me how to structure my writing

• Teacher gave a structure to guide my study for the exam

• Clear communication including the purpose of the task

• Time was allocated in class to work on the task

• I asked teacher immediately, in class, for feedback

• The key concepts had been mastered before the assessment notification was given

• Lessons had been clearly labelled on Google classroom

• Teacher provided the class with a scaffold which they went through in class

• Teacher demonstrated how the task was to be written

• Teacher clearly explained the task to the class

• Teacher organised help for me from the Learning Support Faculty

b. On those occasions when your results were not strong, WHY DID YOU NOT DO SO WELL?

• The assessment notification did not explain what was expected of the student

• Teacher did not explain the notification properly

• Only given the notification a ‘couple’ of days before the task was due

• Didn’t understand the concepts in class and that meant student was not able to do the task

• Teacher did not communicate to student what was/was not important

• Lack of specification and success criteria by the teacher throughout the year

• Hard to find the important / relevant information on the Google classroom

• When it is so hard to find information the student ‘gives up’

• Student was not engaged – teacher used worksheets and instructed students to work independently on them; couldn’t concentrate on completing the task because the purpose was unclear

• No clear main idea of the task – concepts became too hard

• When the task was explained, the emphasis was on the written component and not the presentation. Hence students didn’t focus on presentation which was also allocated marks

• Directive words in question/s were unfamiliar – students couldn’t understand how marks were allocated for each question

c. What advice would you give to your teachers about assessment?

• Simplify explanations

• Explain task section by section

• Give explanations on how to complete the task so that students clearly understand what they are expected to do

• Give thorough feedback so students can re-read and revise to do better next time

• Students need to talk to the teacher about the task

• Need targeted feedback, not generic

• Share with students a model answer (or something similar) along with the marks awarded

• Allocate structured lesson times to study for exams or work on assessment tasks

• Better to start task in class where feedback is readily available

• Consider lots of factors when establishing due dates for assessment tasks

d. What advice would you give to your teachers about marking criteria?

• Go through the marking criteria with students to ensure they understand it as well as related content

• Explain, so students know what is being asked of them

B. COMMENTS FROM TEACHERS IN THE LEARNING SUPPORT FACULTY (Angus,

Megan, Brianna)

a. A good assessment task has clear structure

• Evident in the design of the task, resources and the notification

• Consider:

✓ Visual clutter – clutter increases cognitive dissonance.

✓ Visual salience.

✓ Are key points emphasised?

✓ Are students provided with a clear understanding of task expectations?

✓ Tasks that require students to switch between concepts/content and have multiple steps will reduce student chance of success. By the time students have gone through a number of steps they have forgotten what they are meant to be doing.

✓ Design tasks that will support student with organisation of initial brainstorming, planning, drafting, publishing process.

✓ Use simple documents and a clear Google classroom.

✓ When we talk to students about the task, use pauses which will allow students to process their thoughts “Are you thinking about your answer or have you forgotten the question?”

IN ASSESSMENT TASK DESIGN STRUCTURE

• Ensure task requirements are salient and visual clutter is minimal

• Guide students towards developing answers that reflect teacher expectations

• Ask students to move frequently between tasks and workspaces

• Overload resources with excessive instructions and scaffolding

b. A good assessment task clearly outlines the content students need to satisfactorily complete the task

• Be intentional in the selection of the skills and content students will be assessed on

• Consider:

✓ Backward mapping the skills and outcomes required for the assessment task before teaching the unit. This will reduce student cognitive load and increase both their engagement with the task and performance on the task.

✓ Scope and specificity:

Note the exact syllabus outcome/s or content descriptor on the information given to the student. Teachers should be able to justify how success in the question demonstrates achievement of the outcome. It is useful to consider EVERY skill or content area student will need to master to be successful in the task, no matter how small. But note that when irrelevant outcomes or content descriptors are listed for students these merely increase the cognitive load. Remove any skills that are a barrier to the achievement of assessment outcomes.

✓ The key is to be INTENTIONAL, SPECIFIC and EMPOWERING

c. A good assessment task includes effective supports:

• Scaffolding – is subject metalanguage required? Do students need sentence starters? (but remember, too much scaffolding can be confusing especially if students are not explicitly taught document management)

• Feedback – is the student ready to hear the feedback? Feedback needs to match ability level and promote successful task completion. Best feedback focuses on what has been done well or correctly, even if not perfect.

• Student confidence – low student confidence is a major contributing factor to incomplete work. Links to avoiding or coping strategies and works to preserve self-esteem and self-worth. People often avoid tasks that threaten their self-perception. When we point out what a student has done well we are promoting their confidence in self and ability to think, write and reason.

• Questions for faculties to consider:

✓ Have students created / completed this type of task previously?

✓ Do you know what aspects of the task students can or cannot do?

✓ Have students been taught how to read and interpret the marking criteria prior to beginning the task?

✓ Have students had explicit instructions about how to manage their documents?

• Key to success is to consistently and explicitly tell students how their work in class relates to the assessment task.

IN SUPPORTING STUDENT SUCCESS IN AN ASSESSMENT TASK DO DON’T

• Provide samples

• Be explicit and clear

• Continue to backwards map

• Provide feedback students aren’t ready for

• Remove agency from the students under the guise of creating success. For achievement to be authentic, students should have used their own skills and content knowledge

Appendix 10: APPEALS PROCESSES FOR HSC STUDENTS

Schools and students may appeal against decisions concerning certain aspects of the assessment process. Rooty Hill High School has an Assessment Review Panel whose members include the Principal, Head Teacher Senior School and the executive member who co-ordinates school assessment matters. At times membership will be extended to ensure transparency. The appeals processes are outlined below under the various NESA categories.

a) Student appealing marks allocated to an individual assessment task (ACE Rule 2.1. [37 & 38])

• Students have the right to appeal about marks allocated for an individual assessment task.

• Students wishing to lodge a dispute should take their written appeal to the Faculty Head Teacher or the Head Teacher Senior School within 2 school days after the task is returned.

• The appeal must be based only on what was submitted for marking and must relate to the marking criteria.

• The school Assessment Review Panel will consider the appeal and make a decision within 14 calendar days from the task being returned.

• This decision is final.

b) Student appeals against NESA decision to withhold a course result because of a non-serious attempt

• Once notified, the student has an opportunity to formally respond to the determination.

• Student must submit a response within the timeframe provided in the NESA correspondence.

• In their response student should justify why they should receive a result in the course. Supporting documentation may be submitted for consideration in the review.

• Students who fail to respond or who provide insufficient reasons are subject to review by the NESA Examination Rules Committee (ERC). The ERC may impose penalties such as a zero or reduced marks for the exam and/or course cancellation. The student may end up being ineligible for the HSC.

c) Student appeals concerning malpractice

In the event of a student receiving a decision from the Assessment Review Panel indicating that they have been involved in a proven case of malpractice they will have the right to appeal.

• The appeal must be in writing and handed to the Principal within 2 school days of receipt of the malpractice letter.

• The appeal will be considered by a meeting of the Assessment Review Panel, with extended membership to include 2 School Captains (or Principal Representatives).

• The decision made by this group will be final.

d) Student appeals against an invalid or unreliable task determination

In the event of a task being deemed as invalid or unreliable a student or group of students may appeal this decision in writing to the Academic Review Panel within 2 school days. The decision of the panel is final.

e) Student appeals against `N’ determinations for non-completion of particular courses

In the case of an ‘N’ determination, the student can appeal directly to the Principal and if unsuccessful, may further appeal to NESA. The student and parent / carer will be informed of this process at the meeting when the ‘N’ determination is applied; a relevant appeal form will be provided at this time.

f) Student appeals against assessment rankings in HSC courses

In the case of HSC final assessment rankings students can appeal to the Assessment Review Panel for a review based on a student’s rank order placement during the course. The appeal may only focus on procedures for determining the final school-based assessment mark for the course. Such a review can only consider whether:

• the weightings of assessment tasks followed NESA requirements,

• the school complied with its own published assessment program when deciding the student mark or

• there was a clerical or calculation error in finalising the assessment mark.

If the appeal to the Assessment Review Panel is unsuccessful, the student can appeal to NESA using the NESA appeals form supplied by the Head Teacher Senior School.

g) Student appeals against final Stage 6 grades

In the case of HSC final grades students can appeal to the Assessment Review Panel for a review of the grade awarded at the end of the course drawing on evidence that the grade awarded in the course was inconsistent with the progressive reporting from the school. Such a review can only consider whether:

• the weightings of assessment tasks followed NESA requirements,

• the school complied with its own published assessment program when deciding the student mark or

• there was a clerical or calculation error in finalising the assessment mark. If the appeal to the Assessment Review Panel is unsuccessful, the student can appeal to NESA using the NESA appeals form supplied by the Head Teacher Senior School.

h) Student appeals against the withholding of Higher School Certificate or RoSA credentials by NESA

In the case of the withholding of the HSC or RoSA, students can write directly to NESA.

i) Student appeals against school decision in relation to illness / misadventure application

If a student has further evidence to support a declined decision (such as a medical certificate or extra independent information), they can appeal the decision to the Assessment Review Panel within 3 school days of receiving written confirmation of the decision. Students need to provide a statement of what they are appealing with new evidence and detail to support the statement and attach all new documentation. This decision is final.

j) Student appeals against NESA decisions in relation to illness / misadventure application

If a student has further evidence to support a declined decision (such as a medical certificate or extra independent information), they can appeal the decision by emailing studentsupport@nesa.nsw.edu.au and request a review of the original decision. Students need to provide a statement of what they are appealing with new evidence and detail to support the statement and attach all new documentation.

k) School appeals against NESA decision in relation to disability provisions applications

In the case of a school appeal (on behalf of an individual student) to NESA in relation to a decision about a disability provision application, the Principal (or delegate) should prepare the appeal within 14 days of receipt of the NESA decision. The appeal must include the reason why the decision is considered unacceptable referring to evidence supplied in the original application and NEW supporting evidence.

l) Group appeals for specific incidences of illness or misadventure that impact the performance of a significant number of students

Where it is apparent that a group appeal needs to be submitted to NESA resulting from an unexpected event or occurrence, this will be co-ordinated and managed by the Head Teacher Senior School. Special consideration (for example, impact of COVID) group applications will be co-ordinated by the Principal.

Appendix 11: PRACTICES IN RELATION TO ISSUING AN ‘N‘-DETERMINATION

1. Issuing an ‘N’-Determinations for A COURSE based on non-completion of course requirements resulting from incomplete course work, failure to complete and submit assessment tasks or course-based attendance.

In the case of a student failing to submit work or not meeting course requirements in classwork, the ‘N’Determination warning process will be initiated at a subject level. NESA requires the issuing of only two warnings before the Non-Completion of Course Determination Principal’s Determination Form can be issued to a student at the end of a course. However, many warnings can be issued and often are.

The steps outlined below (with 3 warning letters) are the minimum for teachers and students at Rooty Hill High School where we work tirelessly to avoid the issuing of a Non-Completion of Course Determination in Term 3 for Year 12 students or Term 4 for Year 11 and Year 10 students. Students are supported in many ways to complete outstanding classwork, assessment tasks, project or performance work so that a warning letter can be ‘redeemed’ and considered ‘resolved’.

Teachers are reminded that poor student attendance resulting in high level of absenteeism from timetabled classes is NOT a reason to issue a warning letter. If, however, due to poor attendance it is apparent that a student has not:

• completed classwork,

• been actively involved in the learning activities and experiences prepared for the class,

• completed and submitted an assessment task or tasks,

• met the requirements related to a project or performance,

• made no effort to redeem an ‘N’-Determination, the student may NOT have met course requirements. If this is the case, it is the non-completion of course work that warrants the issuing of a warning letter. The details that relate to the outstanding coursework should be listed in full in the space provided on the warning letter.

Further, it is important that students are supported in their efforts to redeem a warning letter. This support may take a number of forms such as:

• speaking to the Learning Support Team about what needs to be done before referring the student to the Learning Support Centre/Senior Study;

• offering to assist the student with the work during break times or before or after school;

• providing the student with additional resources to assist their understanding;

• reading drafts prior to final submission of the work;

• talking to parents and explicitly asking for their assistance to resolve this problem.

In relation to the steps outlined below, all letters will be emailed to the student’s parent or guardian. If email is not possible, the letters will be posted. A telephone call will be made to the parent or carer to inform them of the situation, providing advice to expect a detailed warning letter via email and requesting acknowledgement of receipt. The warning letter will outline the tasks that have to be done and submitted to redeem the ‘N’-Determination.

When a student’s work fails to meet the standard required of successful students as outlined in the relevant Academic Requirements for all Students the following ‘N’-Determination processes will be used (teachers should refer to these steps and the following flowchart and adhere to the responsibilities table):

• Formal Warning 1 - the teacher will interview the student to explain the reasons for the warning before generating the letter through the school SENTRAL administration system. The parent or guardian will be advised by telephone that an ‘N’-Determination warning (Years 10-12) will be sent home (via email or post) and requesting an acknowledgement of receipt. The student will be advised

of available support and opportunities to rectify the situation and given a timeframe to complete any tasks.

• Formal Warning 2 - the teacher again interviews the student to explain the reasons for the second warning prior to the generation of the letter through SENTRAL. The Head Teacher will telephone the parent or guardian and advise them that an ‘N’-Determination warning (Years 10-12) will be sent home (via email or post) and requesting an acknowledgement of receipt. The student will be advised again of available support, opportunities to rectify the situation and a timeframe to complete tasks.

• Formal Warning 3- the teacher again interviews the student to explain the reasons for the final warning prior to the generation of the letter through SENTRAL. The Deputy Principal (if possible, with the Subject Head Teacher) will interview the student with their parent or guardian. The Deputy Principal will issue the ‘N’-Determination warning and outline what must be done to make up work and avoid a final ‘N’-Determination. The parent or guardian will be advised of available support and opportunities to rectify the situation. An acknowledgement slip must be signed at the interview and a timeframe for completion must be specified.

• Additional Formal Warning Letters – it may not be unusual for teachers to send out more than 3 warning letters. This may come about if a student completes some or all outstanding work listed on an earlier letter and then fails to complete later work. In this circumstance a new letter will need to be generated that lists earlier work still outstanding AND ADDS details of the most recent work that is now outstanding. As indicated in the above steps the student will be advised of available support and opportunities to rectify the situation and given a timeframe to complete any tasks.

• ‘N’-Determination - the Deputy Principal and Principal will interview the student and parent or guardian and issue the Non-Completion of Course Determination Principal’s Determination Form The student will be advised of the appeals process and of any ways, if applicable, in which outstanding course work and assignments can be completed within the specified timeframe.

If students have an ‘N’-Determination it may mean they will not meet requirements for the award of the RoSA (Years 10 and 11), Preliminary HSC (Year 11) or HSC (Year 12). The course will not appear on the Record of Achievement and students will not be able to attend the graduation.

A SPECIAL NOTE IN RELATION TO VET COURSES

All VET courses have a mandatory work placement component that must be undertaken and finished prior to the completion of the course at the end of Term 3 for Preliminary and HSC courses and the end of Term 4 for Year 10 courses. If, for whatever circumstances, work placement has not been completed by the end of the course the student MUST be issued with an ‘N’-Determination.

When the mandatory work placement hours have been fulfilled the school will contact NESA to update student files and have the ‘N’-Determination noted as resolved.

Failure to complete the work placement requirement may mean the student will not meet requirements for the award of the RoSA (Years 10 and 11), Preliminary HSC (Year 11) or HSC (Year 12). The course will not appear on the Record of Achievement and students will not be able to attend the graduation.

ROOTY HILL HIGH SCHOOL DETERMINATION

OF NON-COMPLETION

OF COURSE REQUIREMENTS

SCHOOL FLOWCHART OF ACTIONS FOR STUDENTS IN YEARS 10, 11 AND 12

NOTE: WEEKS 5 & 6 OF EACH TERM ARE DESIGNATED STUDENT PROGRESS CHECK-IN WEEKS.

TEACHER speaks to student clearly outlining outstanding work and sets date for work to be completed. The teacher may issue a reminder in writing listing what work is due for completion. Teacher enters on SENTRAL information about this discussion.

If student fails to meet deadline for completion of outstanding work – TEACHER generates first formal warning letter through SENTRAL, provides support and opportunities for catching up, sets timeframe for problems to be corrected. Parent /guardian is informed by telephone or text. Teacher makes SENTRAL entry in ‘N’-Determinations.

Student completes and submits work. Teacher accepts that course requirements have been met Teacher updates SENTRAL entry as RESOLVED

Student redeems all outstanding work. The school determines that the student has satisfactorily met sufficient course completion requirements. The “N” Determination is noted as ‘resolved’, the student is advised and SENTRAL is updated to reflect this.

Student fails to complete and submit outstanding work –TEACHER generates second formal warning letter through SENTRAL, provides support and opportunities for catching up, sets timeframe for problems to be corrected. Head Teacher contacts parent /guardian by telephone or text. Teacher updates SENTRAL entry in ‘N’-Determinations to indicate second formal warning letter has been issued.

Student fails to complete and submit outstanding work. TEACHER generates third formal warning letter through SENTRAL The DEPUTY PRINCIPAL (with the Subject Head Teacher if possible), meets with student and parent / guardian. At this meeting, if the matter remains unresolved (work not completed and submitted) the student is issued with the final formal warning letter. The student will be provided with support and opportunity for the problem to be corrected within TWO weeks. Deputy Principal updates SENTRAL entry in ‘N’-Determinations to indicate third and final formal warning letter has been issued.

If, by the end of the course the student still has not met enough course outcomes through failure to complete and submit work, the DEPUTY PRINCIPAL advises the PRINCIPAL that the student has not met NESA course requirements. PRINCIPAL makes a determination of noncompletion of course requirements and completes Principal’s Determination Form which is issued to the student at a meeting with their parent / guardian before the final date set down by NESA. The student and accompanying adult will be advised of the appeals process and of the ways in which outstanding work and assignments can be completed, if applicable

Work remains incomplete, the ‘N’-Determination stands, and STUDENT MAKES NO APPEAL. All related documentation kept at school.

If the student seeks entry to the school next year, the Principal must make the determination and the student must redeem any outstanding ‘N’Determinations.

Student appeals. Student completes Student Appeal Form and submits to Principal by date set down by NESA

PRINCIPAL and ASSESSMENT REVIEW PANEL consider student’s appeal and reviews determination.

The decision of the PRINCIPAL and ASSESSMENT REVIEW PANEL is finalised. Student advised by date set down by NESA. If student appeal is declined, student can further appeal to NESA by signing and submitting appropriate declaration on School Review – Principal’s Report Form, by date set down by NESA.

NESA conducts review of student appeal. NESA makes final decision and notifies student in December.

CHECKLIST OF RESPONSIBILITIES IN ‘N’-DETERMINATION PROCESS FOR NON-COMPLETION OF COURSE REQUIREMENTS FOR STUDENTS IN YEARS 10, 11 AND 12

TEACHER

First Warning Letter

 Identifies and ensures follow-up for each student failing to meet attendance or classwork requirements and/or failing to complete assessment tasks

 Puts data record on SENTRAL and notifies Head Teacher.

 Interviews student prior to issuing 1st ‘N’ Determination warning letter to explain reasons for the formal letter being issued and clearly outlines work that must be completed and submitted by a set time. Enters information on SENTRAL and includes any follow-up notes.

 Generates through SENTRAL first formal warning letter, clicks on Notifications & selects Head Teacher, DP & N-Determination Admin Officer

 Refers the student to the Learning Support Faculty, negotiates support and provides opportunities for problem to be corrected Confirms timeframe for work to be submitted.

 Contacts parent or guardian by telephone to inform them of situation and to alert them to the 1st ‘N’ Determination warning in their inbox. Request acknowledgement of receipt.

 Student completes and submits outstanding work.

 Makes SENTRAL entry in ‘N’-Determination with attached copy of acknowledgement. Records any follow-up notes. Student completes outstanding work

 When teacher is satisfied that the work completed and submitted by the student is sufficient to meet course requirements student is informed that the matter is resolved.

 Teacher updates SENTRAL to indicate that the matter has been RESOLVED.

COURSE REQUIREMENTS REMAIN OUTSTANDING

 Where work is still not completed, the teacher needs to return to SENTRAL and add any notes in the ‘additional notes’ section focused on how the student can redeem the outstanding tasks.

Subsequent Warning Letter/s

HEAD TEACHER

Student completes outstanding work

DEPUTY

PRINCIPAL &

SUBJECT HEAD

TEACHER

Final Warning Letter

 Interviews student to explain reasons for issuing of the 2nd ‘N’ Determination warning letter. Sets a timeframe for work to be completed. Generates through SENTRAL the second formal warning letter, clicks on Notifications & selects Head Teacher, DP & N-Determination Admin Officer

 Refers the student to the Learning Support Faculty, negotiates support and provides opportunities for problem to be corrected Confirms timeframe for work to be completed.

 Makes SENTRAL entry in ‘N’-Determination and uploads copy of acknowledgement.

 Telephones parent or guardian to inform them to expect the 2nd ‘N’ Determination warning letter in their inbox and explains the reason for this action based on continued failure to submit work that was outlined in the first warning letter or still not meeting course requirements by completing classwork or not submitting other tasks. Request acknowledgement of receipt.

 Makes SENTRAL entry in ‘N’-Determination to note conversation with parent.

 Maintains close supervision of teacher practices and monitoring of faculty records in relation to student attendance and completion of classwork and assessment tasks.

 Student completes and submits outstanding work.

 When teacher is satisfied that the work completed and submitted by the student is sufficient to meet course requirements student is informed that the matter is resolved.

 Teacher informs Head Teacher and updates SENTRAL to indicate that the matter has been RESOLVED.

COURSE REQUIREMENTS REMAIN OUTSTANDING

 Three weeks before NESA deadline for issuing a Principal’s Determination Form, if classwork, assessments, projects or performance work remains outstanding, Subject HT advises DP and HT Senior School.

 Teacher needs to return to SENTRAL to add any notes in the ‘additional notes’ section.

 DP interviews student with parent or guardian to explain reasons for the issuing of the final formal warning letter based on failure to submit work or not meet course requirements in classwork as outlined in previous letters. At this meeting the FINAL WARNING OF AN ‘N’-DETERMINATION IS ISSUED and the steps to be taken to avoid a final ‘N’-Determination are clearly explained.

 The support that has and will be provided through the Learning Support Team, from the teacher and by the parent /carer is discussed along with opportunities for problem to be corrected within a set timeframe.

 The acknowledgement slip is signed by the parent or guardian at the meeting.

 DP makes SENTRAL entry in ‘N’-Determination and uploads copy of acknowledgement. Student completes outstanding work

DEPUTY

PRINCIPAL and PRINCIPAL

 Student completes and submits outstanding work.

 When teacher is satisfied that the work completed and submitted by the student is sufficient to meet course requirements Head Teacher and Deputy Principal are advised and student is informed that the matter is resolved.

 Teacher updates SENTRAL to indicate that the matter has been RESOLVED.

BY THE END OF THE COURSE - COURSE REQUIREMENTS REMAIN OUTSTANDING

 On or before date set down by NESA, student with parent or guardian meet with Principal and Deputy Principal to receive Principal’s Determination Form detailing warning letters sent, the weighting of task/s not submitted (if assessment tasks) and whether the task/s has been completed (redeemed).

 At this meeting, the appeals process is clearly explained along with ways in which outstanding course work and assessments can be completed within a set timeframe.

2. Withdrawal of students from RoSA and /or HSC based ON NON-ATTENDANCE

In the case of exceptionally poor school attendance resulting in a student not meeting course requirements in 2 or more courses the ‘N’-Determination process will be managed by the senior executive. This will be led by the Deputy Principal supervising the cohort who will monitor ongoing student attendance (and progress in relation to meeting course outcomes) at the Week 5/6 Check-In periods each term throughout the year to address student progress.

For students to meet course completion criteria, the school must have sufficient evidence that a student has applied themselves with diligence and sustained effort to the set tasks and experiences provided in the course by the school. Students are also expected to make a genuine attempt at assessment tasks which total more than 50% of available marks. Completion of tasks adding up to a total of exactly 50% is not sufficient.

Where a student has failed to attend sufficient classes to meet the mandatory hours in Stage 5 and/or complete course outcomes they will be deemed to have NOT MET COURSE REQUIREMENTS. NESA does not determine minimum attendance requirements. The Principal may determine that, as a result of absence, the above detailed course completion criteria have not been met. The warning letters issued to a student through the course ‘N’Determination process will relate the absences to specific course requirements not completed

The senior executive staff member will contact the student and/or their parent or guardian and will issue warnings following these processes:

• Initial verbal warning – will be issued by the Deputy Principal to any student whose unexplained or unjustified attendance falls below Tier 2 Attendance Level (between 79% and 51%) in a term leading to the student not meeting course requirements. Reference will be made to the ‘N’-Determination warning letters already sent out listing course work that remains outstanding. The parent or guardian and/or student will be contacted to establish a plan to improve attendance and complete course requirements within a set timeframe. All conversations should be recorded in SENTRAL.

• Formal Warning 1 – will be sent by registered mail and email by the Deputy Principal when a student’s overall school attendance falls below 50%, is unexplained and/or unjustified and course work is not completed. The formal official warning of withdrawal from RoSA will be sent out with all ‘N’-Determination course warning letters attached. The support available to complete outstanding work and assessment tasks that have been missed will be restated. This information is recorded in SENTRAL along with acknowledgement of receipt if available.

• Formal Warning 2 – will be sent by registered mail and email by the Deputy Principal when a student’s overall unexplained attendance continues below 50% and there has been no effort to complete work and / or assessment tasks that have been missed. The second formal official warning of withdrawal from RoSA will be sent out with all ‘N’-Determination course warning letters attached. The support available to complete outstanding work and assessment tasks that have been missed will be restated. This information is recorded in SENTRAL along with acknowledgement of receipt if available.

• ‘N’-Determination – the Deputy Principal and Principal will interview the student and parent or guardian and issue the Non-Completion of Course Determination Principal’s Determination Form. Advice will be provided about the appeals process and of any ways in which outstanding classwork, course work and assignments can be completed within a set timeframe to enable course requirements to be met. The support available will be restated. Should the student and /or parent / guardian fail to attend the meeting an explanatory letter and NESA documentation will be sent to the student AND their parent or guardian via registered mail and email. This information is recorded in SENTRAL along with acknowledgement of receipt if available. Class teachers will be advised that the final ‘N’-Determination notice has been issued.

• Notice to withdraw the student from RoSA – will be issued by the Principal where there is evidence of not meeting the mandatory requirement related to indicative hours and non-completion of classwork, course work and assessment tasks resulting directly from the student’s unexplained absence from school that has meant a grade cannot be issued. The student will also be informed of the provisions around possible re-entry to school at a later date, which may involve repeating. This information is recorded in SENTRAL.

• APPEALS PROCESS: In the case of the withholding of the HSC or RoSA credential, students write directly to NESA.

ROOTY HILL HIGH SCHOOL DETERMINATION OF WITHDRAWAL FROM RoSA OR HSC AS

A RESULT OF ABSENCE

SCHOOL FLOWCHART OF ACTIONS FOR STUDENTS IN YEARS 10, 11 AND 12

DEPUTY PRINCIPAL and HEAD TEACHER ADMINISTRATION speak to student (or parent/carer) about absences from school (at or below 80%) and notes outstanding work and the dates set for work to be completed as outlined on ‘N’-Determination warning letters sent out by class teachers Conversations noted in SENTRAL.

Student redeems outstanding work and school determines that the student has satisfactorily met course completion requirements

The ‘N’Determination is removed and RoSA / HSC eligibility reinstated.

SENTRAL is updated and the student is advised.

If student attendance falls below 50% (unexplained or unjustified) – DEPUTY PRINCIPAL issues FIRST formal official warning letter of withdrawal from RoSA / HSC in person or by registered mail, outlining attendance rate to date and directing the student to the ‘action required by the student’ found on course warning letters already issued by course teachers or attached to this warning letter. Parent /guardian is informed by telephone or text. The support available to complete outstanding work and assessment tasks that have been missed will be restated. Deputy Principal creates SENTRAL entry in N-Determination and uploads copy of acknowledgement receipt if available.

If student attendance continues at 50% or below (unexplained or unjustified) – DEPUTY PRINCIPAL issues SECOND formal official warning letter of withdrawal from RoSA / HSC in person or by registered mail, outlining attendance rate to date and directing the student to the ‘action required by the student’ found on course warning letters already issued by course teachers or attached to this warning letter. Parent /guardian is informed by telephone or text. The support available to complete outstanding work and assessment tasks that have been missed will be restated. Deputy Principal creates SENTRAL entry in NDetermination and uploads copy of acknowledgement receipt if available.

If student attendance continues below 50% and course completion requirements remain unmet, the DEPUTY PRINCIPAL advises the PRINCIPAL that the student has not met NESA course requirements. PRINCIPAL makes a determination of non-completion of course requirements and completes Principal’s Determination Form by the date set down by NESA. This is issued to the student at a meeting with their parent / guardian. The student and accompanying adult will be advised of the appeals process and of the ways in which outstanding work and assignments can be completed.

Work remains incomplete and student makes no appeal. All related documentation kept at school.

If the student seeks re-entry to the school at a later date, the Principal must make the determination and the student must redeem any outstanding ‘N’Determinations.

Alternatively, the Principal may determine that the student can repeat.

Student appeals. Student completes Student Appeal Form and submits to Principal by date set down by NESA.

PRINCIPAL and ASSESSMENT REVIEW PANEL consider student’s appeal and reviews determination.

The decision of the PRINCIPAL and ASSESSMENT REVIEW PANEL is finalised. Student advised by date set down by NESA. If student appeal is declined, student can further appeal to NESA by signing and submitting appropriate declaration on School Review –Principal’s Report Form, by date set down by NESA.

NESA conducts review of student appeal. NESA makes final decision and notifies student in December.

STAFF RESPONSIBILITIES IN THE WITHDRAWAL FROM RoSA PROCESS FOR STUDENTS WHOSE ATTENDANCE HAS LED TO NON-COMPLETION OF COURSE REQUIREMENTS

TEACHER OR HEAD TEACHER

 Generates ‘N’-Determination warning letter in Week 5/6 of each Term outlining course requirements (classwork, course work and assessments) that have not been met because of failure to attend class.

 Contacts parent or guardian by telephone to outline issues - failure to attend class, submit work or not meet course requirements in classwork. Informs parent / guardian to expect a warning for an N-Determination by email or post and request acknowledgement of receipt. Warns parent that RoSA may be withheld if poor attendance continues.

 Teacher or Head Teacher makes SENTRAL entry in ‘N’-Determination.

DEPUTY PRINCIPAL

PRINCIPAL

 Issues verbal initial warning based on attendance to student whose unexplained absence falls below 80% in the first instance.

 Monitors student attendance rate at the Week 5/6 Check-In each Term.

 If necessary, reminds Head Teachers that ‘N’ Determination warning letters need to be prepared and sent home.

 Informs Careers Advisor and Head Teacher Transition of students whose attendance rate is below 80% and falling and discusses options.

 If student attendance (unexplained and/or unjustified) is below 50% – DEPUTY PRINCIPAL issues FIRST formal official warning of withdrawal from RoSA along with all ‘N’-Determination course warning letters attached by registered mail and email. The support available to complete outstanding work and assessment tasks that have been missed will be restated. This information is recorded in SENTRAL along with acknowledgement of receipt if available.

 If student attendance (unexplained and/or unjustified) continues below 50% – DEPUTY PRINCIPAL issues SECOND formal official warning of withdrawal from RoSA along with all ‘N’Determination course warning letters attached by registered mail and email. The support available to complete outstanding work and assessment tasks that have been missed will be restated. This information is recorded in SENTRAL along with acknowledgement of receipt if available.

 At the start of Term 3, advises Principal that student is not meeting course or mandatory requirements based on attendance and pre-empts the possibility of issuing a Principal’s Determination Form and / or withholding RoSA.

 If student attendance continues below 50% PRINCIPAL makes a determination of noncompletion of course requirements and completes Principal’s Determination Form by the date set down by NESA. This is issued to the student at a meeting with their parent / guardian. The student and accompanying adult will be advised of the appeals process and of the ways in which outstanding work and assignments can be completed within a set timeframe. Should the student and/or parent / guardian fail to attend meeting, all documentation will be emailed.

 For students with an annual attendance rate below 50% and where there is evidence of incomplete classwork and incomplete assessment tasks (or for Stage 5 students, where indicative hours have not been met) leading to ineligibility to receive any grade, the Principal may also issue notice of withdrawal from RoSA based on non-completion of course requirements resulting from attendance.

 The student will be informed of the provisions available to them should they wish to apply to the Principal for a determination to return to school. These include:

• repeating the year with a strong attendance record and completing all set work and experiences

• completing all outstanding work as outlined in previously issued 'N'-Determinations, submitting these for marking and gaining teacher approval that sufficient course completion requirements have been met for a grade to be awarded.

NESA LIST OF SCHOOL ACTIONS WHEN UNDERTAKING PROCESS FOR

NON-COMPLETION OF COURSE REQUIREMENTS

TAKEN

Non-completion of course requirements – Principal to issue student with a noncompletion determination form and to record the determination

Non-completion of course requirements – student to submit appeal to school

Non-completion of course requirements – school to review appeals and to advise students of the outcomes of school review

Non-completion of course requirements – via the school, due date for student to request NESA review of appeal decision

Non-completion of course requirements – due date to request adjustment to student’s record following school review

Non-completion of course requirements – all school documentation to be submitted to NESA for review of appeal

SCHOOL PROCESS RELATED TO

STUDENT NON-COMPLETION OF COURSE REQUIREMENTS

IN YEARS 7, 8 AND 9

In the case of students in Years 7-9 who have failed to submit an assessment task for marking, parents will be contacted by telephone or via Faculty Letter of Concern.

Students and their parent or guardian will be advised of the support that is available to assist students to complete outstanding work. Opportunities will be created for the student to complete and submit outstanding coursework or assessment tasks.

For students in Years 7-9 whose overall student attendance at school is unsatisfactory, the school will refer the student to the Home School Liaison program and will seek support to help the student to return to school as per the DoE Attendance Strategy. Where explained or unexplained absence has negative academic impact, the Deputy Principal may decide to issue an overall warning of unsatisfactory progress and recommend action to the Principal.

Appendix 12: Illness and Misadventure Claims

PRACTICES IN RELATION TO STUDENT ILLNESS AND MISADVENTURE DURING ASSESSMENT TASKS OR EXAMINATIONS

The school’s misadventure and illness procedures for Years 10-12 are underpinned by the NESA guidelines for the HSC (Source: Illness/Misadventure ACE Rule 9)

The school’s procedures for Years 7-9 are informed by the DoE Assessment and Reporting Guidelines and will be implemented by faculty Head Teachers acting in the interests of the students.

For students in Years 7-9 approved for exemption or authorised leave or absent from every subject, the Head Teacher Administration will provide advice to class teachers.

Internal misadventure and illness forms are accessed and submitted electronically using a link provided to students by the Head Teacher Senior School.

As the assessment marks are intended to be a measure of a student’s ability and progress in a subject, applications must relate to illness or misadventure suffered immediately before or during the assessment(s) that has affected the student’s assessment performance.

Applications may be in respect of:

a) illness or injury – that is, illness or physical injuries suffered directly by the student which allegedly affected the student’s performance in the examination(s) (e.g. Mental health, influenza, an asthma attack, a cut hand). Medical certification of the impact of the illness on the student’s ability to undertake the examination must be provided.

b) misadventure – that is, any other event beyond the student’s control which allegedly affected the student’s performance in the examination(s) (e.g. death of a friend or family member, involvement in a traffic accident).

The right to submit an illness/misadventure application and the responsibility for doing so rests with the student, except where it is impossible for the student to complete and submit a form, such as in cases of severe illness or incapacitation. In such circumstances the Head Teacher Senior School / Junior School can apply on behalf of the student. There will be regular communications with students in relation to acceptable uses of the illness and misadventure procedures.

The following procedures are applied:

1. FOR STUDENTS:

(i) The student must contact the classroom teacher /Head Teacher to advise that illness/misadventure has occurred

(ii) The student must also contact the Head Teacher Senior School who will provide a link to the application the student must complete

(iii) In the case of illness, the student must submit a ‘medical statement’ (as required for missing an HSC examination) or a medical certificate.

(iv) Where possible, the student must complete and / or submit the task within 7 school days as evidence of a serious attempt.

2. FOR TEACHERS:

(i) As soon as the incidence of student illness/misadventure is known, this must be noted in teacher / faculty records

(ii) Where possible teachers should contact the Head Teacher Senior School to confirm details

(iii) Following advice on the outcome of the application from the Head Teacher Senior School, the teacher should inform the student of the outcome and the steps to be taken to finalise the matter within 7 school days.

3. FOR HEAD TEACHER SENIOR SCHOOL

(the decision maker)

(i) Confirm the need for an illness / misadventure application to be completed and submitted

(ii) Issue the link to the student

(iii) Ensure the ‘medical statement’ or medical certificate (where appropriate) is submitted

(iv) Ensure all other required documentation is submitted

(v) Advise the teacher, other key personnel and parents (where appropriate) of the outcome of the application

(vi) Refer any complex requests or requests for ‘multiple’ applications (over the period of assessment) to the Principal for determination.

Possible Outcomes from an Illness or Misadventure Application

a) SUCCESSFUL: Student is required to complete the same task as other students

b) SUCCESSFUL: Student is required to complete an alternate task

c) SUCCESSFUL: Extension of time granted to submit task

d) SUCCESSFUL: Estimate based on all other assessment tasks Approval must be granted from the Principal to award an estimate. In this circumstance, if approved, the teaching team in concert with the Head Teacher will record an estimate mark based on completed comparable assessment tasks which assessed similar outcomes. The estimate mark must be awarded AT THE END OF THE COURSE. Mark-book should indicate that “estimate” has been awarded

e) DECLINED: Zero mark to be given

f) DECLINED: N-Determination warning to be issued

g) SUCCESSFUL/DECLINED: Other action decided to suit specific circumstances and noted as action taken.

Unacceptable Grounds for an Illness Misadventure Appeal

The application process does not cover:

• attendance at VET work placement, a sporting or cultural event, or family holiday.

• misreading the due date of an assessment.

• alleged inadequacies of teaching or long-term matters relating to loss of preparation time, loss of study time or facilities. To negate this, the teacher will need to be proactive in formatively checking to ensure the student has shown progress leading up to the due date for their assessment. (There may be cases involving the interruption to the completion of an assessment work submitted or loss of materials prepared by the student which the Deputy Principal will consider, such as major works stolen or destroyed by vandals.)

• disabilities for which the school and NESA have already granted disability provisions such as ILP strategies, unless an unforeseen episode occurs during the examination (such as a hypoglycaemic event suffered by a diabetic student or a student who has been isolated but is still ill, panic attack) or further difficulties occur, the authenticity of which is supported by the supervising teacher or invigilator.

Note: A student who has suffered an injury such as a broken writing arm immediately before the task is due will require careful consideration as the student generally will not have had sufficient time to practise with the provision(s) granted.

• long-term illness such as glandular fever, asthma, epilepsy – unless the student suffered a ‘flareup’ of the condition immediately before or during the examination(s)

• matters avoidable by the student (such as misreading of timetable; misinterpretation of examination paper etc).

Student right of appeal following failure of illness or misadventure application

If a student has further evidence to support a declined decision (such as a medical certificate or extra independent information), they can appeal the decision and request a review of the original Assessment Review Panel within 3 school days of receiving written confirmation of the decision. Students need to provide a statement of what they are appealing with new evidence and detail to support the statement and attach all new documentation. This decision is final. (See Appeals Processes (i) page 51)

Appendix 13: Planned Absence Claims for Rescheduling of Tasks

PRACTICES IN RELATION TO PLANNED ABSENCES AND THE COMPLETION OF SCHEDULED ASSESSMENT TASKS

Work placement or attendance at a timetabled TAFE course

Work placement and attendance at a TAFE course is mandatory. Failure to complete the required hours of work placement or TAFE attendance can lead to an `N’ Determination.

Other school commitments leading to a planned absence and the completion of a scheduled assessment task

There may be other reasons why students may not be able to attend class when a scheduled assessment task is planned such as student leadership responsibilities, school excursion or mandatory site visits, representative sport or other significant commitments. The school supports positive moves that enable students to fulfill their academic requirements at the same time as they benefit from other opportunities available to them.

It is the student’s responsibility in consultation with the class teacher to satisfy assessment task requirements scheduled during the allocated times for work placement, TAFE classes or involvement in other school or community activities. Should a student experience difficulty with any aspect of meeting scheduled assessment requirements because of involvement in another significant event, this should be discussed with the teacher or Head Teacher at least 2 weeks prior to the event or the start of work placement so that alternative arrangements can be negotiated

Teachers and students should consider the following:

• Teachers are responsible for ensuring students have the opportunity to complete all assessment tasks

• An assessment task that is unseen prior to the scheduled date and is required to be completed under supervision in class must be completed under these conditions

• Where an assessment task is to be completed in class and the question for the task has been issued beforehand, the student may be able to complete the task before the event or work placement. If it is not possible to complete the assessment task ahead of the scheduled date, the teacher or Head Teacher may negotiate for the task to be completed when the student returns to school.

• Where an assessment task has been scheduled for completion either in class time or in the student’s own time and is to be handed in on a set date, then the student may undertake or submit the task beforehand or make arrangements for the task to be handed in by another person on the set date or to be submitted at an agreed date later on

• If a student is completing work placement locally and wishes to complete the assessment task in class on the set date, they may negotiate with the employer to be released for the period of time required to complete the assessment task. The student must ensure that the hours missed at work placement are made up.

The following procedures are applied to manage assessment commitments and planned absences:

1. FOR STUDENTS:

(i) The student must contact the classroom teacher /Head Teacher to advise of their forthcoming absence due to school or other representative obligation.

(ii) The student must also contact the Head Teacher Senior School who will provide a link to the application the student must complete

2. FOR TEACHERS:

(i) As soon as the student notifies of a forthcoming planned absence, this must be noted in teacher / faculty records.

(ii) Meet with the student to negotiate arrangements for the completion of the task. Unless there are extenuating circumstances, the task should be submitted or completed on the first day the student returns to school.

(iii) Check arrangements with Head Teacher to maintain faculty consistency

3. FOR HEAD TEACHER SENIOR SCHOOL (the decision maker)

(i) Advise student to complete online form

(ii) Issue the link to the student

(iii) Check that the application meets the criteria of an acceptable planned absence.

(iv) Forward application to relevant teacher.

(v) Refer any complex requests or requests for ‘multiple’ applications (over the period of assessment) to the Principal for determination.

Appendix

14: Malpractice

PRACTICES IN RELATION TO ACADEMIC INTEGRITY AND MALPRACTICE

HONESTY IN HSC ASSESSMENT – THE STANDARD OF SCHOLARSHIP (ACE Rule 2.2 [19-21])

Students, as well as their teachers and others who guide them, must comply with NESA’s requirements for upholding the integrity of HSC assessment and exams.

The honesty of students in completing assessment tasks, exams and tests, underpins the integrity of the Higher School Certificate.

Dishonest behaviour carried out for the purpose of gaining unfair advantage in the assessment process undermines the standard of scholarship represented by the award of the HSC and constitutes malpractice, or cheating.

Schools must record all malpractice offences in the HSC school-based assessment tasks in the Malpractice Register in Schools Online.

PRACTICES IN RELATION TO MALPRACTICE

Malpractice in any form, including plagiarism, misrepresentation, collusion and breach of assessment conditions is unacceptable. Malpractice occurs when a student breaches the conditions set for assessment in an attempt to gain an unfair advantage. NESA treats allegations of malpractice very seriously and detected malpractice will limit a student’s marks and jeopardise their Higher School Certificate. Student conduct amounting to malpractice may range from unintentional failures to comply with assessment rules and procedures to deliberate attempts to gain an unfair advantage involving intentional wrongdoing.

Serious and deliberate acts of malpractice amount to corrupt conduct and, where appropriate, NESA will report matters to the Independent Commission Against Corruption.

Should malpractice be suspected, students will be required to demonstrate that the submitted work is entirely their own.

Plagiarism is when:

a student pretends to have written, created or developed work that has originated from another source. It can include:

• copying in an exam from another student or using information secretly brought into an examination room

• copying someone else’s work in part or in whole, and presenting it as their own

• using material directly from books, journals, the internet or any other offline/online resources, without appropriate acknowledgement of the authors and / or source

• using ideas, designs or the workmanship of others in practical and performance tasks without appropriate acknowledgement.

• using information derived from Generative AI software that is not allowed or not acknowledged through appropriate referencing

Unauthorised Use of Generative AI is Plagiarism

The use of Generative AI will be clearly stated for each assessment task on the assessment notification. This statement will either approve the use of AI or make clear that AI should not be used by students in any form throughout the assessment task. AI is not to be used in conjunction with examinations or tests of any kind.

In those cases where students may be allowed to use Generative AI it will be in a limited capacity and the ways in which students can use AI will be outlined on the assessment notification. AI must be referenced appropriately in these situations. Students will also be asked to provide a record of their original work, the prompts given to the AI and the response or modifications to the student work based on the responses of the AI. Use of AI for reasons not stated will be counted as plagiarism even if appropriate referencing has been provided.

Similarly, if the use of AI has been restricted for an assessment task and its use is detected, this will also be counted as plagiarism even if appropriate referencing has been provided.

Misrepresentation is when:

a student misleads or deceives others by presenting untrue information through the fabrication, alteration, or omission of information. It can include:

• making up journal entries for a project

• submitting falsified or altered documents

• referencing incorrect or non-existent sources,

• contriving false explanation to explain work not handed in by the due date.

Collusion is when:

a student inappropriately collaborates with another student, groups of students, person, organisation, or entity to produce work that was meant for individual assessment. It can include:

• sharing answers to an assessment with other students

• submitting work that has been substantially contributed to by another person, such as a student, parents, coach or subject expert

• contract cheating by outsourcing work to a third party

• unauthorised use of artificial intelligence technologies.

Students have a responsibility to make sure that they understand the difference between what is honest and what is dishonest in relation to all their work.

A breach of assessment conditions is when:

A student fails to follow the instructions of the examination supervisor or deliberately ignores examination rules and procedures or disrupts other students in the examination.

School procedures in a suspected case of malpractice

1. If a student is suspected of plagiarism, their class teacher will request information about all unacknowledged work to check that the work is entirely that of the student. The student may need to:

• prove and explain their work process with diaries, journals, notes, working plans, sketches or progressive drafts that show how their ideas developed.

• answer questions about the assessment task, exam or submitted work being investigated to show their knowledge, understanding and skills.

2. If a student is suspected of misrepresentation, their class teacher will request the student to supply verification from an external authority or the production of documents that affirm the authenticity of the information presented.

3. If a student is suspected of collusion the class teacher may conduct an investigation involving interviewing other students, comparing the submitted work against that of other students,

interrogating the student’s knowledge and arguments put forward in the response submitted for marking.

4. If a student breaches assessment conditions they will be reported to the Year 12 Supervising Deputy Principal and may receive zero for the task.

5. If the teacher believes a case for malpractice exists, they will take all information, including all documents gathered in the process to date, to the Year 12 Supervising Deputy Principal.

6. The Year 12 Supervising Deputy Principal will review all documentation and if necessary, conduct further investigations, seeking additional information from the class teacher, Head Teacher and students. The Deputy Principal prepares a recommendation for the Principal.

Consequence of a proven case of malpractice

Where there is evidence that a student’s work contains content that has been plagiarised from an unacknowledged source a penalty will be applied. Using software available to the school to calculate the percentage of the task that has been plagiarised the teacher will apply these school-agreed procedures:

If 25% or less of the total content of the task has been found to be plagiarised, the student’s mark will be reduced by that amount (for example, if 10% of the content has been copied, there will be a 10% reduction in marks). If more than 25% of the task has been found to be plagiarised, the student will receive a zero mark.

Where there is evidence of malpractice involving misrepresentation or collusion, the student will face a consequence such as:

• loss of marks proportionate to the percentage of the assessment task that was found to have been misrepresented or created through collusion

• receiving zero marks

• completing a separate, additional task under strict supervision with a reduced maximum mark.

The final decision will be made by the Principal.

Where malpractice has been established, the Year 12 Deputy Principal will issue a ‘malpractice letter’.

Student appeals concerning malpractice

Once the decision is communicated to the student in writing, they will have the right to appeal. The appeal must be in writing within 2 school days of receipt of the malpractice letter. This will be considered by a meeting of the Assessment Review Panel, which will be extended to include 2 School Captains (or Principal Representatives). The decision made by this group will be final. (See Appeals Processes (c) page 50)

The Principal will add the student’s name to the NESA Malpractice Register.

At Rooty Hill High School students are supported to prevent malpractice in many ways such as:

• assisting Year 10 students while they complete the HSC: All My Own Work program.

• explicitly learning about the behaviours that relate to honesty and integrity.

• being given clear requirements and expectations with each assessment task in writing; teachers go over these in class.

• allocating class time for planning and drafting various stages of the task.

• using ‘check-in’ lessons where students share progress to date on a task and receive feedback.

• submitting notes or drafts with their final task if required.

• learning how to acknowledge sources used in a task and the preparation of a bibliography as outlined in Student Assessment Booklets (Years 10, 11, 12) and from advice from the School Librarian.

Appendix 15: Disability Provisions

PRACTICES IN RELATION TO DISABILITY PROVISIONS

HSC

The Commonwealth Disability Discrimination Act (1992) and the Disability Standards for Education (2005) require NESA to ensure that students with a disability are able to access and respond to an examination. NESA may approve disability provisions for the Higher School Certificate examinations if a student has a permanent or temporary disability that would, in a normal examination situation, prevent them from: i. reading the examination questions; and/or ii. communicating their responses.

At Rooty Hill High School the Learning Support Team is responsible for the identification of students needing disability provisions and subsequently the timely submission of applications as set out in the NESA guidelines below: Disability provisions program - ACE Rule 6

• All applications for disability provisions and subsequent appeals must be submitted online.

• Applications are lodged and decisions reported through Schools Online.

• The due date for applications is the last day of Term 1.

• The late submission of a disability provisions application may disadvantage the student.

• Emergency applications during the examination period may be made by telephoning the Student Support Services branch at NESA. An application supported by documentary evidence should be submitted immediately afterwards.

APPEALS

School appeals against NESA decision in relation to disability provisions applications

In the case of a school appeal (on behalf of an individual student) to NESA in relation to a decision about a disability provision application, the Principal (or delegate) should prepare the appeal within 14 days of receipt of the NESA decision. The appeal must include the reason why the decision is considered unacceptable referring to evidence supplied in the original application and NEW supporting evidence.

SCHOOL-BASED SPECIAL PROVISIONS FOR STUDENTS IN YEARS 7-12 WITH A DISABILITY

The Principal has the authority to decide on, and to implement, disability provisions for school-based assessment tasks including examinations. The school will ensure that:

• Provision is offered at the beginning of each new school year to students with a disability (as identified in their ILP and/or Health Plan) in course work, assessment tasks and in-school tests.

• The Learning Centre, designated spaces and support personnel are identified and assigned for students needing provision.

• Adjustments are made to student assessment tasks as per the strategies listed on their individual Learning Plans (ILP)

• Students understand that gaining a school-based disability provision does not guarantee a similar provision will be offered by NESA during HSC examinations.

INDEX

1-5 Background, Policy and Principles

• Assessment

• Feedback

• Reporting

• Recognition

6-10 PERSIST VALUES and Guiding Principles and Practice Criteria for Assessment, Feedback, Reporting and Recognition

11-14 Principles

Academic Requirements for all Students

Component 1 – Attendance

Component 2 – Application and Sustained Effort

Component 3 – Assessment and Examinations

The Record of School Achievement (RoSA)

Minimum Standards Assessment

SECTION A: ASSESSMENT PRACTICES AND PROCEDURES

15-16

17-22 PRACTICES IN RELATION TO SCHOOL COMPLIANCE WITH NESA & DoE ROSA, PRELIMINARY AND HSC ASSESSMENT REQUIREMENTS

1. Ensuring students understand and follow the NESA rules and procedures as outlined in NESA HSC Rules and Procedures

2. Ensuring teachers and supervisors are compliant with the requirements of NESA policies, procedures, and regulations

3. Ensuring support for teachers teaching students in a Stage 6 course for the first time

SCHOOL-WIDE ACCOUNTABILITIES

- Assessment Notification

- Assessment Task Submission

- Assessment Task Design Requirements

- Assessment Task Consistency, Fairness, Marking and Moderation

- Invalid or Unreliable Task Results

- Examinations

- Work Samples

- Appeals Process (see also Appendix 9)

- Group Appeals at RHHS

- N-Determinations (see also Appendix 10)

- Illness and Misadventure (Appendix 11)

- School Business & the Completion of Scheduled Assessment Tasks (Appendix 12)

- Academic Integrity and Malpractice (Appendix 13)

- Disability Provisions for the HSC and Other Cohorts (Appendix 14)

SECTION B: FEEDBACK

23-25 PRINCIPLES AND PRACTICES

Formative Feedback

Summative Feedback

SECTION C: REPORTING PRINCIPLES AND PRACTICES

26-27 PRINCIPLES AND PRACTICES

SECTION D: RECOGNITION

28-30 PRINCIPLES AND PRACTICES

APPENDICES

32 - 69

1. Table of Contents from HSC RULES AND PROCEDURES (p32)

2. Compliance Module 1 – NESA, DoE & School Requirements for Curriculum (p33)

3. Compliance Module 2 – Scope and Sequence and Assessment Schedules (p36)

4. Compliance Module 3 – Programs, Units of Work & Google Classroom (p38)

5. Compliance Module 4 – Assessment Checklists (p41)

6. Rooty Hill High School HSC Teacher Support (p44)

7. Senior School – Assessment Task Notification (p45)

8. Junior School – Assessment Task Notification (p46)

9. Quality Assessment at Rooty Hill High School (p47)

10. Appeals Processes for HSC Students (p50)

11. Practices in Relation to Issuing an ‘N’ Determination (p53)

12. Practices in Relation to Illness and Misadventure During Assessment Tasks or Examinations (p61)

13. Practices in Relation to Planned Absences and the Completion of Scheduled Assessment Tasks (p64)

14. Practices in Relation to Academic Integrity and Malpractice (p66)

15. Practices in Relation to Disability Provisions (p69)

DOCUMENTS

All templates in relation to this policy are held on Teams, SENTRAL, Google Classrooms and/or are included in the student information documents. These documents can be found on the school’s website and in paper form on request.

MONITORING AND EVALUATION

This policy will be introduced in Term 4, 2022 monitored throughout 2022 – 2023.

This policy was reviewed and evaluated from Term 4, 2024 – Term 2, 2025. This version will be introduced in Term 3, 2025 and reviewed at the end of 2027.

THIS DOCUMENT IS CONSTANTLY REVISED TO ALIGN WITH ANY CHANGES MADE BY NESA. USERS ARE ADVISED TO CHECK THE ONLINE VERSION RATHER THAN RELY ON A PRINTED VERSION.