A. School
 

1.1 And 1.3 School Goal And Philosophy
 

The vision of Ontario Virtual School is to empower all learners, through the use of technology to experience scholastic success. We strive to promote students to achieve their highest academic potential at a pace and timing that best supports their personal learning style. Research has demonstrated the tremendous importance and value of completing secondary education, not only for the individual but also for the community and other stakeholders. OVS is committed to working with students, and parents to enable all learners to accomplish their goals towards completing an Ontario Secondary School Diploma (OSSD).
 

1.2 Our Commitment
 

Each teenager has his or her own unique interests, goals and strengths. Yet, every student should have the same opportunity to succeed and graduate from high school. Bill 52, The Education Amendment Act, Learning to Age 18, 2006, mandates that teenagers must remain in school until the age of 18 however, every student learns in his or her own way. This is where Ontario Virtual School can play a significant role in the lives of many. OVS values the importance of successfully completing a secondary education and offers students an alternative means of achieving that.
 

1.4 School Organization
 

Ontario Virtual School operates on a continuous entry and exit model where there is no defined start date or end date. It is therefore the students’ responsibility to communicate their anticipated endpoint to the teacher and then adhere to that timeline (within reason). OVS is proud to announce that we support student learning 12 months of the year. As such we do not have pre-defined reporting dates. Upon completion of half the course, students will be provided with a Provincial midterm report card, and upon completion of the course the student (day school and/or post-secondary institutions and/or application centers if applicable) will receive a copy of the final report card.
 

1.5-1 Rights And Responsibilities Of Students, Parents & Staff
 

Students have the right to:
 

know the summative assessment methods that will be used to assess their achievement 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:
 

providing evidence of their achievement academic honesty work to the best of their ability work to teachers on time classes and being active participants in the learning and assessment process with teachers when there is difficulty in meeting timelines that missed work is completed within pre-established timelines communicating with parents’ assessment & evaluation methods, and pertinent due dates and timelines for work submission.
 

Teachers have the right to:
 

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

Teachers are responsible for:
 

providing multiple and varied opportunities for students to demonstrate their learning providing instruction and support to enable students to learn and practice good time management skills monitoring and maintaining a record of late assignments to be used in assessing learning skills and providing feedback to students and parents and returning student work in a timely manner so that students can improve their work to students the course expectations, the use of the achievement chart, category weightings the method of determining a grade in the course and the Ministry assessment/evaluation policy clear timelines which may include “windows” for work submission and/or collaborating with their students regarding timeline sand clearly communicating assignment due dates to students the meaning of academic honesty and methods for citing references. informing students and parents regarding how students can receive support for their learning during the course parents/guardians informed regarding the progress of their child and how they can support their child’s success facilitating a mutually agreed upon method of communicating with parents.
 

Parents/guardians have the right to:
 

be informed regarding course requirements, assessment & evaluation methods, due dates and timelines for work submission information about their child’s performance access to their child’s course to get a first- hand look at how they are learning information about the Ministry assessment & evaluation policy a phone interview with their child’s teacher and/or the administration at a mutually agreed upon time. a face to face interview (parents night) with their child’s teacher.
 

Parents/guardians are responsible for:
 

communicating regularly with the school and understanding how they can contribute to their child’s success initiating contact with teachers if and when difficulties arise actively monitoring their child’s progress and working collaboratively with the school, teacher and child to plan for their child’s improvement.
 

Cheating and Plagiarism
 

“Learning is enhanced when students think independently and honestly”. It is expected that students will demonstrate respect for the intellectual property rights of others and adhere to a code of honor in all course activities. 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.
 

Plagiarism is defined by OVS as

The use of ideas or thoughts of a person other than the writer, without proper acknowledgement;

The use of direct quotations, or of material paraphrased and/or summarized by the writer;

The submission of an assignment that has been written in part or in whole by someone else as one’s own; and

The submission of material that has been obtained from a computerized source, with or without minor modifications, as one’s own.

Cheating is defined by OVS as

The buying and/or selling of assignments, or exam/test questions;

Submission of the same piece of work in more than one course without the permission of the teacher;

The preparation of an assignment by someone else other than the stated writer;

Allowing one’s assignment to be copied by someone else;

Providing another student your assignment;

The unauthorized giving or receiving of information or assistance during an examination or a test.

Academic dishonesty destroys the integrity of the program by diminishing the learning experience for the entire Ontario Virtual School community. Therefore, maintaining academic integrity is imperative. Whether intentional or through the ignorance of the policy, acts of academic dishonesty are unacceptable and will not be tolerated. These acts and the parties involved will receive a mark of zero for the assignment. In addition, all students involved will be subject to additional consequences which will be addressed on a case-by-case basis. These consequences will reflect a continuum of behavioral and academic responses and consequences, based on at least the following four factors:

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.
    

Appropriate Computer Use Policy
 

Learning Management System (LMS) at the Ontario Virtual School is designed for educational purposes only. All use of any LMS tool within course for any purpose other than the intended educational purpose is prohibited. The inappropriate uses include, but are not limited to, criminal, obscene, commercial, or illegal purposes.

The administration has the right to review all student work in order to determine the appropriateness of computer use. If the LMS is deemed to be used inappropriately, the Administration will levy consequences which may include suspensions and/or removal from the program. In some cases, further action may be taken including contacting day schools, legal representation or the police.

Students need to be very vigilant in order to prevent them getting into a situation where they may be suspected for inappropriate use.

Therefore, students are reminded to

• Always protect their passwords and not share them with anyone

• Always inform their teachers of suspicious messages or other incidents that they encounter

• Always only access content that is intended for student use.
   

1.5-2 Student Achievement
 

The Assessment and Evaluation Policy for Ontario Virtual School is consistent with Ministry policy and reflects the vision that Ontario Virtual School has which is 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. Teachers engage in assessment as learning by helping all students develop their capacity to be independent, autonomous learners who are able to set individual goals, monitor their own progress, determine next steps, and reflect on their thinking and learning. Ongoing per-assessments and formative assessments will be used to provide meaningful feedback about student progress and achievement in order to improve performance. Summative assessments will be used to arrive at the grade.
 

Course Evaluation Will Be Divided Into Two Parts:
 

70% is based on cumulative evidence of summative evaluations undertaken throughout the semester; -30% is based on final evaluations which will take place in the final third of the course. Final evaluations 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 that will include detailed assessment and evaluation information, and that also outline the percentage breakdown for both the 70% and the 30%. All courses will be evaluated according to the following breakdown:
 

Term work: 70% [based on Knowledge and Understanding, thinking and Investigation, Communication and Application]

Final Summatives 30% [based on Knowledge and Understanding, thinking and Investigation, Communication and Application]

Although each course will have the same breakdown, individual courses may have subject specific summative tasks that will be used to determine the student’s grade. Please refer to the course outline as it is presented in your courses for more details.

Second Chance Protocol.
 

Based on the premise that the primary purpose of assessment and evaluation is to improve student learning, students will be given additional opportunities to demonstrate their learning if they are not successful on their first attempt. It will be at the teacher’s discretion and professional opinion on when to exercise this option.
 

Repetition Of A Course
 

• Only one credit is earned if course is repeated

• In Grade 11 and 12, an “R” appears on the student’s OST for the course with the lower mark
   

Requesting Course Changing
 

Course transfer policy: A student who registers and is enrolled into a course for less than a week and does not complete an assessment in the course, may request to be transferred to another course. Students will only be granted one course transfer per enrollment. All course transfer requests must come within one week of the initial enrollment. The decision of the OVS Principal will be considered final in all cases involving student requests for course transfers.
 

Reporting Student Achievement
 

Ontario Virtual School will use the Provincial Report Card, Grades 9-12, for formal written reports sent home two times 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.