Assessment & Evaluation

Policy Overview

The Assessment and Evaluation Policy for Ontario Virtual School is consistent with Ministry policy and reflects our aforementioned vision that the primary purpose of assessment is to improve student learning. Assessment is the process of gathering information that accurately reflects how well a student is achieving the curriculum expectations in a subject or course. Assessment for the purpose of improving student learning is seen as both “assessment for learning” and “assessment as learning”. As part of assessment for learning, teachers provide students with descriptive feedback and coaching for improvement in future assessments. Teachers engage in assessment as learning by helping students develop their capacity to be independent, self-directed learners who are able to set individual goals, monitor their own progress, determine next steps, and self-reflect. Ongoing per-assessments and formative assessments will be used to provide meaningful feedback as to student progress and achievement in order to improve performance. Summative assessments will be used to determine an overall grade in the course.

Course Evaluation

Ontario Virtual School adheres to the assessment & evaluation practices as outlined in the Ministry of Education’s Growing Success document. The final mark for each course will be divided into two parts:

1. 70% will be based on the cumulative evidence of summative evaluations undertaken throughout the semester “Term Work”
2. 30% will be based on summative evaluations taking place in the final third of the course. “Final Summatives”

Final summatives may or may not include an exam, depending on individual course curriculum policy documents. At the beginning of the course, students will receive course outlines detailing the course’s specific assessment and evaluation information. All courses will be evaluated according to the following breakdown:

Knowledge and Understanding 20%
Thinking and Investigation 15%
Communication 15%
Application 20%
Term Mark 70%
Final Summative 30%
Final Report Card 100%

Withdrawing from a Course

  • A withdrawal from any Grade 11 or 12 course occurring within 5 days of the first report card
    being issued will result in the mark not being recorded on the OST.
  • A withdrawal from any Grade 11 or 12 course occurring after 5 days of the first report
    card being issued will result in a “W” being entered in the “Credit” column of the OST, along with the mark at
    the time of the withdrawal.
  • Withdrawals from Grade 9 or 10 courses are never recorded on the OST, regardless of when they occur.
  • If there are extraordinary circumstances relating to a student’s withdrawal from a course, an “S” may be entered
    in the “Note” column on the OST.

Repetition of a Course

  • When a course is repeated, only one course attempt will earn credit towards the 30 credits required for an OSSD.
  • In Grades 11 and 12, both courses must be recorded on the OST, with an “R” appearing next to the course session with the lower grade.

Course Transfer Policy

A student who registers and is enrolled into a course for less than one week (7 days) and does not complete an assessment in that course, may request to be transferred to another course, at no additional cost to the student. Each student will only be granted one free course transfer. All course transfer requests must be received by OVS administration within one week of the initial enrollment. The decision of the OVS administration will be considered final in all cases involving student requests for course transfers made after this period.

Reporting Student Achievement

Ontario Virtual School will use the Provincial Report Card, Grades 9-12, for formal written reports mailed to the student’s listed home address twice over the duration the student is active in the course. The first report reflects student achievement of the overall curriculum expectations during the first reporting period, as well as development of the learning skills and work habits. The final report reflects achievement of the overall expectations for the entire course, as well as development of the learning skills and work habits.

Learning Skills

The following guideline is used by online teachers during assessment of the following skills:

Learning Skills & Habits Sample Behaviours
Responsibility

The Student

  • Fulfills responsibilities and commitments within the learning environment;
  • Completes and submits class work, homework, and assignments according to the agreed-upon timelines;
  • Takes responsibility for and manages his/her own behaviour.
Organization

The Student

  • Devises and follows a plan and process for completing work and tasks;
  • Establishes priorities and manages time to complete tasks and achieve goals;
  • Identifies, gathers, evaluates, and uses information, technology, and resources to complete tasks.
Independent Work

The Student

  • Independently monitors, assesses, and revises plans to complete tasks and meet goals;
  • Uses class time appropriately to complete tasks;
  • Follows instructions with minimal supervision
Collaboration

The Student

  • Accepts various roles and an equitable share of work in a group;
  • Responds positively to the ideas, opinions, values, and traditions of others;
  • Builds a healthy peer-to-peer relationship through personal and media-assisted interactions;
  • Works with others to resolve conflicts and build consensus to achieve group goals;
  • Shares information, resources, and expertise and promotes critical thinking to solve problems and make decisions
Initiative

The Student

  • Looks for and acts on new ideas and opportunities for learning;
  • Demonstrates the capacity for innovation and a willingness to take risks;
  • Demonstrates curiosity and interest in learning;
  • Approaches new tasks with a positive attitude;
  • Recognizes and advocates appropriately for the rights of self and others.
Self-Regulation

The Student

  • Sets their own individual goals and monitors progress towards achieving them;
  • Seeks clarification or assistance when needed;
  • Assesses and reflects critically on own strengths, need, and interests;
  • Identifies learning opportunities, choices, and strategies to meet personal needs and achieve goals;
  • Perseveres and makes an effort when responding to challenges.

Rights & Responsibilities of Students, Parents & Staff

Students have the right to:

  • know the summative assessment methods that will be used to assess their achievement
  • know the method used to determine their grade in the course i.e. a rubric or marking scheme
  • timely feedback on the quality of their work their performance
  • information about the Ministry assessment & evaluation policy
  • information regarding the consequences for academic dishonesty

Students are responsible for:

  • ensuring academic honesty
  • providing proper documentation demonstrating completion of prerequisite courses
  • being active participants in the learning process
  • communicating with teachers when there is difficulty in meeting timelines
  • following assessment & evaluation methods and timelines for work submission

Teachers have the right to:

  • expect students to be academically honest
  • expect students to be active participants in their learning
  • expect students to submit assignments on time
  • set final deadlines for the submission of work
  • use professional judgment when assessing and evaluating student achievement

Teachers are responsible for:

  • providing multiple and varied opportunities for students to demonstrate their learning
  • providing accommodations and/or modifications as identified in the IEP
  • providing instruction and support to enable student success
  • monitoring and maintaining a record of late assignments to be used in assessing learning skills
  • returning student work in a timely manner and providing detailed feedback to both students and parents
  • clearly communicating assignment due dates to students, where applicable
  • clearly communicating the meaning of academic honesty and methods for citing references
  • keeping parents/guardians informed regarding their child’s progress and how they can support their child’s
    success

Parents/guardians have the right to:

  • information about their child’s performance
  • have access to their child’s course(s) to see how they are learning and progressing
  • be informed regarding course requirements, assessment & evaluation methods, and timelines for work submission

Parents/guardians are responsible for:

  • actively monitoring their child’s progress
  • understanding how they can contribute to their child’s success
  • initiating contact with teachers and administration, should difficulties arise
  • working collaboratively with the school, teacher and student to plan for their child’s improvement, when
    necessary

Individual Education Plan (IEP)

Ontario Virtual School does not conduct IPRC for enrolled students. However, teachers will use assessments to determine the student’s individual needs and accommodate accordingly to ensure student success. Parents are encouraged to maintain ongoing communication with teachers to support the student’s progress throughout the course.

English Language Learners

When curriculum expectations are modified to meet the needs of language-learning needs of English language Learners (ELL’s), assessment and evaluation will be based on the documented modified expectations. Teachers, in collaboration with the principal, will determine the most effective way to document the modification of curriculum expectations for English Language Learners. Modification of some or all of the curriculum expectations may be required to support English Language Learners, particularly those who are in the early stages of learning English or those who have limited prior schooling.

Accommodations related to learning resources, such as:

  • extensive use of visual materials
  • use of adapted texts and bilingual dictionaries
  • use of dual-language materials
  • use of technology

Accommodations related to assessment strategies, such as:

  • allowance of extra time
  • use of alternative assessment strategies (e.g., oral interviews, learning logs, or portfolios)
  • use of simplified language and instructions

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