Academic Integrity

ICS is a community of learners. One of our highest ideals is ethical practice in learning, or Academic Integrity. With this in mind, it is critical that both faculty and students protect and maintain our integrity in academic work. Understanding of Academic Integrity, including Academic Misconduct, is a skill that develops over time and from grade level to grade level.  The teaching of academic integrity  in each grade level and is overseen by the ICS library and supported by all faculty members in their different subject teams.   HERE is a link to the full ICS Academic Integrity Policy.

Academic Integrity refers to the practice and concept of assuring that all academic work is the product of one’s own thinking, research, creativity, and inquiry and, where it is not, that all sources of information that is not common knowledge are acknowledged according to standard acceptable practices.

Clearly, the line between acceptable assistance and unfair reliance on the work or ideas of others is not always easy to draw. If you are in doubt, consult with the teacher before submitting your work.

Plagiarism is defined as presenting someone else’s work, including the work of other students, as one’s own. Any ideas or materials taken from another source for either written or oral use must be fully acknowledged, unless the information is common knowledge. What is considered “common knowledge” may differ from course to course. Ask your teacher if you have a question, before you use the information in a report or presentation.

Cheating is considered to be an attempt to use or provide unauthorized assistance, materials, information or study aids in any form and in any academic exercise or environment. This could include copying from a classmate, having a tutor do your homework, bringing notes into the test, sharing a “programmed” calculator with another student, using language translation software to translate writing from one language to another, or other similar unauthorized help. It also includes sharing work with other students.  If in doubt, ask a teacher. Helping someone else to cheat is academic malpractise.

 The IB uses extremely strict expectations for academic honesty and we implement these expectations consistently throughout the school. Teachers spend time in classes to explore terminology we use in relation to academic dishonesty including practices like collusion, plagiarism, cheating, falsifying.

Academic dishonesty includes but is not limited to:

• Copying homework or class assignments from another student

• Allowing another student to copy from one’s own test or assignment

• Copying during a test, using cheat sheets or electronic devices

• Fabricating, inventing, or falsifying research or other findings

• Handing in assignments or coursework which has been downloaded in full or in part from the Internet, or used for another current    previous class

• Borrowing/copying passages from books, magazines and other print sources or the Internet without indicating that it is borrowed       information from someone else

• Paraphrasing pages, sentences, paragraphs or phrases from another source without citation

Students unable to meet these expectations face academic and disciplinary consequences. Students are expected to use any resources necessary to ensure academic work is their own, including anti-plagiarism software e.g. Turnitin.

The ICS Academic Policy and Procedures is currently being reviewed. The 2025-26 version will be available in August.