Cocoa Beach Jr/Sr High School- IB World School

Middle Years Programme and Diploma Programme

Academic Honesty Policy

Introduction and Purpose

The purpose of this document is to

• Define the academic standards expected of an IB student.

• Communicate to all stakeholders within the school community the importance of maintaining personal integrity and to make ethical choices.

• Define academic honesty, cheating, and plagiarism.

• Describe the role and responsibility of the school, parents, and students in maintaining academic honesty.

• Outline the consequences for students who are found guilty of academic misconduct.

Cocoa Beach Jr/Sr High Academic Policy

• Students are expected to maintain high standards for academic honesty, as outlined in this document.

• Students are expected to maintain high academic standards. They are required to maintain at least a 2.75 unweighted GPA, with no D’s or F’s on their semester report cards.

o If a student does not maintain a 2.75 unweighted GPA and/or earns any D’s or F’s on a semester report card, they will be put on academic probation for the following semester. Once a student raises their GPA above a 2.75 GPA and have no D’s or F’s for a semester, they will no longer be on academic probation.

o Two consecutive semesters on academic probation will cause a student to be dismissed from the IB Programme.

• Students are expected to attend school consistently and in a timely fashion. Students may not have more than 9 unexcused absences and must limit their overall absences.

o Excessive absences (both excused and unexcused) may result in a student being dismissed from the IB Programme.

o Because IB coursework is rigorous and may result in college credit, students and parents are expected to confine absences primarily to illness and to avoid abusing or falsifying doctors’ notes or scheduling vacations during the school year.

• Students are expected to complete with academic integrity and high quality all assessments, exams, internal assessments, IB external exams, tests, projects, homework, classwork, and the extended essay and the personal project.

• Failure to complete the personal project will result in an inability to continue into the Diploma Programme in grades 11 and 12. Rare exceptions may be appealed to the Academic Honesty Committee (ie. New to the school, grave illness, etc.).

Cocoa Beach Jr/Sr High School Honor Policy

Academic Honesty

Academic honesty in the International Baccalaureate (IB) is a principle informed by the attributes of the IB learner profile. In teaching, learning and assessment, academic honesty serves to promote personal integrity and respect for others and the integrity of their work. Upholding academic honesty also helps to ensure that all students have an equal opportunity to demonstrate the knowledge and skills they acquire during their studies. Academic honesty is an essential principle of the IB’s academic programmes that enhances the organization’s credibility and position as a leader in international education. As stated in the IB learner profile, all members of the IB community strive to be “principled”, to act with “integrity and honesty, with a strong sense of fairness, justice and respect for the dignity of the individual, groups and communities”.

IB Learner Profile

Inquirers: We nurture our curiosity, developing skills for inquiry and research. We know how to learn independently and with others. We learn with enthusiasm and sustain our love of learning throughout life.

Knowledgeable: We develop and use conceptual understanding, exploring knowledge across a range of disciplines. We engage with issues and ideas that have local and global significance.

Thinkers: We exercise initiative in applying thinking skills critically and creatively to recognize and approach complex problems, and make reasoned, ethical decisions.

Communicators: We understand and express ideas and information confidently and creatively in more than one language and in a variety of modes of communication. We work effectively and willingly in collaboration with others.

Principled: We act with integrity and honesty, with a strong sense of fairness, justice and respect for the dignity of the individual, groups and communities. We take responsibility for our own actions and the consequences that accompany them.

Open-minded: We understand and appreciate their own cultures and personal histories, and are open to the perspectives, values and traditions of other individuals and communities. We are accustomed to seeking and evaluating a range of points of view, and are willing to grow from the experience.

Caring: We show empathy, compassion and respect towards the needs and feelings of others. We have a personal commitment to service, and act to make a positive difference to the lives of others and to the environment.

Risk-takers: We approach unfamiliar situations and uncertainty with courage and forethought, and have the independence of spirit to explore new roles, ideas and strategies. We are brave and articulate in defending our beliefs.

Balanced: We understand the importance of intellectual, physical and emotional balance to achieve personal well-being for ourselves and others.

Reflective: We give thoughtful consideration to our own learning and experience. We are able to assess and understand our strengths and limitations in order to support our learning and personal development.

Defining Academic Dishonesty

The International Baccalaureate Programme requires that all work presented is the students’ original work. Cheating is recognized worldwide as a serious academic offense and is unacceptable at Cocoa Beach Jr/Sr High School. Ignorance of cheating is not a valid excuse for lapses and does not prevent penalty. According to the International Baccalaureate Programme Regulations, “Malpractice (cheating) is behavior that results in, or may result in, the candidate or any other candidate gaining an unfair advantage in one or more assessment components.” Malpractice (cheating) includes the following (but is not limited to):

• Cheating which is defined as acting dishonestly, employing deceit or fraud, usually in order to gain an advantage

• Plagiarism which is defined as the representation, intentionally or unwittingly, of the ideas, words or work of another person without proper, clear and explicit

acknowledgment.

• Collusion which is defined as supporting academic misconduct by another student, for example by deliberately allowing one’s work to be copied or submitted

for assessment by another.

• Duplication of work which is defined as the practice of doing the same thing more than once; copying

• Any activity which may be deemed unethical and academic fraudulent and is not allowed at Cocoa Beach Jr/Sr High School.

Please note: These violations can occur without specific intent. Neither IB nor Cocoa Beach Jr/Sr High School can determine whether an act of academic misconduct was deliberate or not. The IB expects students to know what is and is not acceptable behavior and expects students to know how to cite material originally developed by others. For these reasons, a student’s intent cannot and will not be taken into account when investigating an alleged breach of academic honesty policy and does not prevent penalty.

Category 1 Violations

• Homework and classwork

Consequences: Steps for Due Process for Category 1 Violations:

• Teacher will give the student a zero on the assignment.

• Teacher will contact the parent and the IB Coordinator.

• Student will meet with the IB Coordinator and the offense will be recorded.

Multiple Category 1 violations will result in dismissal from the IB Programme by the IB Coordinator and the return out of area students to their zoned school of attendance.

Category 2 Violations

• Quizzes

• Tests

• Projects

• Research Papers

• Lab Reports

Consequences: Steps for Due Process for Category 2 Violations:

• Teacher will give the student a zero on the assignment.

• Teacher will contact the parent and the IB Coordinator.

• Student will meet with the IB Coordinator and the offense will be recorded.

• After a Category 2 Violation the Honor Committee will be convened to determine if the student should continue in the IB Programme or if they should return

to their zoned school of attendance.

Category 3: Egregious Violations for IB Assessments

• Violations include academic misconduct on any IB external or internal assessment. These include: internal assessments, individual oral commentary, individual oral presentation, extended essays, lab practical scheme of work, Group 4 Project, TOK essay and project, and the personal project.

• IB assessment work must include a signed cover sheet from the candidate authenticating the work. If the authenticity is questioned, no grade will be rewarded by IB. Any infraction of this policy will result in an “N” (no grade) for the course and no IB Diploma will be awarded.

Steps for Due Process for Category 3 Violations:

• Any form of misconduct on an IB external or internal assessment will result in expulsion from the programme. Rare and unusual exceptions may be considered at the discretion of the Honor Committee.

Responsibilities of the School

• Define academic dishonesty.

• Review the academic honesty policy with students at the beginning of the school year and throughout the year, as necessary.

• Providing clear instructions and expectations for assignments.

• Using Turnitin.com to scan student papers for materials copied from the internet to serve as a preventative and corrective manner.

• Notify parents of instances of academic dishonesty.

• Ensure that students receive due process when suspected of academic dishonesty.

Responsibilities of the Student

• Understand the expectations of students for behavior and academic honesty and act accordingly.

• Avoid lying, cheating, plagiarism, and academic dishonesty.

• Report every situation in which a student has a suspicion or knowledge of malpractice, cheating, or behavior that violates that academic honesty policy to a member of the Cocoa Beach Jr/Sr High School faculty.

*In addition to maintaining high academic standards, Cocoa Beach Jr/Sr High School also maintains high behavior expectations for students.

Behavior Expectations:

Students are expected to abide by the Brevard County Schools Student Code of Conduct and also the

Cocoa Beach Jr/Sr High School Student Handbook. Students receive discipline through the Dean’s Office. Multiple discipline violations and/or egregious discipline violations are grounds for removal from the IB Programme. If a student receives multiple discipline violations and/or one egregious discipline violation (ISS, OSS, etc.), they will meet with the Honor Policy committee to determine if they should remain in the programme or return to their zoned school of attendance.

The following guidelines are also in place regarding behavior:

• If a student is expelled, they will immediately be dismissed from the IB Programme.

• If a student commits an offense that results in suspension and/or expulsion, they may jeopardize their ability to continue in the IB Programme. The Honor Committee will meet to review the student’s discipline record and determine whether they are able to continue in the programme.

• Students dismissed from the IB programme are required to return to their zoned school of attendance. Any students dismissed from the IB Programme (including zoned Cocoa Beach students) will begin a traditional high school diploma track, which is very likely to jeopardize their ability to graduate in the same year as their graduating class. In signing this form both parents and students acknowledge that they may put their graduation at risk by violating the academic honesty policy.

*This academic honesty policy was last updated in May 2019 and will be updated annually by the Academic Honesty Committee Members, which includes the following staff members:

• Georgann Savage (Mathematics)

• Montse Bray (Language Acquisition)

• Elizabeth Walker (Mathematics)

• Dr. Anne Smith (Language Acquistion)

• Elexa Rendla (Science)

• Viviana Velez Perez (Language Acquisition)

• Dr. Jocelyn Baldridge (IB Coordinator)

• Dr. Mark Rendell (Head of School)

This policy will be disseminated to students annually at the beginning of the year by the IB Coordinator and specific emphasis will be placed on the importance of honesty in the IB Programme. The policy will also be placed on the Cocoa Beach IB website to ensure that all stakeholders have access to it. For questions and concerns please contact Matt Kellam at Kellam.matt@brevardschools.org

The Academic Honesty Policy was most recently reviewed on February 27, 2020 by the following committee members:

· Matt Kellam (IB Coordinator)

· Pauline Rowan (Language and Literature)

· Ryan Walters (TOK)

· Tyler Moyer (Individuals and societies)