This document has been created with the mission of the H.L. Watkins Middle School and is written in line with the International Baccalaureate Organization (IB) guidelines, an academic honesty policy has been agreed by the teaching faculty to promote, foster and establish academic honesty as a core principle.

General Statement of Policy

“An authentic piece of work is one that is based on [the student’s] individual and original ideas with the ideas and work of others fully acknowledged. Therefore, all assignments for assessment, regardless of their format, must wholly and authentically use that [student’s] own language, expression, and ideas. Where the ideas or work of another person are represented within a candidate’s work, whether in the form of direct quotation or paraphrase, the source(s) of those ideas or the work must be fully and appropriately acknowledged”. (Academic honesty, IB, July 2011, p. 2)

School Responsibilities

H.L. Watkins will provide a safe place for students by assisting students as they develop their inquiry skills, take appropriate risks, and learn from their mistakes while engaging in authentic work. H.L. Watkins depends on the partnerships with parents, community members, teachers, and students to educate children on the ethics and values of academic honesty.

Teacher Responsibilities

It is the responsibility of the teachers to provide opportunities for students to develop and produce authentic, original work. Teachers will educate students on citation and research procedures, what constitutes misuse or plagiarism, and to provide instruction in self-management, social awareness, communication techniques, critical thinking, and ethical research skills. Teachers will not only teach academic honesty but will also model good practice. Administrators will support them in this effort.

Parent & Community Responsibilities

H.L. Watkins recognizes the important role that parents play in working with the school to ensure that students are successful. Parental support of this academic policy will enhance student learning as they strive to produce work that adheres to ethical norms and demonstrates the use of principled behaviors. Parents should become informed of the expectations placed on students and support these practices both inside and outside the school building. Community members should take advantage of the expertise and resources of the school media specialist when questions arise about plagiarism, copyright, other ethical issues, and good academic practice for referencing sources. All community members, working together under the same understandings, will create an environment that promotes academic integrity and student success. For citation recommendations, please visit: https://owl.english.purdue.edu/owl/?

Student Responsibilities

It is an expectation that all students produce authentic works and adhere to district and IB MYP policies. Students should have the opportunity to make mistakes and learn from those mistakes. The Learner Profile helps guide our focus on academic honesty and integrity. We use the Learner Profile to help students develop appropriate decision-making skills and work habits. We recognize that, with the support of the Learner Profile,

• students should take responsibility for their own work.
• students should produce individual, original work unless otherwise instructed.
• through accountable talk and academic citation conventions, students will give credit to other people working in the group.
• students do not copy the work of others.
• students cite sources according to agreed-upon, age-appropriate formats.
• students use information technology and library resources responsibly.

What is Academic Honesty?

As seen by the IBO, academic honesty is a set of values and skills that promote personal integrity and good practice in teaching, learning, and assessment.”
Academic honesty refers to:

• The production of ‘authentic’ pieces of work
• The acknowledgement of the original authorship and ownership of creative material
• The protection of all forms of intellectual property – which include forms of intellectual and creative expression, as well as patents, registered designs, trademarks, moral rights and copyright

What is Academic Dishonesty/Misconduct?

Academic misconduct, whether deliberate or unintentional, is defined as a behavior that results in a student gaining unfair academic advantage or a disadvantage for other members of the academic community.

Definitions of Misconduct

Collusion/Collaboration - Collusion is helping another student to be dishonest by allowing one’s work to be copied or submitted for assessment by another. Example: sharing information from an exam before other students have taken the same exam. Collaboration- a partnership that takes place to promote learning through equal contributions. Each student's work must be clearly acknowledged and given appropriate credit for their contribution.

Plagiarism - presenting another person’s work as their own, this is a breach of academic honesty and is also a criminal offense. Example: reading aloud a poem in class and claiming the student wrote the poem when it was actually written by another author.

Duplicating - submitting the same piece of work for different assessment purposes within the program. Example: A student is assigned and turns in a report for their Individuals and Society class, the student then turns in the same report for another assignment in their Language and Literature class.

Cheating - the use of unauthorized materials, viewing another’s student’s responses during an assessment.

Consequences:

Consequences for academic malpractice include, but are not limited to, resubmission of original work, loss of privileges, further restriction of assessment environment, in school suspension, out of school suspension, and/or reduction of effort grade.

Policy review

This policy is reviewed yearly by the coordinator and school personal. Staff, parents and students will be allowed input when making adjustments to the policy, ensuring compliance with IBO.
Policy updated August 2022

Sources:

• Academic Honesty in the IB Educational Context, (2019), IBO, Geneva, Switzerland
• MYP: From principles into practice, (2014), International Baccalaureate Organization, Geneva, Switzerland
• General regulations: Middle Years Programme - First assessment 2016 (2014)