Academic Integrity

GHS ACADEMIC INTEGRITY

GCS Mission Statement:

Inspiring Innovation… Empowering Potential…Enriching our World.

 GHS Mission Statement:

We are a School of One with the following core values:

  • Relationships matter and are the center of learning
  • Inquiry-based academics for all
  • Extra-curricular opportunities for all
  • Respect and open-mindedness for different ideas and cultures

In education, we are continually studying the ideas of others. It is important, in our speaking and writing, that we acknowledge these ideas and give credit where it is due. It is critical for us to uphold academic ideals and support our students in presenting work that reflects their own efforts and talents. This process requires that students have the opportunity to seek a clear understanding of what they know, explore further knowledge for intellectual growth, and develop the ability to use that knowledge to make authentic contributions to our community.

This policy represents our efforts to ensure all parties involved understand our expectations for academic integrity. Our staff will maintain a consistent understanding of expectations and have support and flexibility to address academic integrity concerns. This is a critical component of our mission to provide a high-quality education that develops inquiring, caring, open-minded, and principled students, who demonstrate intercultural understanding and respect for all people.

Academic dishonesty is defined as a behavior that results in or may result in, the student or any other student gaining unfair advantages in one or more assessment components. Academic dishonesty includes, but is not limited to:

❖ Plagiarism: representing the ideas or work of another as one’s own, intentionally or unwittingly, without proper, clear, explicit acknowledgment.

❖ Collusion: supporting malpractice by another student, for example, allowing work to be copied or helping others cheat. (showing quiz/test answers, inappropriately sharing GoogleDocs, sharing test questions with other students before they have taken the test)

❖ Duplication of Work: presenting the same work for a different assignment or assessment.

The following are examples of plagiarism, collusion, and cheating:

  • Copying another person’s assignment or allowing someone else to copy your assignment.
  • Substituting synonyms for another person’s word choices or restating someone else’s ideas in your own words without crediting the source.
  • Handing in another person’s work as your own.
  • Dividing questions on an individual assignment so that several students answer a portion of the assignment, permitting each other to copy answers. Although group work and cooperative learning are often encouraged, individual assignments must remain the work of the individual student. Always ask your teacher if an assignment may be completed with others. Do not assume it is allowed.
  • Copying sentences, phrases, paragraphs, or pages from books, web sites, or other sources without providing citations. Writing should be either original or attributed.
  • Using intellectual property (pictures, graphs, diagrams, quotes, books, films, music recordings, television, or any other media) without proper citations.
  • Taking answers from a classmate’s quiz or test paper, using a crib/cheat sheet, or sharing answers during a testing situation.
  • Falsifying data, conclusions, and answers and presenting them as fact.
  • Stealing, taking images of assessments.
  • Discussing exam questions in any manner with students who have yet to take the exam.

The community at Goshen High School is committed to producing principled students as defined by the IB Learner Profile.

  • “Principled: act with integrity and honesty, with a strong sense of fairness, justice, and respect for the dignity of the individual, groups, and communities. They will take responsibility for their own actions and the consequences that accompany them.” ©International Baccalaureate 2014

Expectations of the Student

The student will:

  • Strive to emulate and apply the qualities of a learner as depicted in the IB Learner Profile.
  • Request clarification, when needed, of expectations for assignments.
  • Take pride in their original thoughts and work.
  • Utilize appropriate citations and include works cited.
  • Refuse to participate in any form of academic dishonesty.
  • Accept responsibility and consequences for their actions.

Expectations of the Teacher

The teacher will:

  • Strive to emulate and apply the qualities of a learner as depicted in the IB Learner Profile.
  • Teach and practice the ATL research category skills under information research and media literacy to develop student understanding of academic honesty practices
  • Model appropriate citations for works cited.
  • Support student understanding of plagiarism, collusion, duplication of work, fabrication, and cheating.
  • Design assignments that do not lend themselves to academic misconduct.
  • Provide students with clear expectations for individual assignments.
  • Provide students with clear expectations for assignments that allow for collaborative work.
  • Provide students with clear guidelines as to the range of permissible resources used on a particular assignment.
  • Provide students with ongoing support on the requirements for citing and acknowledging original authorship.
  • Provide guidance on the distinction between valid collaboration and unacceptable collusion.
  • Advise students on what constitutes intellectual property and authentic authorship.
  • Provide students with clear expectations of the possible consequences of unethical conduct.

Expectations of the Administrator

The administrators will:

  • Strive to emulate and apply the qualities of a learner as depicted in the IB Learner Profile.
  • Consistently and fairly apply penalties for infractions of this policy.
  • Provide ongoing support for the school community in understanding and implementing the Academic Integrity Policy.

Expectations of the Parent/Guardian

The parents/guardians will:

  • Familiarize themselves with the GHS Academic Integrity Policy.
  • Discuss academic integrity and possible consequences with their student.
  • Help students know how to avoid academic dishonesty when confronted by peers.
  • Communicate with appropriate staff regarding academic integrity questions or concerns.

Consequences for Academic Dishonesty

All academic dishonesty is serious. The consequences for each instance can vary depending on the severity of the case with a tiered system as a guideline to possible consequences. When determining which tier is appropriate, the student’s mitigating and aggravating circumstances will be used to determine the level of negligence and pre-meditation for each instance, with the level of consequences increasing with each applied tier. These are only examples and should be used as a guide as each case will be treated on an individual basis. Repeat offenders’ consequences will automatically be escalated.

Examples for each Tier:

  • Tier I – Daily homework, practice assignments, in-class work that is not a test or a quiz, helping others to commit academic dishonesty.
  • Tier II – Papers, tests, using notes on a test or quiz unless stated that it is appropriate to do so, plagiarizing another’s words or ideas in a paper, sharing the content or structure of a test or quiz with another student before that student has taken the assessment, helping others to commit academic dishonesty, repeatedly violating Tier I.
  • Tier III – Externally moderated/scored assessments such as IB Internal Assessments and written examinations or state standardized tests. Major class assignments, projects, and papers, obtaining a copy of the test prior to the test. Helping others to commit academic malpractice. Participating in large scale (3 or more students) academic dishonesty.

Possible Consequences

Violations to the integrity code will be handled on a case-by-case basis depending on a variety of circumstances. Some of the possible consequences of violations may include, but are not limited to:

  • Tier I – Verbal warning, redoing the assignment for partial credit, loss of credit for the assignment
  • Tier II – loss of credit for the assignment, assigned course on academic integrity, an additional assignment given
  • Tier III – Failure of a course, withdrawn as an IB candidate, notification to an outside agency in the case of IB, AP, or dual credit. Automatic review of the case by the Academic Integrity Panel. Parent/Guardian will be notified by the grade-level principal and may attend the panel hearing.

Appeals process:

An Academic Integrity Panel consisting of a group of teachers and an administrator will convene as necessary.

  • Tier I: No appeals. The classroom teacher’s decision is final.
  • Tier II: The student may appeal the decision of the teacher. The Academic Integrity Panel will examine the facts of the case after student and teacher input is given.
  • Tier III: Automatic appeal. Once a Tier III violation has been reported the Academic Integrity Panel will automatically examine the circumstances and apply consequences. The consequences will be communicated to the parties involved in a timely manner.

Academic Integrity Panel Procedures for Tier 3 Instances:

Before the panel assembles:

  • When an instance of academic dishonesty is found by a teacher, the teacher will conduct the initial investigation.
  • When evidence is collected, the case is reported to the head of the panel.
  • The head of the panel informs the grade-level principal of the incident. Grade-level administrator contacts parents and informs the student of the upcoming panel meeting.
  • The head of the panel sets up a time and place for the panel to assemble.

The panel meeting:

  • The teacher will present evidence, answer questions, and discuss possible consequences with the panel. When finished, the teacher leaves. This is to protect the teacher-student relationship because it is the panel, not the teacher, who makes the decision about consequences.
  • The student is called into the meeting to give their account of the incident. Members of the panel ask questions, discuss academic integrity, and make the experience one of learning rather than punishment.
  • The student leaves and is informed they will be called to the office to hear the panel’s findings.
  • The panel deliberates and comes to a consensus as a group on consequences, then adjourns.

After the panel meeting:

  • The teacher who brought the case will be informed of the panel’s decision.
  • The next school day, the head principal calls the student in question to the office and talks to them about their consequences.