IB mandated policies and statements

Vision statement 

We envision a joyful learning community where students and teachers cultivate tolerance and a sense of community. We encourage our goal-oriented students to take responsibility for their education, providing them with tools for academic success now and in the future. We believe in fostering creativity while respecting traditions. Our students will graduate with an appreciation for their own cultures and diverse perspectives. After high school, they are equipped with the skills and knowledge to make a positive impact in the world and success in life-long learning. 

Mission statement 

Ressun lukio values: 

• joy of learning 
• taking responsibility and goal orientation 
• sense of community 
• tolerance 
• creativity 
• respecting traditions 
• international mindedness 

Ressun lukio, with its long traditions, is a progressive and high-quality school that is both Finnish and international. As a big school, we can offer our students a variety of study options and experiences. Our school is actively involved in educational projects and co-operation. 

Ressun lukio supports and encourages its students to be proactive. The students learn to take responsibility for their own studies and work together as a community. We promote well-being, equality and a sense of belonging in our daily practices as well as decision-making.  

We advocate an all-round education, global awareness and preparation for further studies. 

School strategy 

Our school is proud to have its new, modern IB building conveniently located in the city center, which offers diverse possibilities for teaching and learning outside the school walls. 

Our philosophy of our education is founded on and relies on mutual trust between our motivated students and inspirational teachers. Our highly competent staff members hold Master's degrees and maintain their up-to-date approach with regular professional development, ensuring that our students receive the best possible education. 

With a big cohort, we recognize the diversity of our students and thus encourage them to explore different fields and interests by providing a comprehensive curriculum that caters to their needs. With welfare staff and counselling services in place to support our students, we aim to provide a safe and nurturing environment that fosters growth and development. We cooperate closely with guardians, universities and our international partners.  

To promote self-management skills as well as the qualities of the Learner profile, students hold an active role in the daily activities and planning of school events. Our long, well-rooted traditions have been passed down through generations, creating a unique and vibrant atmosphere. 

Our student council works closely with the school administration to address any issues or concerns raised by the students. We have various clubs that cater to our students' diverse interests, allowing them to pursue extracurricular activities that complement their academic journey. 

Our students aim for the full IB Diploma and have a low drop-out rate, demonstrating their commitment to academic excellence. We are proud of our high-achieving students and look forward to their future successes. 

Honesty is the cornerstone of academic research and the teachers will do their best to guide the students to good academic practice. The students themselves are always ultimately responsible for all work they submit. They are encouraged to ask for additional guidance whenever they are uncertain about the proper procedure.    

Ressun lukio expects all its students to bear in mind and adhere to the principles of academic integrity in all their work.     

The IB Learner Profile states that IB students aim to be principled and “act with integrity and honesty, with a strong sense of fairness and justice, and with respect for the dignity and rights of people everywhere”.    

The IB DP General Regulations Document - version published in Sept 2016 - defines academic misconduct as “behaviour (whether deliberate or inadvertent) that results in, or may result in, the candidate or any other candidate gaining an unfair advantage” in one or more assessment components. The same applies to behaviour disadvantaging a student. 

These ideas form the basis for the academic integrity policy in Ressun lukio. The importance of academic integrity is emphasised from the first school day on. All teachers discuss how this applies to their own subject throughout the DP and the topic is also introduced in group meetings. Students have access to the IB Document "Effective Citing and Referencing". Academic integrity has its own section in our IB DP Handbook for each examination session. 

An IB learner respects and acknowledges the creative and original efforts of others.  

All work submitted for assessment must be the student’s own. Any work (ideas, words, pictures etc.) of others (including tools based on Artificial Intelligence) must be fully acknowledged. Direct quotations must be in quotation marks. Direct quotations and paraphrased ideas must both be appropriately acknowledged. Teachers give guidance to the students on conventions of appropriate citation styles and ways of acknowledging original authorship.  

While students will often be asked to collaborate during their studies, collusion is forbidden: all work to be assessed individually must be produced independently and cannot be the same as someone else’s unless specifically stated otherwise in the IB DP subject guidelines. 

DP teachers monitor the authenticity of student work in various ways. Search engines can be used to find resemblances and validate references. With bigger tasks, the teachers must see the development of the students' work through the various stages so that they can vouch for the process. Suspicious work will not be assessed. 

Academic misconduct also includes – but is not limited to - plagiarism, fabrication of data, misconduct during examinations and duplication of work.  

The IB DP General Regulations document specifically discusses certain forms of academic misconduct: 

• Plagiarism: the representation – intentional or not – of the ideas or work of another person without proper clear and explicit acknowledgement. 
• Collusion: supporting academic misconduct by another candidate, eg by allowing one’s work to be copied. 
• Duplication of work: presentation of the same work twice for different assessment requirements. 
• Misconduct in IB exams: accessing unauthorized material, disrupting the exams, communicating in exams etc 
• Unethical behaviour: eg not following ethical guidelines in research, submitting inappropriate work 
• Any other behaviour that gains an unfair advantage for a candidate or that affects the results of another candidate (for example falsifying a CAS record, disclosure of information to and receipt of information from candidates about the content of an examination paper within 24 hours after a written examination – via any form of communication).  

All forms of plagiarism and cheating are forbidden and students caught will be penalised.  

• Any breach of these regulations will be discussed with the student and reported to the DP Coordinator. The parents and the principal may be included in the discussion. Suspicious work will not be assessed. 
• Any malpractice discovered by the IB will always be formally investigated. 
• If the IB decides not to issue a grade in a subject that contributes to a candidate’s IB Diploma, the candidate will not be awarded the IB Diploma in the exam session. In cases of serious or repeated misconduct, the student can even be disqualified from participating in future exams. 

Ressun lukio recognises the importance of languages. Language studies will help IB DP students become more open-minded and better communicators, in the spirit of the IB Learner Profile. 

Two distinct study programmes operate on Ressun lukio campus. The national Finnish upper secondary school uses Finnish as the language of instruction, while the IB Diploma section offers an English-language programme. 

Although the school is located in Finnish-language surroundings and a great number of students are Finnish native speakers, the school itself uses both languages in its day-to-day operations. We consider this a strength, and encourage students and teachers to explore both programmes and languages. 

The preparatory year before the IB Diploma studies offer many possibilities for the students to work on their language skills: 

• The students who have not studied in English before can improve their English language skills to the required level before the start of the DP.  
• As Finland has two official national languages, the IB Diploma students who plan to stay in the country are encouraged to continue with their Swedish studies and take the official matriculation examination test in it, in addition to their DP subjects.  
• Students who do not speak Finnish are encouraged to learn at least the basics, offered during the preparatory year, to make the most of their surroundings and to broaden their CAS options.  
• Our Finnish national programme section offers foreign language courses in Swedish, English, German, French, Russian, Spanish and Chinese in addition to Finnish as mother tongue. IB DP students are welcome to join them whenever they can. 

In the IB Diploma Programme, we offer Finnish A: Literature and English A: Language and Literature in Group 1. In Group 2, English, Finnish and French are taught as languages B. The languages are available at Higher/Standard Level, depending on the number of students choosing them. In order to offer a chance for students to start learning a new language from the beginning, we also offer German ab initio SL. 

Students are encouraged to choose a school-supported, self-taught Language A Literature course if this seems a viable mother-tongue option for them.  There is a supervising full-time language A teacher in the school who will help them understand and plan the course of study (Self-taught language coordinator). These students are also encouraged to join taught Language A groups, in particular when they are covering world literature. In previous years, our students have successfully completed Language A Literature self-study e.g. in the following languages: Chinese, French, German, Italian, Korean, Lithuanian, Greek, Nepali, Polish, Russian, Swedish, Turkish, Urdu and Vietnamese. 

Our students have an additional opportunity to complete the official proficiency examination DELF (Diplôme d’Études en Langue Francaise) in French and/or Sprachdiplom  in the German language. 

All students are encouraged to utilise their communicative skills in practice by taking part in the various cooperation projects with our partner schools abroad, foreign language theatre and debate clubs and in hosting the many foreign visitors that come to our school. 

During the prepatory year each student meets with their student counsellor to discuss their Diploma programme subject choices. During these discussions the student counsellors help the student to make educated choices when it come to their DP subject choices (including which languages to study in Groups 1 and 2). The students can decide to have their parents/guardians present in these discussions. The parents/guardians are invited to parents’ evenings where language profile and development related topics are discussed. 

Ressun lukio considers difference and diversity to be qualities that enrich the school community.

To the best of our ability, we try to respond positively to people’s unique needs. We hope to show caring and open-mindedness in the spirit of the IB Learner profile. We encourage students to be open and actively seek advice on these matters.

The student welfare services are organised in each school in Finland and they are mandated by the law. The welfare of the students refers to the physical, mental and social well-being of students. The support services offered aim to support studies and prevent problems at an early stage.

At the start of studies here, new students are asked if there is anything they would like to share with the school regarding possible special needs. Parents, too, are encouraged to contact the school.

The students are assigned to a group teacher/tutor, who will supervise, support and guide them for the length of their studies here. The teacher meets the students assigned to his/her care at regular intervals. The group teachers are the primary link between the school and the home. They also serve as CAS Advisors.

The school has three full-time student counsellors whose task is to guide the students and help them with their problems, both school-related and personal. They have Master’s degrees and are also fully qualified teachers. Their offices are generally open from 9 am to 3 pm and students can make an appointment to see them via a link in Wilma.

The school nurse is available every day. The doctor is available by appointment only.

Students can contact the school psychologist to make an appointment. The teachers can also contact the psychologist if they are concerned about a student.

The special needs teacher's main task is to help students with different learning problems, for example dyslexia. The teacher meets students in small groups or on an individual basis.

The school social worker advises students with financial or social problems.

The school has a student welfare group, which organizes two types of meetings:

• Regular student welfare group meetings are about the welfare of the whole school, concerned with e.g school structures or school events. The team is multiprofessional, consisting of two deputy principals, student counsellors, the special needs teacher, the school nurse, the social worker, the school psychologist and student representatives.
• Tailored meetings are organised when the topic is the welfare of an individual student. The team is a multiprofessional team, tailored to best suit each case. The student in question is always present.

Students who require special access arrangements must contact the special needs teacher, student counsellor or DP Coordinator to start the process of evaluating their access arrangement needs. If special access arrangements are needed, it is possible and recommended to try out the arrangements during IB studies. Special arrangements requests for final exams (extra time, use of computer etc) must be approved of by the IB organisation, require appropriate medical documentation and must be the student's usual way of working during the course of study.

“We act with integrity and honesty, with a strong sense of fairness and justice, and with respect for the dignity and rights of people everywhere. We take responsibility for our actions and their consequences.”

“We understand the importance of balancing different aspects of our lives—intellectual, physical, and emotional—to achieve well-being for ourselves and others. We recognize our interdependence with other people and with the world in which we live.” (The IB Learner Profile)

“Candidates are required to act in a responsible and ethical manner throughout their participation in the DP, as determined by the IB at its sole discretion, which includes not engaging in academic misconduct and must be in good standing at the school at the time of the examinations.” (Diploma programme assessment procedures Section B1, Article 3.3.)

Assessment components (IB DP and course components) are an important tool for the school to be able to monitor the students’ standings and therefore the students need to submit their work on time.

Schools are required by the IB to have their own DP internal deadlines. These internal deadlines are treated as official deadlines by the IB. The official global IB DP final deadlines cannot be the same as the school internal deadlines – the school internal deadlines must be significantly earlier.

Ressun lukio internal DP deadlines are designed to help students complete their studies in an effective way.

They are designed to allow students to have the possibility to focus on a reasonable amount of work at a time and to give teachers reasonable time to mark and comment student work for students to receive effective feedback.

Therefore:

1. Internal Assessment and other assessment components are done throughout DP1 and DP2 years.

2. There are as few overlapping deadlines as possible when it comes to final DP assessment components.

3. Final DP assessment components are usually done during the first half of the term to avoid overlapping with course assignments.

4. The deadline is the latest at 9pm to avoid students working during the night.

What happens if internal DP deadlines are not met?

Course assignments

Subject teachers decide their own course assignments and the deadlines and the weight of the component in terms of the overall course grading.

Since each case in terms of a possible late submission can be unique the teacher can consider as a possible outcome of late submission among the following options:

1. The assignment is not graded

2. No feedback on the task which is submitted late

3. Results in a possibly lowered course grade

Official DP required assessment components including the final examination session

“Unacceptable reasons for work being incomplete include circumstances that would be considered as being reasonably within the control of the candidate.

Circumstances considered as being reasonably within the control of the candidate include:

misreading or misunderstanding the examination timetable

oversleeping and, therefore, being late for an examination

holidays/vacations

family moving house

social and sporting commitments

attendance at interviews

taking part or attendance in events such as competitions, concerts and graduation ceremonies

the candidate not providing work by the internal school deadline(s)

the candidate not completing work owing to a lack of diligence or personal organization

the school identifying academic misconduct (for example, work is plagiarized) and not submitting the candidate’s work.

Short-term illness is not an acceptable reason for incomplete work, other than for missing an examination in May or November. If a candidate is ill shortly before an internal school deadline for the submission of work, such as the EE or an IA requirement, […] an extension to the deadline may be authorized.”

(Diploma programme assessment procedures, Section C3.6.1.)

Diploma assessment components (IA, TOK, EE and Group 1 Language A HL essays etc.); if extensions to deadlines are needed a doctor’s note or another official document/reason should be submitted to the DP coordinator. Subject teachers alone are not allowed to give extensions to DP assessment component deadlines. Not following school specific deadlines can result in not being awarded the Diploma.

Responsibilities of the students:

Students need to be aware of the deadlines which concern them

Students need to manage their time so that they can produce the required work on time

Students need to be aware of what elements need to be submitted

Students need to be aware of the consequences of submitting late

Students need to submit their work in a format which is outlined by the teacher and accessible to the teacher

If any problems arise, students need to contact subject teacher / group teacher / student councellor / DP Coordinator asap

Responsibilities of the school:

Deadlines need to be visible for the students

Deadlines need to be discussed with the students

The requirements what needs to be submitted need to be made clear for the students

The consequences of late submission need to be made clear for the students

Teachers need to respect the deadlines when it comes to giving extensions

Teachers need to grade/give feedback for assessment components (course exams, retakes, EE and IA drafts) within reasonable time

Assessment is integral for both teaching and learning: it supports curricular goals and encourages appropriate learning. Assessment helps the students to see how far they have advanced on their way to becoming knowledgeable inquirers in the spirit of the IB Learner Profile. The aim of assessment is to support student growth and self-evaluation skills. Assessment also allows for monitoring student development and adjustment of teaching strategies accordingly. Assessment is an effective tool to identify student strengths and areas for growth.  

Students are encouraged to take responsibility for their own studies and practise self-management skills. Self-evaluation and peer-evaluation are among the methods used to make the students familiar with the DP subject assessment criteria.  

Ressun lukio follows a system where there are 5 terms in one school year. The lessons taught during one term in one subject are referred to as “a course”. HL subjects consist of 9 courses (taught during 9 terms), SL subjects of 6 courses. Every term ends with an 8-day period when the group will either sit an exam or the teacher can use the time in an alternate way for example for a project or field trip during their own day. Course exams are used for both formative and summative assessment, i.e. they aim to a) give the student and teacher feedback on how the content or skills have been learned and how to develop further and also b) measure student achievement. Formative and summative assessment are inherently linked.  

Students get a grade for their courses after every term, so HL subject students will ultimately have 9 grades in the subject on their school report, SL students 6. The grades can be based on term exams, contribution in class and homework assignments, depending on the subject. IB DP assessment criteria are applied throughout the two-year programme, although details vary between subjects.   

The student and their guardians can access grades and attendance records in a secure online system, Wilma. 

The IB DP grading scale is from 1 to 7. If there has been no term exam, the course may be evaluated simply with grades S “pass” or H “fail”. In addition to the course grade, the teachers are also encouraged to give the students informal feedback to elaborate on how they could improve their grade. 

In addition, students are given an effort grade for each subject, reflecting the teacher’s view on how much effort the student has put into their studies. Effort grades are A = excellent, B = good and C = needs improvement. The aim is to help the students reflect on their own study skills and encourage self-management skills. Effort Grade D is used to indicate the student has missed too many lessons or has not attended the course exam or the exam retake. 

To successfully complete the DP1 year, the students need to get an average of 4.0 in the courses for every subject (minimum total score 24). Students getting a lower grade need to consult their subject teacher, student counsellor and the DP coordinator to see how they should proceed. 

DP1 students whose grades are not high enough or who have not completed all assignment components by the end of May have to retake the whole DP1 year. This is to make sure the student has a sound enough skill basis for the demanding final year. The IB instructs that students must be “in good standing” to be registered for the final exams. 

Mock exams are arranged in Term 4 of the final year, before the independent study period starts, and they cover the whole subject area. Mock exams help students prepare for the finals and give feedback on their performance. They will not affect the Diploma grades, but can help teachers to decide on Predicted Grades. 

Every teacher must follow the school assessment policy. New teachers have a mentor colleague who introduces them to school practices. 

The subject teachers are required to monitor their students' development in their respective subjects. Group teachers are responsible for monitoring their students' overall performance across all subjects. Any issues — and the assessment policy itself — are under continuous review and reflection. 

In subjects where there is more than one teacher, they collaborate in course planning and meet regularly. When deciding on predicted grades and Internal assessment, they will make the decisions together. 

Internal moderation/quality checks are done annually after the publication of the results of the May examination session. The subject groups have annual sessions where they analyse the statistics of their subject which is available on MyIB (IB Insights). 

Students with special needs contact the special needs teacher / student counsellor / DP Coordinator to start the process of evaluating their access arrangement needs. Special arrangements for final exams (extra time, use of computer etc) must be approved of by the IB, require medical documentation and must be the student's usual way of working during his/her course of study.  

The final Diploma grades depend on the results of the final exams, as well as other subject-specific criteria (oral exams, projects, essays etc) according to the IB DP curriculum. For more detailed information on this, see the Handbook and the General Regulations document.    

Ressun lukio invites students and parents/guardians to challenge the decisions made when they see a need for it. 

We hope any situation can be resolved through communication. If a student or parent/guardians feel they have been wrongfully treated we encourage them:  

to first contact the group teacher and/or the subject teacher in question/other staff member included in the situation.  

If the matter is not resolved the student counsellors and/or the coordinators should be included in the discussion. 

The next step is to include the IB Principal and possibly if still needed the Head Principal. 

Matters which remain unresolved regardless of the previous mentioned steps should be brought to the attention of the Regional State Administrative Agency when it concerns e.g. the following matters: 

1. Student admission 
2. Inclusive access arrangements 
3. Exteded obligatory education 

or 

Administrative Court should be contected e.g. in matters related to: 

1. Issued written warning to a student 
2. Temporary suspension 
3. Free secondary education 

The Finnish school’s follow a procedure for complaints which is mandated by law. 

For further information, please see Finnish Agency for National Education: 

Usein kysyttyä(Link leads to external service)