• Section 1 - Purpose 
• Section 2 - Scope 
• Section 3 - Responsibilities
• Section 4 - Guideline
• The Record of School Achievement (ROSA) 
• ROSA School-Based Assessment 
• Determining final grades for RoSA
• RoSA Assessment Tasks
• Arrangements for Submission Assessment Tasks
• WORK SAMPLES
• Maintaining the Integrity of RoSA Assessment/Malpractice Policy
• Illness / Misadventure and Absence

Section 1 - Purpose 

(1) Catholic Schools ROS Assessment Guideline incorporates requirements from the Education Act 1990 NSW, the New South Wales Education Standards Authority (NESA), as outlined in the NSW Registration Systems and Member Non-Government Schools Manual as well as the Assessment Certification Examination (ACE) Rules. Additionally, Diocesan requirements are specified in the Catholic Schools Curriculum, Programming, Assessment and Reporting K-12 Guideline.

(2) The purpose of the Catholic Schools RoSA Assessment Guideline is to provide information regarding assessment in Year 11.

Section 2 - Scope 

(3) This guideline applies to all Catholic Schools of the Diocese.

Section 3 - Responsibilities

Section 4 - Guideline

The Record of School Achievement (ROSA) 

(4) The RoSA provides information on a student’s performance throughout Stage 5 and Stage 6, up to a student’s completion of HSC requirements.

(5) To be eligible for the RoSA, a student who leaves school at or after the completion of Year 10, but before completing the HSC, must have:

1. Participated in, and satisfactorily completed the mandatory curriculum requirements for 7-10 and complied with any other regulations or requirements mandated by the Minister or NESA.
   
   For further information, please refer to ACE Rule 1.1.1
   https://curriculum.nsw.edu.au/ace-rules/ace1/achieving-rosa

Meeting outstanding requirements for the completion of Year 10 in Stage 6.

(6) Principals may determine a student who is ineligible for the RoSA at the end of Year 10 to be retrospectively eligible for the RoSA at the time of leaving school in Year 11 or Year 12 if the student was able to complete the outstanding requirements during their enrolment in Stage 6. Students completing outstanding requirements may accumulate courses while undertaking Stage 6 courses or until the date they leave school.

(7) Students may not be eligible for the RoSA. Schools may nominate students leaving school after Year 10 who are ineligible for the award of the RoSA for a transcript of study. For further information see ACE RULE 1.1.1 https://curriculum.nsw.edu.au/ace-rules/ace1/achieving-rosa

(8) Students in Catholic Schools are required to study at least 1 Unit of either Studies in Catholic Thought or Studies of Religion in Year 11 and 12.

ROSA School-Based Assessment 

ROSA School-Based Assessment Task Notifications

(9) Schools will ensure that students are provided with a RoSA School-Based Assessment Notification for each task and course. This notification will be issued at least 14 Calendar days prior to the due date of the task and must include:

1. Weighting of the Assessment Task, and
2. syllabus outcomes assessed, and
3. type of the Assessment Task, and
4. scheduled date and time for attempting or submitting the task, and
5. marking criteria (where appropriate)

(10) Please refer to ACE Rule 2.1.1 for further information regarding Preliminary School-Based Assessment Tasks https://curriculum.nsw.edu.au/ace-rules/ace2/assessment-programs

(11) In the event that the original due date of the RoSA School-Based Assessment Task needs to be altered, students will be advised of the changes to the assessment details in writing.

Determining final grades for RoSA

(12) Teachers must give students the opportunity to demonstrate their full range of achievement relative to the Common Grade Scale for Preliminary Courses and Common Grade Scale (7-10). Grades are determined by using all available assessment information, through making a valid judgement to assign a grade that best matches an achievement description of the Common Grade Scale for both Preliminary Common Grade Scale.

(13) Each school determines preliminary grades and Year 10 final grades using the formal assessment schedule outlined at the beginning of the academic year. Grades will be outlined on the Assessment Task Notification. Students will receive an overall RoSA grade upon successful completion of the course. Students must

1. applied themselves with diligence and sustained effort to the set tasks and experiences provided in the course by the school; and
2. achieved some or all of the course outcomes.

(14) While NESA does not stipulate attendance requirements, Principals may determine that, as a result of absence, the above course completion criteria might not be met. Clearly, such absences are serious and Principals must give students early written warning of the consequences of such absences. Warning letters will be issued for students whose absences impact the non-completion of course requirements. Please refer to ACE Manual Rule 4.1.2 regarding satisfactory course completion requirements.
https://curriculum.nsw.edu.au/ace-rules/ace4/course-completions

Completion of RoSA Assessment Tasks

(15) All students are expected to attempt all assessment tasks as prescribed by the Assessment Calendar.

Final Assessment Grades

(16) Students have an obligation to log in to the NESA Students Online Website to check their final grade for individual courses. If there are perceived differences, it is the student’s responsibility to immediately notify the school in writing. Please refer to the Ace Manual 2.2.26 https://curriculum.nsw.edu.au/ace-rules/ace2/s6-marks-grades.

Assessment Task Feedback

(17) Feedback is a vital part of a student’s learning journey. After each Assessment Task, students will receive feedback designed to help them understand strengths and identify areas for improvement. This feedback may be provided in various forms, including written comments, verbal discussions, or Marking Guidelines. It is important to engage with this feedback, as it can guide preparation for future tasks.

Satisfactory Completion of a Vocational Education & Training (VET) Course

1. VET courses are ‘dual accredited’ – students receive recognition towards their HSC as well as a Statement of Attainment. As with all HSC courses, students undertaking VET courses may be deemed to have either completed or not completed course requirements based on the course completion criteria.

VET Mandatory Work Placement

1. The requirement to complete work placement in a VET framework course is also stated in the student declaration on the Confirmation of Entry. This is to be signed by the student and retained by the school.
2. If a student does not undertake the mandatory work placement component, they will not be eligible for a Statement of Attainment, and the course will not contribute to HSC units; therefore, a student with ten (10) units would be ineligible for the HSC.
3. It is possible for the Principal to certify, at a later time, that the student has subsequently completed the mandatory requirements and request that the ‘N’ determination be withdrawn.

RoSA Assessment Tasks

Types of RoSA Assessment Tasks

(18) There are two types of assessment tasks:

1. In-Class Assessment Tasks – examples of these types of tasks include examinations, in-class responses, oral tasks, presentations, practical tasks and performance tasks (e.g., music or drama performances). In-Class Assessment Tasks will be completed on the nominated date and in the specified lesson. This information will be identified on the Assessment Task Notification.
2. Submission Assessment Tasks - examples of these types of tasks include research tasks, written / scientific reports and extended responses. Submission Assessment Tasks can be presented in a range of ways, depending on the nature of the task. The process for submission will be clearly outlined on each Assessment Task Notification. The ways tasks can be submitted include:

Arrangements for Submission Assessment Tasks

(19) Online/Electronic submission: Students in Year 11 are responsible for submitting their task by the nominated date on the Assessment Task Notification. Students completing Oral Assessment Tasks will be required to submit a copy of their speech/presentation via the procedures outlined for in-class Assessment Tasks on the due date.

(20) Hand in submissions (examples include models, artworks, design folios etc): Students in Years 11 are responsible for submitting their task on the nominated date and time as prescribed by the Assessment Task notification.

1. Tasks are to be submitted to the submission point as outlined on the Assessment Task Notification.

Arrangements for In-Class Assessment Tasks involving Multiple Classes 

(21) In circumstances where there are multiple classes of a course (e.g., there are two Biology classes in Year 11) and they are required to complete an In-Class Assessment Task, the following arrangements will be applied:

1. Where possible and practical all students (in all classes in a course) will complete the In-Class Assessment at the same time.

WORK SAMPLES

(22) NESA conducts grade monitoring for Year 10 and Preliminary courses (except courses based on Life Skills outcomes and content, and VET courses), to ensure the awarding of grades by schools is consistent with state-wide standards.

(23) Work samples may be used by schools to strengthen the consistency of teacher professional judgements when allocating grades consistent with student achievement. Schools must retain a minimum of two work samples that represent each grade that the school has allocated in a course. The samples must reflect the current syllabus.

(24) Schools retain student work samples and the corresponding assessment activities to demonstrate how grades are awarded in accordance with state-wide standards.  The work samples must be:

1. students' original work, preferably without teachers' comments on a performance or submitted work
2. drawn from assessment activities conducted in the latter half of the course
3. based on outcomes and content from the current syllabus for the course, and
4. demonstrating performance towards the end of the course that is typical of students allocated a particular grade by the school.

(25) Work samples may be drawn from:

1. written or practical assessment activities
2. the same assessment activity or from different assessment activities
3. the same student or different students, and
4. past years for Stage 5 and Preliminary courses only

(26) NESA may request work samples and corresponding assessment activities from a school for review.

Maintaining the Integrity of RoSA Assessment/Malpractice Policy

(27) The academic honesty of students completing Assessment Tasks, exams, and tests is critical to the integrity of the credential. Dishonest behaviour and/or any attempt carried out for the purpose of gaining unfair advantage in the assessment process undermines the standard of scholarship represented by the award of the RoSA and constitutes Malpractice. All forms of academic dishonesty are unacceptable.

(28) Students must complete ALL MY OWN WORK to be eligible for entry into a Preliminary and/or HSC courses. All my own work is an education program designed to instruct students about scholarship principles and ethical practices and comprises content across four topics related to locating and acknowledging sources of information, plagiarism, copyright and working with others.

(29) All my own work will be completed during the Year 10 academic year in Catholic Schools Maitland- Newcastle.

(30) In circumstances where a student is suspected of not complying with the expectations outlined above for Assessment Tasks, such as Malpractice, the following course of action will be applied:

1. The Subject / Classroom Teacher consults with the Leader of Learning regarding concerns related to HSC School-Based Assessment Tasks, Malpractice, plagiarism and cheating (please see the glossary for the definition of these terms).
2. Students will be required to demonstrate that all unacknowledged work is entirely their own (this includes cases of suspected sharing of work). This process will be overseen by the Leader of Learning (or delegate) and will require the student to produce evidence. The Leader of Learning (or delegate) will meet with the student to discuss this matter.

(31) The following process will be enacted:

1. The Assessment Committee will consider all evidence presented and make a final determination.
2. Parents/Carers will be notified of any cases regarding breaches of the Assessment Task, Malpractice.
3. If an established case of a breach of the Assessment Task is found, the student may be awarded a mark of ZERO or a penalty if the Malpractice applies to a section of the task only;
4. An N Warning Letter WILL be issued;
5. Students may be required to resubmit the Assessment Task in accordance with All My Own Work (ie the resubmitted work must be the student’s own work).

(32) Students and families can appeal to the Principal if they disagree with the decision of the Assessment Committee within 48 hours of receiving the outcome.

(33) Please note carefully: NESA expects students to make a serious attempt at all Assessment Tasks, HSC examinations, and HSC Minimum Standard Tests. Please see the details regarding Malpractice, Misrepresentation, Plagiarism, Collusion and Breach of Assessment Conditions below:

Principles and Procedures regarding Assessment (in-class examination assessment)

(34) The following relates to student conduct during Assessment: in any cases where student conduct is outside the rules, the Assessment Committee will be notified.

(35) Students must follow the day-to-day rules of the school when they sit for their examinations. Failure to observe these rules may result in zero marks for the Assessment, no result for the course, or non-award of the RoSA certification.

(36) For a HSC examination, HSC minimum standard or Year 11 Assessment Task to be considered a serious attempt, students must:

1. respond to and demonstrate academic engagement, and
2. answer in English, unless specifically instructed otherwise.

(37) Non-serious attempts include but are not limited to:

1. answering only multiple-choice questions, and/or
2. responses containing objectionable material:
3. abuse directed at a member of school staff,
4. obscene symbols, drawings, or comments.

(38) During each examination, students must not:

1. cheat
2. include frivolous, offensive, threatening or objectionable material
3. take any of the prohibited items into the room
4. speak to anyone other than a supervisor
5. behave in any way that may disturb another student or disrupt the running of the examination
6. be affected by alcohol or illegal drugs
7. eat unless approved by NESA or the school (e.g. if you have diabetes)
8. take any examination material out of the room
9. write on your body (e.g. your arms), tissues or material that is not examination material
10. leave the room if your Principal or delegate requires all students to stay until each examination ends.

Approved Equipment to be brought to Assessment (in class)

(39) Students should bring the equipment they know they will need and are allowed for each examination. Make sure that your equipment is in good working order, because misadventure applications will not be upheld (or supported/accepted) for equipment failure.

(40) Students can bring the following items into their examinations:

1. pens;
2. pencils (must be at least grading 2B);
3. erasers and a sharpener;
4. a ruler;
5. highlighter pens;
6. water in a clear, unlabelled bottle;
7. a non-programmable watch, which must be taken off and placed on the desk in clear view and not touched during the Assessment Task;
8. An approved calculator

(41) Students may need to bring certain equipment, like a calculator for some Assessment Tasks/Examinations. Students need to ensure that their scientific calculator is an approved model.

(42) Students are not permitted to bring any of the following items into Assessment Tasks/examinations. They are to be left outside the room in a nominated location. These include:

1. mobile phones (not permitted in an examination room under any circumstance)
2. programmable watches (for example, smart watches)
3. other electronic devices (excluding a calculator or wired headphones where permitted), any other communication devices, including:
   1. organisers 
   2. tablets 
   3. wireless earphones and headphones 
   4. electronic dictionaries 
   5. music players 
   6. AI and Meta Glasses 
4. paper or any printed or written material (working paper may be provided by the supervising teachers)
5. print dictionaries (except where permitted in language examinations)
6. correction fluid.

(43) Students are not allowed to borrow equipment during examinations.

Illness / Misadventure and Absence

(44) Where a student’s pattern of attendance could jeopardise the satisfactory completion of the RoSA, parents/carers should establish communication with the school as soon as practicable.

(45) Leave may be granted to cover absence from the school’s educational program for short periods, provided that the reason for the absence is substantiated and that the progress of the student towards course outcomes will not be unduly affected.

(46) When leave is granted by the Principal, such leave should not, of itself, jeopardise the student’s eligibility for the RoSA.

(47) Furthermore, the NSW Education Act (1990) Part 2 – 4 (b) states “the education of a child is primarily the responsibility of the child’s parents (p.4).” This information is taken from the NSW Education Act (1990).

Illness/Misadventure from an Assessment Task

(48) The following arrangements (where appropriate) will be in place for students who are absent from an Assessment Task due to illness, unforeseen absence or foreseen absence. Students must adhere to the following process:

1. In-class Assessment Tasks. A student who misses a task may have an alternate task to complete and may not complete the original task. This alternate task date will be arranged and published to the student in writing. This will likely be on the first available opportunity of return to school.
2. Submission Assessment Task. A student who has a foreseen absence, such as a scheduled medical appointment or extracurricular activity, will be required to submit the task prior to the due date or by the original due date. For students who are impacted by illness or unforeseen circumstances, please refer to foreseen absence below.

(49) All Assessment Variation Forms will be reviewed by the Assessment Committee.

Absences due to Illness

(50) For all absences due to medical illnesses, an Assessment Variation Form with evidence, which includes a Medical Certificate.

1. The Medical Certificate / Pharmacist Certificate must be an original and be on the registered Medical Practitioner’s / Pharmacist’s letterhead. In addition to these general points, the following conditions also apply:
   1. Students must seek independent evidence on the same day, either immediately before or after each Assessment Task for which you are applying.
   2. The documentation must be current, specific to the date and time of the Assessment Task and
   3. Submitted with the Variation Form.
   4. A medical certificate that merely states you were unfit for work or study may be considered unacceptable.

(51)  Failure to follow any of these procedures could result in a zero mark being awarded. NESA considers “giving false reasons for not handing in work by the due date” to be Malpractice.

 Absences due to an Acceptable Unforeseen Circumstance

(52)  In circumstances where a student needs to be absent from an Assessment Task due to an unforeseen reason, the following actions need to take place:

1. The student’s Parent/carer needs to advise the school of the circumstances.
2. Student must submit a completed Assessment Variation Form. Evidence will be required. Please contact the school for advice regarding the required advice in these circumstances.
3. The missed Assessment Task must be completed immediately upon return to school or at a time that is suitable to the school. Students will be required to check individual arrangements for the alternate task.
4. In cases where the task is a Submitted Assessment Task and the Assessment Task Notification has been issued at least 14 calendar days prior to the due date of the task, a student will generally not be granted an extension and may receive “0” for their task.

Absences due to an Acceptable Foreseen Circumstance

(53)  Students representing the school in an extra-curricular activity or participating in an internal school-based activity are required to follow the procedure outlined below:

1. The student must complete an Assessment Variation form and submit prior to the scheduled date of the Assessment Task.
2. In circumstances where students need to attend a scheduled medical appointment (e.g., Paediatrician's Appointment or Orthodontist's Appointment, etc) and this appointment coincides with an Assessment Task (in-class task), an Assessment Variation Form MUST be submitted prior to the scheduled dates of the Assessment Task with a provision to provide the certificate after the appointment if required.
3. Students attending TAFE/EVET or SBAT must complete an Assessment Variation Form prior to a scheduled task if an Assessment Task is a scheduling conflict. Please note that an alternate task may be issued.

Outcome of the Assessment Committee – Right to Appeal

(54)  If an Assessment Variation is declined, the following appeal process may be undertaken.

1. Appeals may be submitted to the Principal in writing within 48 hours of receiving the outcome of the Assessment Committee.
2. The appeal must state why the decision is considered unacceptable, with reference to the evidence supplied in the original application.
3. The Principal will review all the documentation and evidence and will advise you in writing of the outcome of the review.

Penalties for Non-Submission, Malpractice and Assessment / Examination Non-Compliance

(55)  Penalties can be applied for academic Malpractice and/or non-compliance with Assessment / Examination Etiquette. Requirements are outlined below.

Assessment Illness and Misadventure Applications (during an Assessment Task)

(56) Illness and Misadventure procedures for students in Assessment Tasks are related to Illness/Misadventure are reflective of both the expectations of the school and of NESA. Therefore:

1. Students may lodge an Illness/Misadventure application using the Assessment Variation Form if they believe that circumstances occurring immediately before or during an Assessment Task, and which were beyond their control, diminished their performance in an Assessment Task.
2. Student’s application for Illness/Misadventure related to submitted Assessment Tasks will generally NOT be considered, as the student will have had sufficient notice to complete the task.
3. Students are responsible for applying for Illness/Misadventure, except in circumstances where this is not possible due to severe illness or exceptional circumstances.
4. A student has to submit their Illness/Misadventure application on the day of the task or immediately upon their return to school with appropriate supporting evidence/documentation.
5. If a student’s circumstances prior to a task are such that they believe they will be applying for Illness/Misadventure after the task, the student needs to advise the supervising teacher prior to the commencement of the task. This will allow the student’s performance during the task to be monitored.
6. Illness and Misadventure can only be considered for tasks that are completed or submitted.

(57) A student CANNOT make an application for Illness/Misadventure on the basis of:

1. Difficulties in preparation or loss of preparation time; for example, due to an earlier illness.
2. Alleged deficiencies in teaching.
3. Loss of study time or access to facilities.
4. Long-term illness, such as glandular fever, unless the student has experienced a flare-up of the condition immediately prior to or during the task – A Medical Certificate would be required to confirm the recurrence of the illness.
5. The same grounds for which a student usually receives disability provisions, unless the student faces additional unrelated difficulties during the task. For example, a hypoglycaemic event suffered by a diabetic student or a student who has been isolated but is still unwell, or other difficulties, supported by the supervising teacher.
6. Misreading the Assessment Schedule or Examination Timetable.
7. Misreading the Assessment or Examination instructions.
8. Other commitments, such as participating in entertainment, work, VET Work Placement, sporting events, or attendance at examinations organised by other educational institutions.
9. Technology failure – this alone is NOT a valid reason for failing to submit a summative Assessment Task on time.
10. Attendance at a sporting or cultural event, or a family holiday immediately prior to the task. The basis for this information was sourced from the ACE Manual: ACE 9.1.2 – Higher School Certificate (HSC) - Illness/Misadventure Applications – Grounds for Appeal. https://curriculum.nsw.edu.au/ace-rules/ace9/im-program

Disability Provisions

(58) Disability provisions address students' examination needs impacted by one or more of the following categories of disability:

1. learning, and/or
2. medical, and/or
3. vision, and/or
4. hearing
5. are determined on the basis of functional evidence of impact, and
6. provide practical support for students with disability to access Assessment Tasks, not to achieve potential.

(59)  Schools must ensure that students with disability can access and participate in education on the same basis as other students, as required under the Disability Standards for Education 2005.

(60) Through collaborative curriculum planning, the school must determine, and implement, reasonable adjustments for a student with disability for Assessment Tasks. Adjustments are actions taken that enable a student with disability to access syllabus outcomes and content on the same basis as other students, as required under the Disability Standards for Education 2005.

(61) The school is responsible for any decision to determine adjustments to assessment activities and tasks, including in- Assessment Tasks and will communicate with families regarding the adjustment for the Assessment Program. Please refer to ACE rule 6 for further information regarding Disability Provisions . https://curriculum.nsw.edu.au/ace-rules/ace6/disprovs-program.

Life Skills

(62) The Life Skills curriculum is designed to support students with significant learning needs who are unable to access regular course outcomes, particularly those with intellectual disabilities. Students may access Life Skills Courses in Years 11 and 12 following a collaborative planning process involving teachers, parents/carers, and other relevant professionals.