Academic Integrity Policy Updated May of 2024

Academic Integrity Philosophy

In the PYP schools at SPS, it is our responsibility to form habits developed around trust, respect, responsibility, and credibility in our youngest learners. The learning community views academic integrity as a guiding principle and foundation for making ethical academic decisions. We aspire to create a learning environment in which academic integrity is embedded into all teaching and learning through modeling and practicing. We encourage students to act with integrity by holding them to high standards as they produce honest and authentic work. We believe that these practices encourage students' development of the Approaches to Learning through Research Skills and the Learner Profile of Caring, Communicator, Knowledgeable, Thinkers, and Principled.

Academic Integrity Principles

SPS PYP educators believe:

Academic integrity is a shared responsibility among all members of the learning community.
Academic integrity is an integral part of teaching and learning.
The development of the Learner Profile attributes are the basis of the development of academic integrity in our learners.
Academic integrity is an integral part of developing the Approaches to Learning, especially Research Skills and Thinking Skills.

Academic Integrity Practices

SPS PYP educators:

Establish and maintain a common understanding of academic integrity across the learning community.
Review and reflect upon the school's academic integrity policy each year.
Approach student academic misconduct by seeking to understand.
Provide staff ongoing professional development for all staff to continue to grow our understanding of academic integrity.
Encourage academic integrity by designing assessment criteria that values creativity, responsibility, and the ethical citation of sources (as appropriate for each grade level).
Encourage students to develop an understanding of academic integrity through the development of the Learner Profile attributes and the Approaches to Learning skills of Research, Communication and Thinking.
The library media specialist plays an essential role in helping students understand and practice academic integrity by providing students with ongoing lessons on digital citizenship, use of reliable sources, and effective citation of sources.
Support the instructional technologist who plays an important role in curriculum writing, teaching and learning by providing students experiences exploring digital citizenship, use of reliable sources, and effective citation of sources.

What is Academic Integrity?

Springfield Public Schools Student Handbook

Character education is the intentional, proactive effort by all staff to instill core ethical value such as respect for self and others, responsibility, integrity, and self-disciplines.

(Student Handbook pg. 26)

If a student is caught cheating, consequences may include redo of the assignment, loss of credit, conference, detention, up to 1 day of ISS.

(Student Handbook pg. 74)

Approaches to Learning

The use of Research, Thinking, and Communication skills help support and encourage academic integrity.

Research Skills: Ethical Use of media/information

Thinking Skills: Reflection and Metacognition

Communication Skills: Literacy and ICT skills

IB Learner Profile

The Learner Profile is the foundation for academic integrity.

Inquirers develop research skills including how to find reliable resources and cite their sources.
Knowledgeable students can apply source citation rules.
Thinkers take responsible action when referencing and citing sources.
Communicators summarize information instead of copying word-for-word and share their sources using a bibliography.
Principled students act with integrity and honesty and take responsibility for consequences.
Caring students show respect to authors and creators by citing sources.

What are best practices to encourage academic integrity?

Students will complete all assignments, tasks, and assessments in an honest manner and to the best of their own abilities.
Students will develop and apply the approaches to learning skills relevant to academic integrity.
Students will demonstrate the Learner Profile traits of Caring, Principled, Knowledgeable, Thinkers, and Communicators when they complete authentic, original work.
Students will use resources responsibly by giving proper credit to sources through citation/bibliographies, as appropriate.
Reporting any misconduct to appropriate school staff.

What is considered academic dishonesty or misconduct?

Plagiarism: knowingly taking others' work, words, ideas, pictures, information or anything that has been produced by someone else and submitting it as one’s own without proper citation.
Copying: copying the work of another student, with or without his or her knowledge, and submitting it as one’s own.
Cheating: using unauthorized material during an assessment which provides an unfair advantage.
Duplication: submitting the same work to more than one teacher/course without authorization from teachers.
Forgery: Forgery is the action of forging or producing a copy of a document, signature, or work of art.
Collusion: External/ internal help that can lead a student to be academically dishonest. This could be an external aid, a friend, a parent or a teacher.

What actions will be taken if academic dishonesty or misconduct is suspected and/or proven?

If academic dishonesty or misconduct is suspected, the teacher will report the incident to the school principal.
The school principal will investigate the claim and determine if there is sufficient evidence to support the claim and determine the action that will be taken.
The action taken will be dependent on the student and the situation (age of the student, understanding of misconduct, past academic misconduct). The principal will utilize the SPS student handbook and discipline scope and sequence, as necessary.
Actions or consequences might include redoing the assignment, loss of credit for the assignment, conference, detention, or up to 1 day ISS.
Parents will be notified of the misconduct and the action that will be taken by the school principal.

Academic Integrity Rights and Responsibilities

Rights

Students have the right to show academic integrity by producing and submitting authentic and original academic work, access reliable and current resources, and challenge a misconduct claim if they feel is it unfair.
Teachers have the right to challenge a student's work for authenticity.
Parents have the right to challenge an academic integrity misconduct claim.

Responsibilities

Students are responsible for developing and applying the approaches to learning skills that demonstrate academic integrity. They are responsible for reporting suspected misconduct to appropriate staff.
Teachers are responsible for modeling academic integrity and clearly communicating academic integrity expectations with students and parents. Teachers are responsible for teaching and allowing for the development of the approaches to learning skills that support academic integrity. Teachers are responsible for teaching students when, how, and why students must site their sources.
Parents are responsible for supporting and encouraging academic honesty at home and partnering with the school if there is an incident of suspected misconduct.

Academic Integrity Definitions to Note:

Plagiarism: knowingly taking others' work, words, ideas, pictures, information or anything that has been produced by someone else and submitting it as one’s own without proper citation.
Copying: copying the work of another student, with or without his or her knowledge, and submitting it as one’s own.
Cheating: using unauthorized material during an assessment which provides an unfair advantage.
Duplication: submitting the same work to more than one teacher/course without authorization from teachers.
Forgery: Forgery is the action of forging or producing a copy of a document, signature, or work of art.
Collusion: External/ internal help that can lead a student to be academically dishonest. This could be an external aid, a friend, a parent or a teacher.