Exam Schedule

Please read through the following expectations for exams:

Attendance for Exams/Quizzes

Students are expected to write exams on the scheduled dates. The only exceptions are for illness or compassionate reasons related to a student’s immediate family. Teachers may elect to have these students write at an alternative sitting or may adjust the grade weighting.

• Students who have a verified absence on the date of an in-class quiz or test are expected to write at noon or in a spare PRIOR to the next class meeting unless their teacher makes other arrangements. Students who do not write or make arrangements to write prior to the next class meeting may be assigned a mark of 0%.
• Students who have an unverified absence on the day of a test or quiz may be assigned a mark of 0%.

Attendance for Final Exams

• All students are expected to write their final exams according to the schedule whether it is an in-class or exam week final.  If a student’s schedule calls for two exams to be written at the same time, he or she is to contact the principal immediately and staff will make alternate arrangements.
• Students who cannot write for reason of illness must provide medical documentation.
• Students who are absent for compassionate reasons involving an immediate family member must advise the school in writing.

a) Students who miss final exams for the reasons listed above will have their final grade based on semester work only.

• Students who miss final exams for reasons other than those listed above (as defined in the School Act) will likely be assigned a final exam mark of 0%.  For this reason, families are expected to schedule vacations outside of exam periods.
• In special circumstances, a student who must be away from school during scheduled exams MAY be granted permission by the principal to write an exam (other than Diploma Exams) at an alternate site, but only if the following criteria can be met:

a) Parents are prepared to guarantee that the student will write the exam on the date it was originally scheduled (in order to maintain the security of the exam)

b) Parents will email the completed exam to the school to be marked, along with the other exams, prior to the teacher’s deadline for the submission of grades

c) Along with the exam, parents must email a statement attesting to the fact that the exam was written under appropriate conditions and adult (non-parent) supervision

d) Parents are to follow up with a phone call to ensure that the email was received

e) Exams must be returned to the school immediately upon the student’s return

• Failure to meet the criteria listed above will result in the student receiving a grade of 0% on the exam.
• Students who arrive late for Diploma Exams are subject to the guidelines established by Alberta Learning.  That is, students who arrive up to one hour late will be allowed to take the test.  Because the security of the exam cannot be guaranteed after one hour has elapsed and some of the students have been dismissed, a late-arriving student will not be allowed to begin the exam after the initial hour has passed.
• Students arriving more than an hour late will have an opportunity to write the exam at the next sitting.  Typically the next sitting is mid-semester, at the end of the following semester or in the summer. Students must register to rewrite a diploma examination through their MyPass account and a rewrite fee is required.

 Basic Exam Writing Rules

• Calculators are allowed only if stated on the test or exam.
• Cell phones, Smart watches, and AirPods are prohibited during a test or exam. Use of a cell phone during an exam could result in getting a zero on the exam.
• Students are expected to refrain from talking, whispering or gesturing during the testing period, even if they are finished writing.
• Students who benefit from the work of others, who assist others with exam information, or who bring in information for the purpose of assistance on an exam will receive a mark of 0%.

• Students may be removed from the exam room if they do not to comply with the basic rules of exam writing and they may be assigned a mark of 0% or marked on what has been completed, at the teacher’s discretion.

Procedure for suspected cheating in exam situations:

1. Supervisor who notices suspicious behaviour alerts other supervisor(s) of suspicions. Supervisor(s) monitor to confirm or dismiss.
2. If cheating is observed, or even thought to be occurring, the final exam is removed from the student(s) involved.
3. Student is immediately removed to the office. Wording such as “This is not allowed, you need to come with me” should be used.
4. If it is just one student, that student should go into the Principal’s office. If it is more than one student, they should be put into separate areas (principal and vice principal office for example) and not allowed to speak to one another.
5. Administration will have both the student(s) and the supervisor(s) fill out an incident statement, stating why the student was removed from the exam. They will sign and date the statement.
6. The Principal/admin will take the statements and talk to the supervisor(s) about the incident. The Principal/admin will then talk to the student(s).
7. The student(s) will then finish writing the exam in isolation, in the office.
8. If cheating is confirmed, the student will be given a zero on the final exam.
9. The Principal/admin will then immediately phone the student’s parents.
10. An email will be sent home by the Principal/admin informing the student and parents about the decision and consequences. JMHS student handbook will be cited in the email. Example below.

Upon close review of the circumstances, the students caught cheating on the final exam will receive a mark of zero, as per page 17-18 of the JMHS student handbook: “students who benefit from the work of others, who assist others with exam information, or who bring in information for the purpose of assistance on an exam, will receive a mark of 0%.”

Exam week information