OHMS MYP Academic Honesty Policy
Academic Honesty Policy
The academic policy is in alignment with the vision of Oak Hammock Middle School. We envision a collaborative multicultural community that values lifelong learning and provides the tools necessary to succeed in a global economy. It is our goal to help our students learn to act with honesty and integrity, making the right choices and acting ethically, in order to promote a better and more peaceful world. Academic honesty should be viewed as a set of values and skills that promote personal integrity and good practice in teaching, learning and assessment (IBO, Academic Honesty, 2009). All members of the Oak Hammock Middle School Community have a role in ensuring that there is a culture of integrity, maintained through the demonstration of ethical practices and expectations.
Academic Honesty Philosophy
OHMS provides a safe environment that allows students to pursue their interests through open inquiry, arts integration, and project based learning. The ultimate goal of the academic honesty policy at OHMS is to teach students to research, analyze, understand, and create original material with documentation to support their ideas. In the MYP, approaches to learning skills are particularly relevant to academic honesty given the clear links to students’ developing competencies in self-management, research and communication. In some MYP subject groups (as well as MYP projects), students are introduced to the importance of the process journal as a tool that promotes academic honesty. Both the personal project and the community project require students and supervisors to note their meeting dates and the main points discussed, and to declare the academic honesty of their work. MYP teachers are responsible for guiding and supporting students in the development of academic honesty in ways that prepare them for further study. As students gain experience in the MYP, they can develop the understanding and behaviors necessary to avoid pitfalls in formal high-stakes assessments as well as externally assessed coursework and culminating projects. (Academic honesty in the IB educational context, 2014)
Academic Honesty Policy Definitions
OHMS defines academic honesty as students’ creating original work and giving appropriate acknowledgement to sources that make a contribution to that work. The IB defines academic misconduct as behavior that results in, or may result in, the student or any other student gaining an unfair advantage in one or more assessment component.
Academic misconduct includes:
- plagiarism—the representation, intentionally or unwittingly, of the ideas, words or work of another person without proper, clear and explicit acknowledgment
- collusion—supporting academic misconduct by another student, as in allowing one’s work to be copied or submitted for assessment by another
- duplication of work—the presentation of the same work for different assessment components
- any other behavior that gives an unfair advantage to a student or that affects the results of another student (falsifying data, misconduct during an examination, creating spurious reflections).
For most MYP assessments, students are expected to work independently but with appropriate support from teachers and other adults, although there are many occasions when collaboration with other students is an important part of the learning process. (MYP Principles into Practice, 2014)
Roles and Responsibilities in Supporting Academic Honesty
School:
IB learners strive to be “principled” (IB learner profile -revised version August 2013): We act with integrity and honesty, with a strong sense of fairness and justice, and with respect for the dignity and rights of people everywhere. We take responsibility for our actions and their consequences.
- Students are taught inquiry and research skills, along with proper citation methods.
- Projects/Assessments will be emphasized that promote creativity and investigation.
- Teachers will review the academic honesty policy with students, including expectations and potential consequences.
- Academic dishonesty will be reported by all school personnel as required.
Students will:
- be responsible for knowing and understanding the Academic Honesty policy and any potential consequences for violating the policy.
- ensure that all work submitted for assessment is authentic, with the work or ideas of others accurately acknowledged.
- ask their teacher for clarification of the expectations if they are unclear.
- report any violations of other students that they are aware of.
Parents will:
- review the school’s website to become familiar with the academic honesty expectations of OHMS and ensure that their students are meeting those expectations.
Consequences of Academic Dishonesty
If there is an academic infringement or academic dishonesty identified by the teacher, the student will be addressed by the teacher to determine the appropriate consequences. Teachers will consult with administration as necessary.
Academic infringements
The following are examples of possible violations of the Academic Honesty Policy. These are not all inclusive.
- Using a “cheat sheet” or another form of assistance that is not allowed.
- Copying from another student’s work and presenting it as one’s own.
- Taking/using confidential course materials without explicit permission.
- “Repurposing” a project or paper that has been created for another class.
- Plagiarizing: Submitting all or portions of a piece of written work using someone else’s words or ideas (including material from an Internet site, material printed in a book or periodical, or another student’s work) without appropriate or adequate use or quotation marks or citation.
- Knowingly engaging in any activity that directly violates the understood academic honesty policy of OHMS.
- Collaborating with or helping another student to commit an academic infringement.
References:
“Academic Honesty Violations and Penalties.” Academic Honesty Violations and Penalties, https://www.cabrini.edu/about/departments/academic-affairs/academic-honesty/violations-and-penalties.
MYP: from Principles into Practice. International Baccalaureate Organization, 2014.
“Carrollwood Day School.” Carrollwood Day School: Middle Years Programme (MYP), https://www.carrollwooddayschool.org/page.cfm?p=261.
