In middle school, we aim to teach students why academic integrity is essential and ensure they have a thorough understanding before they begin high school. We also recognize that middle schoolers are still learning about how to use the work of others and that as they develop their research skills. Mistakes will be made. Our approach is to teach students the importance and methods of academic integrity and provide logical consequences for breaches of the policy. Students are expected to complete intellectual work honestly, ensuring that the work is their own and proper credit is given to sources they have used. We focus on teaching students to respect the intellectual property of others by giving credit where it is due. 

Students in Middle School demonstrate academic integrity by not:

• cheating - copying others’ work, accessing the questions in advance, using notes, phones or other aids when taking tests. Cheating also includes:

  • • seeking out or providing information from other students e.g. what was on an assessment which other students have already taken

    • using electronic devices inappropriately (including phones, smart watches, etc)

    • seeking extensive help from a tutor

    • Using unauthorized notes or ‘cheat sheets’ in an assessment

    • accessing a phone, smart watch or other unauthorized device for any purpose during an assessment

• plagiarizing (taking other people’s ideas and passing them off as their own). Plagiarism also includes:

  • • submitting work as their own that was written by a tutor or a parent

    • submitting work as their own, that has been written using artificial intelligence (AI) applications

    • failing to cite their sources

    • submitting projects, creations, images, recordings etc. which are not entirely the work of the student.

• providing work for any other students thus enabling other students to commit academic misconduct

• using AI (artificial intelligence) against teacher guidance

While the middle school is not beholden to external examination bodies, the integrity of our school and our students is a core value and thus we expect students and teachers to model these appropriate behaviours. It is also important for students to take responsibility for their actions and the consequences of those actions, even if the offence is unintentional.

JIS Middle and High Schools use MLA 9th Edition formatting for citations and references.  Teachers explicitly teach note taking, paraphrasing, referencing and citations in classes.

Link to JIS HS Academic Integrity Policy

Academic Misconduct occurs when a student attempts to obtain credit for work, or any improvement in evaluation of performance, by any dishonest or deceptive means.

A person who assists in aiding another in this respect is considered also to have committed academic misconduct.

The main areas that constitute academic misconduct include:

At JIS, we believe that:

• We must equip students for a world where Artificial Intelligence (AI) and other emerging technologies will play an increasingly significant role.

• As AI evolves, we are committed to lifelong learning to ensure that our teaching and learning practices remain relevant. As such, we cannot ignore AI. Just as we foster creativity, critical thinking and problem-solving skills, we must promote responsible AI use that maximizes its benefits, minimizes potential risks and safeguards academic integrity. 

• We believe that a balanced education integrates hands-on, tangible methods of learning with the advanced capabilities of learning with technology. By integrating both approaches, students gain proficiency in fundamental skills through direct interaction while developing digital literacies.

• The use of AI tools is part of the real-world learning environment and aligns with our aim to be a pioneering learning community. There is a shared responsibility between faculty and the school administration to equip ourselves with the necessary skills needed to utilize and guide students in the use of AI. To achieve this, we are committed to empowering educators through ongoing professional development opportunities, including learning from colleagues, to integrate AI tools effectively and foster responsible use of AI in classrooms. 

• These guidelines will be reviewed on a biannual basis at a minimum.

Student Guidelines (for students in Grades 6-12):

1. Always get your teacher’s approval before using AI on assignments or other school tasks. If you are unclear about how you are allowed to use AI in a task, ask your teacher for clarification. 

2. Problem-solve using your own knowledge and skills first before seeking AI assistance. 

3. View AI as a creative partner. Always consider AI as a collaborative tool that enhances your creative and problem-solving abilities. Do not merely outsource your tasks to AI; instead, use it to extend your own ideas and solutions.

4. Critically evaluate information that you obtained from AI with other sources, just as you would with any information to ensure accuracy and reliability.  AI models can give biased or inaccurate results so it’s important to cross-reference with multiple sources.

5. Give credit to AI by describing how the tool was used to help you in your tasks. Failure to give credit to AI will be considered plagiarism. Here are some examples of how you might acknowledge use of AI tools.

6. If you directly quote or paraphrase from AI, please cite your source using a formal citation style.  At JIS we recommend the MLA citation style.

7.  For all externally assessed work, the external body’s A.I. policies will apply:

• IBO ChatGPT/ai statement

• College Board Guidance for ai use on AP assignments/assessments

Further details can be found in the JIS AI Guidelines document.

The focus of consequences in middle school is to help students understand the nature of academic integrity and develop their understanding of its intricacies. All breaches of academic integrity are taken seriously. Consequences focus on ensuring students grow in their understanding of the practices. These offenses are treated as cumulative throughout JIS.

Students are expected to progressively develop their understanding and application of academic integrity over middle school. It is expected that by the end of Grade 8, all students will understand the seriousness of these breaches.

Level 1 offences*- these examples of academic misconduct are often more difficult for younger students to fully understand. While these instances are not excused, we recognise that younger students may need more explicit teaching of these components to understand them.

Level 2 offences*- we believe that by the time a student is in middle school, they will have a good understanding of these examples of academic misconduct. While teachers will remind students of the importance of appropriate behaviours, these may be taught less explicitly, and students are expected to adhere to these for all academic work.

*Please note that repetition of these offences impacts the severity of consequence.

Updated August 2025