Ready Global Academy Canada
School Policies
Growing Success Policy
Students must understand that the tests/exams they complete and the assignments they submit for evaluation must be their own work and that cheating and plagiarism will not be condoned.
The school will develop strategies for helping students understand the gravity of such behaviour and the importance of acknowledging the work of others. The school will also develop policies that address, at a minimum, the following:
• prevention of cheating and plagiarizing
• detection of incidents of cheating and plagiarizing
• consequences for students who cheat or plagiarize
Policies will reflect a continuum of behavioural and academic responses and consequences, based on at least the following four factors:
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(1) the grade level of the student,
(2) the maturity of the student,
(3) the number and frequency of incidents, and
(4) the individual circumstances of the student.
To the Student
When the teacher asks you to use your own words and ideas, it means that you should use your own words and your own ideas. You must demonstrate to the teacher that you are capable of submitting work that is your own. When a teacher asks to put your ideas into your own words, it does not mean that there is a correct answer for the assignment. It means that you have to come up with your own ideas to give to the teacher.
Plagiarism means submitting work to the teacher that is not your own. Cheating and plagiarism will not be condoned. When you take ideas and words that are someone else's and pass them off as yours, you are plagiarizing. Plagiarism can involve some of these:
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Using work done by another student.
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Copying someone else's work or homework.
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Taking another student's work and changing some words.
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Cutting and pasting material from the Internet and submitting it as yours.
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Copying information from a book, magazine, website, movie, etc. and not naming the source.
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Leaving out quotation marks for direct quotes.
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Appeal
A student may appeal the teacher's decision to the principal after discussion with the teacher.
Based on Fresh Air: Assessment, Evaluation, and Reporting in Secondary Schools
Toronto District School Board, 2006
LATE AND MISSED ASSIGNMENTS
The Ministry of Education’s policy states that “the primary purpose of assessment and evaluation is to improve student learning”. Submitting work late is a learning skills and work habits issue and may impact on the student’s grade. The Ministry requires teachers to separate evaluation of achievement of the curriculum expectations from the development of learning skills and work habits (Responsibility, Organization, Independent Work, Collaboration, Initiative, Self-Regulation).
Students submit work late for many reasons and teachers should take time to understand the reason for a late assignment. Reasons could include:
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Legitimate explanation
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Poor time-management skills
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Poor academic skills
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Poor understanding of the assignment
Missed Evaluations
Students who do not submit assignments may be given zero. A mark of zero will normally result in a gap in the record of achievement of curriculum expectations because the teacher lacks evidence of the student’s knowledge or skills. The student might have missed tests, not handed in assignments, or might have been absent for presentations. Students are responsible for providing the teacher with evidence of their learning.
Determining the Term Mark (70%)
The teacher must make a judgement as to which evaluations will be used for grading. Teachers must bear in mind the Ministry policy that requires teachers to take into account the student’s most consistent achievement and they must also give attention to the more recent evaluations.
When faced with a mark of zero on a student’s assignment, the teacher must use professional judgement to decide whether or not to include this mark in the calculation. In most cases, a zero is an anomaly and is, therefore, not consistent with performance throughout the term. In such cases, a zero will not affect the term grade. Many zeros, however, indicate that the student has not demonstrated achievement of the overall expectations. In such cases, these zeros are factored into the calculation of the term grade.
Missed evaluations will not reduce the final grade if the overall curriculum expectations have been adequately evaluated through other assignments during the term.