Academic Dishonesty & Digital Citizenship
Students are expected to ethically use and acknowledge the ideas and work of others throughout their course work. The student’s individual voice should be clearly evident, and the ideas of others must be acknowledged, attributed, and/or cited.
A student who fails to acknowledge the source or author of any and all information or evidence taken from the work of someone else through citation, attribution or reference in the body of the work, or through a bibliographic entry, will be subject to an Academic Dishonesty Review.
Academic Dishonesty Review Process
- Instructor verifies act of dishonesty
The instructor must verify the act of dishonesty by personal observation and/or documentation; not just perception.
Compare to original text source
Look for a marked difference in writing style from previous work
Listen to the testimony of others
Observe firsthand
Receive an admission of responsibility by the student
Observe a suspicious degree of similarity with other work
- Steps to ensure a fair process
Teacher discusses the situation with the magnet coordinator.
Teacher meets with the student.
Inform them of the allegation. Allow them to review the evidence and provide an explanation during the meeting.
Use a preponderance of evidence standard (is it more likely than not) to determine whether or not academic dishonesty occurred.
Inform the student of the academic consequence(s), and the appeal process (give them a copy).
Inform the student that you are required to refer the case to administration and there may be additional consequences. Include any supporting documents (course syllabus, exam, Schoology, etc.)
- If there is a finding of academic dishonesty
The instructor will decide the academic consequence(s). The severity of the consequence should match the severity of the violation. Possible consequences may include giving the student:
An alternative assignment
Additional assignment
A failing or lowered grade on the assignment
Multiple instances of academic dishonesty will include administrative consultation and may result in an F or lowered grade in the course.
*This policy is adapted from College Board's AP Capstone Plagiarism Policy and CSULA's Academic Dishonesty Procedures, and meets the expectations set in LAUSD's Responsible Use Policy.
