Academic Honesty Policy

Harding Senior High School - St. Paul, MN USA

Co-authored by Shandyn Benson and Erik Brandt, IB MYP & DP Coordinators

Revised in 2018 by DPC; reviewed and revised May 2020 by Be Vang, Principal; Jeffrey Rissman and Patrick Coyne, Assistant Principals; Dan Weyandt, CP Coordinator; Erik Brandt, DP Coordinator

 Statement of Academic Honesty Philosophy

Educators and students at Harding High School should understand and respect the importance of academic honesty.

Academic Honesty:

- is a set of values and skills that promote personal integrity and principled practice in teaching, learning and assessment.

- is further defined as respect for the intellectual property of others and submission of only authentic pieces of work with the ideas of others fully acknowledged

- supports a school-wide culture of integrity by not aiding or encouraging others to be academically dishonest. 

Academic Honesty Connections to the IB Learner Profile

The aim of all IB programs is to develop internationally minded people who, recognizing their common humanity and shared guardianship of the planet, help to create a better and more peaceful world.

Attributes of the Learner Profile that particularly apply to Academic Honesty are:

* Thinkers: we use critical and creative thinking skills to analyze and take responsible action on complex problems.  We exercise initiative in making reasoned, ethical decisions.

* Principled: 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.

* Reflective: we thoughtfully consider the world and our own ideas and experience.  We work to understand our strengths and weaknesses in order to support our learning and personal development.

STUDENT AND TEACHER ROLES

It is absolutely essential that all assignments—written, oral, digital or artistic--completed by a student for assessment completely and authentically use the student’s own language and expression.  Any sources used or referred to--whether in the form of direct quotation or paraphrase--must be fully and appropriately acknowledged or cited.  There will be a series of consequences for students who are academically dishonest.

The Role of the School

• The school will promote this policy through its website and parent newsletter and will revisit it annually to make sure it is updated and accurate.
• This topic will be addressed in-depth in at least one core academic area at the start of each school year.
• Academic Honesty will be a topic that is presented at monthly parent meetings near the start of each school year.
• In September of each year, all students will be presented with a presentation on Academic Honesty (with accompanying activities) in Advisory that will conclude with them signing a pledge to be academically honest. Academic honesty is also covered in the St. Paul Public Schools “Rights and Responsibilities Student Behavior Handbook,” to which students must also pledge.  The school’s MYP & DP Coordinators, Media Specialist and Administration will play a key role in creating this presentation and lessons.

The lesson and pledge will include the following:

- definitions of academic misconduct,

- appropriate references to the IB Learner Profile,

- advice on and/or examples of what constitutes academic dishonesty, intellectual property, plagiarism, the duplication of work and inauthentic authorship,

- examples of citing and acknowledging original authorship,

- guidance on the distinction between legitimate collaboration and unacceptable collusion,

- information on what action will be taken by Harding or the IBO if a candidate is suspected of academic misconduct.

Teacher Roles and Responsibilities

Teachers are expected to:

- provide sufficient guidance and instruction for students on what constitutes academic dishonesty in their subject area and how it can be avoided,

- provide guidance about how to conduct research and appropriately cite evidence,

- teach students the difference between collaboration and collusion,

- include subject-specific language about academic dishonesty in their syllabi,

- confirm that, to the best of their knowledge and using available technologies, all students’ work accepted or submitted is the authentic work of each student,

- reflect on why students might be tempted to be academically dishonest in their courses and to avoid creating situations that tend to encourage academic dishonesty,

- teach the importance of deadlines and adherence to them.

 Student Roles and Responsibilities

- Dos and Don’ts of the academically honest student

* this list was directly inspired by the Academic Honesty Policy from Gimnazjum nr 24, Gdynia (Poland) and the Frank C. Martin International K-8 Center (USA)

The academically honest student

DOES:

⋅ understand the concept of academic honesty, intellectual property and plagiarism,

⋅ ensure that all work submitted for assessment is authentic,

⋅ understand the consequences of committing academic misconduct, regarding both school-based work and external examinations and assessments,

⋅ document source material formally and appropriately (all styles acceptable--MLA, APA, etc.),

⋅ use direct quotations in an appropriate manner,

⋅ acknowledge help provided by another person,

⋅ bring the effort of others who cheat to the attention of school officials; actively support honesty among classmates “if you see something, say something,”

⋅ abide by the rules for technology in the classroom and in examinations,

⋅ contribute equally to the work of a group in collaborative assignments, and

⋅ abide by exam rules.

The academically honest student

DOES NOT:

⋅ copy another student’s internal assessment work,

⋅ allow another student to copy his/her work and/or submit it for assessment,

⋅ present the same work for different assessment components and/or requirements,

⋅ use notes during a test unless allowed by the teacher or permitted by the examination rules,

⋅ copy from or communicate with another student during a test,

⋅ disrupt an examination or distract other students,

⋅ impersonate another student,

⋅ write essays for other students,

⋅ do homework for other students,

⋅ steal examination papers,

⋅ present material written by another student and/or borrowed from the internet as his/her own,

⋅ purchase and submit pieces written by someone else,

⋅ write down, photograph or record any part of a test or exam,

⋅ fabricate or invent data for assessment, and

⋅ disclose or discuss the content of an IB DP examination paper with a person outside the immediate school community within 24 hours of the end of the examination.

Definitions

Academic Honesty:

- is a set of values and skills that promote personal integrity and good practice in teaching, learning and assessment.

- is further defined as respect for the intellectual property of others and submission of only authentic pieces of work with the ideas of others fully acknowledged

- supports a school-wide culture of integrity by not aiding or encouraging others to be academically dishonest.

Authentic Work

- based on a student’s individual and original ideas with the ideas and work of others fully acknowledged.  

Cheating

- using unauthorized answers or sources to receive credit for school work.

- some examples are: looking at someone else’s work in class or during exams, copying from a classmate’s notebook when one is supposed to only use one’s memory, sneaking answers into an examination or copying someone else’s homework or falsifying one’s records for any Harding assignments, the MYP Personal Project or the DP CAS.

Collaboration

- loosely defined as: working together on a common aim with shared information.  This is an open and cooperative behavior that does not result in collusion (see below for definition).

Collusion

- defined as supporting academic dishonesty by another student, including allowing one’s work to be copied or submitted by another or any cooperative act intended to cheat or deceive others.  An example is:

- A student allows another student to copy his/her work and the student who copied the work submits it as his/her own 

Duplication of Work

- the presentation of the same work for different assignments, assessment components or other requirements. 

Intellectual Property

- includes different forms of property rights; such as: patents, registered designs, trademarks, moral rights and copyright.  It is important that students understand that all forms of intellectual and creative expression must be respected and are protected by national and international laws.  This includes illegal music and video downloads and illegal file sharing.

 Misconduct during Examinations

- when a student tries to gain an unfair advantage during an examination that affects the results of that student or another student.  Some examples are:

- students have unauthorized materials during exams (cell phones, wearable technology, textbooks, cheat sheets, writing on hands/arms, etc.)

- disobeying any classroom or test room rules during exams

- a student communicates or tries to communicate with another student during an examination

- copying another student’s work during an exam

Plagiarism

- the representation of the ideas or work of another person as a student’s own, including copying text or works of art without proper acknowledgement.  This act can be intentional or unintentional.  Work is defined as, but not limited to, a quote, a phrase, complex idea, research, table, chart, graphic, text, internet resource, paper or thesis.  Paraphrasing any of the above without proper citation is also plagiarism.

- when quoting others, students should develop the habit of using quotation marks to indicate that the wording is not their own, otherwise they will commit plagiarism.

- some examples are:

- copying information from a book or website without using quotation marks and without using a bibliography at the end of the assignment listing the sources used,

- translating text from the internet into another language to use in his/her work without acknowledging the source,

- copying a work of art or music without acknowledging the source,

- paraphrasing without citing the source(s).

* subject-specific examples of plagiarism will be supplied by teachers.
 

Consequences

• All consequences taken from Paul Public Schools “Rights and Responsibilities Student Behavior Handbook” and reflect SPPS priorities and practices.
• As with all discipline issues, teachers are expected to refer students who have been academically dishonest to their Administrator and Counselor. These referrals are cumulative over the four years of high school and are attached to a student’s record.

 1^st violation / Level 1 intervention:

Level 1 interventions are generally addressed by school staff members when a student has minimal or no prior violations. The staff response teaches correct, alternative behavior so students can learn and demonstrate safe and respectful behavior. Staff members are expected to use a variety of teaching and management strategies.  Interventions aim to correct and teach alternative behavior so students can learn and demonstrate safe and respectful behavior.

 The Teacher will:

• notify the parent/guardian with a phone call, email and/or letter
• make a comment about “Academic Dishonesty” in Schoology and give the task a zero with the option to re-do the task
• refer the student to the proper administrator and indicate if administrative follow-up is needed
• confirm with administrator that this is the student’s first academic misconduct violation
• refer the student to the counselor and indicate if counseling follow-up is needed
• re-teach expected behavior/skill

 The Administrator will:

• confirm that this is the student’s first instance of academic misconduct
• record the misconduct in the student information system
• if requested by teacher, follow up on the teacher referral and conference with the student
  • discuss and help re-teach expected behavior/skill
  • assign any appropriate consequences

 The Student will:

• provide a written reflection/apology to the teacher
• re-do the task, if possible

 Additional intervention options

School staff members are expected to use a variety of methods and classroom management strategies that may include:

• Verbal or nonverbal redirection
• Role play
• Seat change
• Teacher/student conference
• Daily progress sheet on behavior
• In class time-out
• Restitution (fix-it plan)
• Removal from class to another supervised classroom (short-term)
• Change in schedule
• Loss of privilege(s)
• Student contract

Appropriate staff interventions may involve the parent/guardian and other members of the school community.

Interventions may include:

• Parent/guardian/teacher conference
• Parent/guardian accompanying student to school or class
• In-school community service
• Conflict resolution
• Mentoring program participation
• Contract between teacher, student and parent/guardian
• Peer mediation 

Note: A severe occurrence or repeated instances of a violation may be treated as a violation at a higher level.

2^nd violation / Level 2 intervention:

Level 2 violations will generally result in interventions and/or disciplinary responses that involve the school administration.  These actions aim to correct behavior by stressing the seriousness of the behavior while keeping the student in school.  These interventions may involve the school administration and aim to correct behavior by stressing the seriousness of the behavior while keeping the student in school.

 The Teacher will:

• confirm with administrator that this is the student’s second academic misconduct violation
• notify the parent/guardian with a phone call, email and/or letter
• make a comment about “Academic Dishonesty” in Schoology and give the task a zero. The student may not re-do the task.
• refer the student to the proper administrator and request follow-up
• refer the student to the counselor and request follow-up
• re-teach expected behavior/skill
• notify Harding’s National Honor Society chapter

The Administrator will, due to multiple offenses:

• confirm that this is the student’s second instance of academic misconduct
• record the misconduct in the student information system
• follow up on the teacher referral and conference with the student
• communicate with parent/guardian
• assign appropriate consequences

 The Student will:

• complete a restorative behavioral skills training related to academic honesty
• accept that s/he cannot re-do the task since this the second violation
• provide a written reflection/apology to the teacher

 Additional intervention options

Appropriate staff interventions may include the following:

• Behavioral skills training
• Parent/guardian notification
• Parent/guardian conference
• Restorative practices (restitution, mediation)
• School community service
• Referral to Student Assistance Team (SAT)
• In-school suspension
• Removal from class (focus room or alternative setting)
• Detention
• Saturday school
• Utilization of lower-level interventions and consequences in addition to the above

Note: A severe occurrence or repeated instances of any previous violation may be treated as a violation at a higher level.

3^rd violation / Level 3 intervention – dismissal from school

These responses may involve the temporary, short-term removal of a student from the school environment because of the severity of the behavior. The duration of the dismissal (or removal), if issued, is to be limited as much as is practicable while adequately addressing the behavior. 

The Teacher will:

• confirm with administrator that this is the student’s third academic misconduct violation
• notify the parent with a phone call, email and/or letter
• make a comment about “Academic Dishonesty” in Schoology and give the task a zero. The student may not re-do the task.
• refer the student to the proper administrator and request follow-up
• refer the student to the counselor and request follow-up

The Administrator will:

• confirm that this is the student’s third instance of academic misconduct
• record the misconduct in the student information system
• follow up on the teacher referral and conference with the student
• communicate with parent/guardian
• arrange for and facilitate a parent/guardian conference
• assign appropriate consequences which will include, amongst other things, dismissal at the end of the school day. Student must return with a parent to be readmitted to school. 

The Student will:

• accept that s/he cannot re-do the task since this the third violation
• attend a conference with administrator, parent/guardian and teacher
• will meet and work with counselor
• write a formal letter on changed behavior plan related to academic honesty
  • this letter must be signed by the student and the counselor
  • this letter must be submitted in a timely manner to the student’s administrator and teacher

The counselor will:

• meet with and coach the student on academic honesty
• provide support for student with writing the restorative academic honesty letter and monitor the deadline. 

The Parent/guardian will:

• be notified of this violation
• attend a re-admit conference with the administrator and/or teacher

Additional intervention options

Appropriate staff interventions may include the following:

• Parent/guardian notification
• Parent/guardian conference
• Dismissal (up to one complete school day)
• Referral to School Administration, Counselor and/or Local Pupil Problems Committee
• Utilization of lower-level interventions and consequences in addition to the above

Note: A severe occurrence or repeated instances of any previous violation may be treated as a violation at a higher level.