Policies

HCMS ACADEMIC INTEGRITY POLICY

Academic honesty and integrity are basic to creating an effective learning community. The student who cheats is harmed because he or she is not learning the material. Other students are harmed when those who cheat gain an unfair advantage in the classroom. Hill Country Middle School suffers when the climate of trust and mutual respect is undermined. Society pays the price when the taking of shortcuts becomes an accepted norm.

HCMS Honor Code- 

I understand the importance of academic integrity at Hill Country Middle School, and I vow to be honest and honorable in all dealings with fellow students, faculty and staff. 

The most common forms of cheating or plagiarism occur when a student:

• Submits a paper written entirely or partly by another person.

• Copies another student’s homework (even with permission from peers).

• Copies from another student during an assessment.

• Obtains and submits a paper on the Internet or other electronic media.

• Takes a picture/screenshot of a quiz, test, or assignment and shares with others.

• Uses “Cut & Paste” instead of original production.

• Copies a published author’s words, phrases, sentences, or ideas (published authors, periodicals, encyclopedias, internet sites, and AI/Chat GPT) without citation.

• Obtains a copy of an assessment OR talks to another student before or during an assessment or about the assessment, thus providing an advantage to the student before taking the test.

• Changes an answer after the paper/assessment has already been graded.

• Uses technology or electronic devices to access information during an assessment

• Creating a Google Education tool to impersonate any staff member or student via any avenue, social media, or other.

• Forging a signature that is not their own

Violation of Academic Integrity Policy: Major Grades

If/When a student makes the mistake of academic dishonesty on a graded assignment or assessment, the following policy will be implemented in all grades and content disciplines: 

1st Offense = The content discipline teacher will write an office referral, informing the administration of the incident and communicating the incident with the parent/guardian. The Student will be allowed to follow the department's re-test policy. The administration will assign appropriate consequences.

Subsequent Offenses = The content discipline teacher will write up an office referral, informing administration, who is now tracking the incidents so that a pattern is now created. The student will be allowed to follow the department’s re-test policy. In addition to contacting the parents/guardians, the administration will continue the progression of restorative practice and consequences.