Academic Integrity Policy

Academic integrity is an essential element in SciTech High School’s philosophy and practice of promoting academic excellence and pride in performance. A SciTech High School diploma should reflect not only the successful completion of all academic requirements, but also the formation of a young adult with high ideals of morality, honesty, and self-respect.

Students found to have engaged in academic dishonesty shall be subject to grade penalties on assignments or tests and disciplinary penalties in accordance with the Student Code of Conduct. Academic dishonesty includes cheating, copying the work of another student, and plagiarism. The determination that a student has engaged in academic dishonesty shall be based on the judgment of the classroom teacher or another supervising professional employee, taking into consideration written materials, observation, and/or information from students.

Academic cheating involves a willful and fraudulent act on the part of the student. It includes, but is not limited to:

· Copying answers from another student’s quiz or test

· Allowing another student to copy answers from a quiz or test

· Communicating answers to another student in any way during a quiz or test

· Using notes or other unauthorized materials during a quiz or test

· Gaining access to test questions or answers without permission of the teacher

· Copying another student’s homework or in-class assignment

· Allowing another student to copy homework or in-class assignment

· Submitting work from any source (person, text, on-line) to the teacher as one’s own work

· Using a cell phone, PDA, MP3, or any other electronic or communication device not otherwise provided for or allowed during the time provided for a test or quiz, in or outside the classroom

Plagiarism involves the intentional representation and submission of another’s ideas, words, or work as one’s own. It includes, but is not limited to:

· Directly copying another person’s work and presenting it as one’s own

· Submitting papers or reports or oral presentations from commercial research companies, including on-line sources, as one’s own work, or paying someone to write papers or create drawings or artwork to be submitted as one’s own work

· Copying portions of a text without crediting sources

· Rephrasing another person’s ideas and presenting them as one’s own without crediting sources

Copying includes but is not limited to:

· Copying the homework of another student and submitting it as one’s own

· Collaborating with others or with written or on-line materials in take-home assignments unless expressly permitted by the teacher

· Submitting an original paper, presentation, or report more than once to fulfill different assignments without prior approval from the teacher

Consequences associated with Academic Dishonesty

Any case of academic dishonesty will be investigated by the teacher and administration. Consequences for academic dishonesty include an automatic 0% on the assignment or assessment in question. Additional disciplinary measures can include:

· Detention

· Saturday Academy

· Suspension

· Administrative hearing.