Students AP 391: Student Appeals of School Awarded Marks

Background

Students have the right to appeal school awarded marks.

Procedures

1. The Principal is responsible for:
   1. Ensuring teachers provide each student a clear statement of:
      1. Course objectives;
      2. Course content;
      3. Evaluation and assessment procedures;
      4. Other criteria to be used in evaluation;
      5. Appeal procedures.
   2. Ensuring comparable assessment from one class to another in the same course within a school in terms of:
      1. Course outcomes, objectives and content.
      2. Evaluation/assessment procedures and criteria.
      3. Standards of achievement.
      4. Ensuring teachers understand Administrative Procedure 360 - Student Assessment, Evaluation and Reporting, so as to increase the likelihood of consistent assessment procedures and practices across District schools.
2. A student, or parent/guardian acting on the student’s behalf, shall have the right to appeal the final standing awarded in any subject and information about the appeal process is to be communicated to students/guardians annually.
   1. Appeal of High School Grades at the School Level
      1. Normally, the first appeal shall be made in writing to the Principal within one (1) week of the time final standings are released by the school to students.
         1. The written appeal shall outline the reason or reasons for making the request.
      2. The Principal shall acknowledge receipt of the appeal and indicate to the student the expected date when a decision with regard to the appeal will be reached.
         1. For appeals of grades awarded during the first semester, the Principal’s ruling will be conveyed to the student within one (1) week of the student/s appeal.
         2. For second semester appeals, the Principal’s ruling will be made available to the student within one (1) week of the opening of the next school year.
      3. Teachers shall make available to the Principal all final examinations and other pertinent material used in the evaluation of their students as directed by the Principal.
      4. The Principal shall employ as many of the following procedures as may be necessary when reviewing the final grade awarded to a student:
         1. Consultation with teacher(s) involved.
         2. A check of records.
         3. A personal hearing of the student’s appeal.
         4. A review of evaluation procedures followed.
         5. The granting of permission to the student to see the graded final examination.
      5. The Principal shall confirm in writing the outcome for the appeal to the student and keep a copy of the response and supporting documentation on file.
      6. If there is an urgent reason for an appeal, such as scholarships, entry into a post-secondary Institution, or job placement, the following procedures will be used:
         1. The student wishing to appeal marks must do so upon receipt of his/her report card by the last day of the semester in question.
         2. The Principal shall rule on the urgency of the appeal.
         3. Where the appeal is deemed urgent by the Principal, he/she shall acknowledge the urgency and process the appeal according to 2.1.4.3 and 2.1.4.4. The results will be forwarded immediately to the student and the student’s parents or guardian.
         4. Although principals and teachers are not required to be available for appeal purposes during their regular vacation periods, each Principal is expected to make arrangements to deal with urgent appeals.
   2. Appeal of High School Grades at the School System Level
      1. Should a student and/or parent/guardian not be satisfied with the outcome of an appeal made to the Principal, the student or parent/guardian may request a hearing from the Superintendent or designate.
   3. Appeal of Diploma Exam Marks
      1. The student has the right of appeal to the Learner Assessment Branch of Alberta Education, in accordance with the Guide to Education.
         1. The Principal will provide the student with the procedures for contacting the Learner Assessment Branch.
      2. The student has the right to request that his/her diploma examination be re-scored or to re-write the examination at a later date.