Assessment

The following is an explanation about assessment and reporting procedures used for Year 10 Science in Semester Two, so that you have a clear understanding of the process.

No overall mark or grade is given to indicate students overall performance. Each student will be given a number of grades to indicate performance in a variety of types of coursework. Coursework must be completed to a satisfactory standard to pass the Science course. Some of this coursework will be graded and are also called assessment tasks.

The Year 10 Semester Two Science report

An S or N indicates whether coursework was satisfactorily completed or not, but does not indicate the quality of the work performed.  The criteria for satisfactory completion will be given to students before attempting the work.

Coursework that is also an Assessment Task, will receive a grade using an HD1 to L2 scale, all indicating a satisfactory result, although S and L grades do indicate that considerable improvement is desirable. Two other marks are possible.

BS - work which has not achieved the minimum requirements to be satisfactorily graded.
NA - not assessed , where work is submitted late or not at all.

A summary of coursework and graded assessment tasks for Semester 2 is given in the table below:

Course Work	Is satisfactory completion necessary?	Is it graded ?
Student work	Yes	No
Practical work	Yes	Yes
Experimental research project	Yes	Yes
Class assessment	Yes	Yes
Semester examination	Yes	Yes

You will also be assessed according to the Victorian Essential Learning Standards (VELS) Level 6.  The topics address the Standards in the Discipline-based Strand of Science and various Standards in the Physical, Personal and Social Learning Strand and the Interdisciplinary Learning Strand. The Science course covers the two Dimensions of Science Knowledge and understanding and Science at Work.

Work Requirements and Graded Assessment Tasks

Student Work
All classwork must be completed to your teacher's satisfaction. Student work incorporates the worksheets found in the homework book. Student work must be completed by 99/10/09.

Practical Work Reports
Practical work will be assessed through pre-prac tests and practical reports.  The pre-prac. tests will be conducted prior to the practical activity.  Some practical reports are to be completed on the pro-forma report sheets.  Others may require students to plan and write the report completely following the recommended format.  Practical reports must be handed in no later than one week after the completion of the prac, however most reports will be completed in class. Information regarding the assessment guidelines for the practical activities will be discussed by your teacher before commencement. If a student is absent from class and misses a practical activity it is his responsibility to make an alternative arrangement with his teacher.

Students must be aware of safety precautions before undertaking practical work, particularly experiments involving chemicals.

Late submission of graded prac. reports, without legitimate reasons, will receive a NA.
The practical work reports must be completed by 29/10/09.

Experimental Research Project
Each student is required to complete an individual experimental research project on a topic approved by your teacher.  Details of the project can be found later in this booklet. You will need to keep a checklist of your progress.
A plan is to be submitted to your teacher by 13/7/09
The first submission of the report should be handed in by 28/8/09.
The final report should be submitted by 12/10/09.

Your teacher may recommend that you enter your report in a competition such as Science Talent Search, Crest or the BHP Science Prize. Many Melbourne High School students have won prizes in these competitions over the years.........but you've got to be in it to win it!

Class Assessment
This will comprise of a number of different assessment tasks on various aspects of the course such as class tests, individual or group research, presentations or concept maps.

Semester Exam
A formal common assessment exam will be given to all students near the end of the Semester.  The length of this exam will be 75 minutes with 15 minutes reading time.