Chambersburg  Area  Senior  High  School  Policy  on  Academic  Dishonesty  

       Plagiarism  Definition:  

• Copying  another  person’s  ideas  or  work  whether  intentional  or  not,  in  whole  or  in  part,  from  a  print  or  non-­‐print  source,  and  attempting  to  pass  them  off  as  one’s  own.  

• Deliberate  and/or  consistent  lack  of  proper  documentation  and  citation  in  the  project  or  paper.  • Presenting  the  work  of  tutors,  parents,  siblings  or  friends  as  one’s  own  work.  • Supporting  plagiarism  by  providing  work  to  others,  whether  it  is  believed  it  will  be  copied  or  not.  • Submitting  material  that  was  used  previously  for  another  assignment.  • Citing  sources  that  are  not  actually  sources.  

 Rationale  for  Policy:  Plagiarism  demonstrates  a  lack  of  integrity  and  character  and  a  false  view  of  a  student’s  strengths  and  weaknesses.    Written  and  spoken  ideas  are  fundamental  for  academic  and  career  success.    Plagiarism  interferes  with  the  assessment  and  feedback  processes  that  are  necessary  for  academic  growth.        Cheating  Definition:  

• Exchanging  assignments  with  other  students  whether  it  is  believed  they  will  be  copied  or  not.  • Using  any  form  of  memory  aid  during  test  or  quizzes  without  the  expressed  permission  of  the  

instructor.  • Giving  or  receiving  answers  before,  during,  or  after  a  quiz,  test,  etc.    It  is  the  responsibility  of  the  

student  to  secure  his/her  own  papers  so  other  students  will  not  have  the  opportunity  to  copy.  • Taking  credit  for  group  work  when  the  student  has  not  contributed  an  equal  or  appropriate  share  

toward  the  final  result.  • Accessing  a  test  or  quiz  for  the  purpose  of  determining  the  questions  in  advance  of  its  administration.  • Using  summaries/commentaries  (such  as,  but  not  limited  to  Cliffs  Notes,  Spark  Notes,  etc.)  in  lieu  of  

reading  the  assigned  materials    Rationale  for  Policy:  As  with  plagiarism,  cheating  demonstrates  a  lack  of  integrity  and  character,  and  provides  the  instructor  with  an  unclear  view  of  the  student’s  strengths  and  weaknesses.    Education  is  based  on  learning  specific  skills,  forming  lifelong  work  habits,  and  developing  mature  coping  skills  according  to  each  student’s  unique  abilities.    When  students  cheat,  it  may  be  a  symptom  of  more  serious  problems  such  as  inappropriate  class  placement,  over-­‐commitment  to  extra-­‐  curricular  activities,  and/or  academic  desperation.    The  compromise  of  values  through  cheating  may  lead  to  loss  of  self-­‐esteem.  Students  are  often  painfully  aware  of  their  shortcomings  and  fight  a  tiring  battle  to  preserve  their  images  at  the  cost  of  their  ethics.    Cheating  robs  students  of  their  opportunity  to  demonstrate  their  competence,  and  instructors  the  opportunity  to  gauge  their  teaching  

methods.    Assignments  should  be  considered  individual  unless  the  instructor  states  otherwise.        

   

   

 Responsibilities  of  Stakeholders  

 Teachers  

Provide  assignments  with  clear  instructions.  Create  rubrics  that  outline  assessment  at  all  points  of  the  process  and  for  a  final  product  Assign  clear  guidelines  regarding  acceptable  amounts  of  help  from  peers  or  other  adults.  Assist  students  in  locating  information.  Give  suggestions  with  deadlines  and  time-­‐management-­‐  especially  to  students  who  struggle  in  this  area.  Conference  with  students  on  how  to  correctly  give  credit  to  sources.  Notify  parents  with  concerns.  

     

Students  Submit  authentic  work.  Follow  project  instructions  and  deadlines  assigned  by  instructor.  Ask  questions  and  seek  help  from  appropriate  persons  (teachers,  librarian,  etc.).  Follow  proper  citation  guidelines  (MLA,  APA).  Cite  parenthetically  in  projects  correctly  and  accurately.  Format  Works  Cited  pages  correctly  using  Noodletools.      

 Parents  

Encourage  students  to  seek  extra  help  before  or  after  school  from  teachers  or  tutors.  Assess  your  child’s  abilities  realistically.    Help  him/her  choose  courses  in  which  he/she  will  be  successful  without  undue  stress.  Do  not  push  children  beyond  their  limits  with  expectations  and  aspirations.    Many  times  students  make  bad  decisions  based  upon  the  pressure  to  excel.  If  you  suspect  your  child  is  experiencing  difficulty,  contact  the  teacher  immediately.    The  sooner  the  problem  is  identified,  the  sooner  steps  can  be  taken  to  alleviate  it  If  your  child  is  caught  cheating  or  plagiarizing  and  you  are  called,  please  remember  that  this  is  a  learning  experience;  help  your  child  to  accept  the  consequences  for  his/her  inappropriate  actions.    Additionally,  help  your  child  to  not  make  the  same  mistakes  again.    

   

   

   

   

 Violations  

If  a  teacher  has  sufficient  reason  to  believe  that  a  student  is  participating  in  academic  dishonesty,  the  teacher  must  determine  the  level  of  the  violation  based  on  the  criteria  below.    Following  this  determination,  appropriate  actions  will  be  taken.      First-­‐Degree  Violation  

• May  occur  due  to  ignorance  or  inexperience  on  the  part  of  the  student.  This  may  include  a  student  using  a  paragraph  or  a  few  lines  of  text  without  citing  the  material  properly;  however  most  of  the  paper  is  the  student’s  own  work.  

Recommended  Procedures  1. Complete  a  make-­‐up  assignment  at  a  more  difficult  level.  2. Parental  notification.  3. A  grade  reduction  on  the  original  assignment.  

 Second-­‐Degree  Violation  

• Considered  a  more  serious  offense.    Examples  include  use  of  one  or  more  paragraphs  of  another’s  ideas  and/or  work  without  correct  citation.  Although  some  of  the  work  is  the  student’s,  it  is  evident  that  much  of  the  work  has  been  taken  from  other  sources  and  not  referenced.  

Recommended  Procedures  1. A  grade  reduction  on  the  original  assignment.  2. Parental  notification.  3. A  letter  in  the  student’s  academic  file  detailing  the  offense.  4. Notification  to  National  Honor  Society  advisor,  if  applicable.  

 Third  Degree  Violation  

• Considered  the  most  severe  case  of  violation  to  policies.    Indicates  the  majority  of  a  student’s  work  has  been  taken  from  another  source  and  not  referenced.  An  example  may  be  a  purchased  paper.    Also,  this  would  include  improperly  acquiring  information  and/or  intentionally  altering  it.    In  addition,  an  offense  may  be  escalated  to  third  degree  to  include  students  who  have  previously  been  found  guilty  in  the  past.  

Recommended  Procedures  1. No  credit  for  the  original  assignment.  2. A  letter  in  the  student’s  academic  file  detailing  the  offense.  3. Parental  notification.  4. Notification  to  National  Honor  Society  advisor,  if  applicable.  5. Reduction  in  overall  course  grade  for  the  term  or  year.  6. Disciplinary  action  taken  by  administration.  

 Some  parts  of  these  policies,  guidelines,  and  descriptions  have  been  adapted  with  permission  from  Terryville  School  District  and  North  Hunterdon  School  District.