Academic Integrity

Students are expected to do their own work at all times. Copying someone else’s homework, asking a parent or tutor to do the work, copying from a publication or from the Internet without using quotation marks and citing sources are all examples of academic dishonesty, and ultimately work to a student’s disadvantage. Likewise, allowing another student to copy one’s work is dishonest and will be addressed as plagiarism. Students who breach the standards of academic integrity will receive a grade of ‘0’ for all instances of cheating or plagiarism.

Why is it important to maintain academic integrity?

• We want you to take pride in your honest achievement.

• You’ll feel good about yourself when you meet the challenges of your academic work. It’s hard to feel good about yourself when you take credit for someone else’s work.

• You will develop and maintain a reputation as an honest person.

• People’s words, work and/or ideas are considered “intellectual property” – meaning that their creator owns them. Some types of plagiarism violate not only school rules, but US and European law. Plagiarism is a form of theft. So, too, are other forms of cheating, like copying another’s work on a test.

• Cheating gets in the way of learning. When you pass someone else’s work or ideas off as your own, you are not learning, nor are you practicing the skills that you need to succeed in the university and in the workplace: how to write, analyze, form conclusions and generate new ideas.

• You will learn what you are honestly capable of achieving.

What does plagiarism look like?

(Examples of violations of academic integrity)

• Copying someone’s homework.

• Looking at another’s test, getting unauthorized assistance during a test, sharing answers with others during a test, letting someone copy your assignment.

• Having a parent or a tutor do your homework.

• Paying a tutor to write your paper (or complete your college applications) for you.

• Letting your parents build your project.

• Letting your partner do all the work on a project and just putting your name on the final product.

• Turning in an old project or paper completed by a former student (an older brother or sister, for example).

• Taking a paper directly from the Internet and passing it off as your own.

• Copying directly from published works or Internet sites, and/or using someone else’s words without quoting them and citing the sources of information.

• Paraphrasing (rewording) someone’s words and not giving him/her credit for the ideas or concepts; passing someone’s ideas off as your own.

• Using images, charts, graphs, maps, tables and other graphics from published or Internet sources in your work without citing where you found them.

What are the consequences of violating the Academic Integrity policy?

• Grade of zero on relevant assignment or project and notification of parents.

• Letter on file – which will be shared with members of NHS Committee and Middle School Student of the Quarter, Luke Hansen and Warren Shepard Award committees during the selection process for these honors.

How can you avoid cheating?

• The best way to avoid cheating and plagiarism is to find ways to personalize your assignments. React in writing about how a topic might personally affect you, your family or your community. Let your reader know what you think about the topic and about why it matters to you. An original conclusion, which is supported by facts from other works properly cited is never cheating. Write in your own voice, not just in your own words.

• Organize your work so that you don’t run into a last-minute time crunch that keeps you from studying, writing, creating, revising, reflecting and making your work your own.

• Record where you found your supporting ideas while you do your research – once for finding the information, and again for writing your footnotes and doing the bibliography.

• ALWAYS include a bibliography, list of resources or acknowledgement whenever you use the work or ideas of others. If you can’t provide a citation, don’t use the source.

• Understand that using other’s work is permissible and usually necessary to create well-supported arguments, conclusions and answers to questions. Giving credit to the source of this work keeps it from being plagiarism.

• Make as large a percentage of your work as original as possible. Use direct quotations and paraphrasing only when what you find is written in such a way that it clarifies or makes memorable the idea expressed.

Academic Probation

The goals of our Academic Probation assist students to achieve academic improvement and should not be viewed as being purely punitive. In an effort to motivate students and help them overcome a dive in academics, the counseling office and administration will assess student’s academic progress. Students will be re-evaluated at the end of Quarter 1 and the probationary status will be revisited.

According to our Student-Parent Handbook policy, “Students who fail more than one subject or receive two Ds and an F at the end of any semester are placed on Academic Probation for the next semester.” Students which are transitioning into the Academy should be mindful that they may be asked to withdraw from ACS Athens if he/she is failing more than one subject, especially if students fail more than one subject for two consecutive semesters.

When students find themselves on Academic Probation, a committee composed of the school principal, the school counselor, and teachers, will determine resources which will benefit the students, including after-school programs through the Learning Commons and/or student contracts. In addition, students on Academic Probation will automatically be referred to the Child Study Team for screening, evaluation and possible remedial services. Students on Academic Probation may find themselves ineligible for participation in any co-curricular activities (based upon the coaches/Athletic Department’s criteria) including attending club/activity time during X-Block/Advisory time. Their focus will be in a mandatory study hall during this time instead. In addition, students will be excluded from non-educational field trips.

The goal is for a student on Academic Probation to become eligible at semester. With a team of educators to assist students, with a student’s improved effort and hard work, they should be able to get themselves off of the Academic Probation list the following semester.