Mira Loma High School
International Baccalaureate Program
Academic Honesty Policy & Procedures
2015
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Introduction
The purpose of this document is to inform Mira Loma students and their
families of the importance of academic honesty in every class offered through
the International Baccalaureate program. Much of this document is drawn from
the International Baccalaureate Organization's pamphlet on Academic Honesty,
available at www.ibo.org. Any questions regarding what appears in this
document should be directed to Mira Loma's IB Coordinators (Jeannine Hall, Tim
Sullivan and David Mathews), or to its Head of School, Rich Nichols.
Academic Honesty
The IBO defines academic honesty as "a set of values and skills that
promote personal integrity and good practice in teaching, learning and
assessment." (p.2)
Personal integrity means more than simply following rules. Integrity
means respecting the work of other people, without whom a student could not
complete his or her IB assessments or class work. This happens mostly through
the proper citing of sources in written work and class discussion. When written
work consists of "the student's individual and original ideas with the ideas and
work of others fully acknowledged" it is deemed authentic by the IBO. When
students submit authentic work they are doing more than showing respect for
the work of others; they are joining the community of those who value learning
and truth as the highest objectives of school.
Integrity imposes three separate requirements on students at Mira Loma:
1. Submitting only one's own, authentic work for assessment both to IB
and to your classroom instructor.
2. Refraining from any behavior which might give the student or any
other student an unfair advantage regarding class or IB assessment.
3. Reporting any knowledge of the behaviors mentioned in #2 above to
teachers or to the IB Coordinators.
Malpractice
Malpractice is defined as behavior which falls into one or more of the
categories below:
Plagiarism - the representation of the ideas or work of another person as
the candidate's own.
Collusion - supporting malpractice by another candidate, 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 and/or diploma requirements.
Any other Behavior that gains an unfair advantage for a candidate or that
affects the results of another candidate.
Claims of malpractice are taken quite seriously here at Mira Loma. The
following steps are taken whenever a teacher finds that a student's work or
behavior has fallen into the categories above:
1. The teacher investigates and collects evidence.
2. The teacher chooses to inform the appropriate Coordinator or to handle the
matter individually. Teachers choose the consequence within their own
classrooms and grading systems.
3. If the coordinator(s) become involved, they examine the evidence that is
presented by the teacher.
4. If the evidence warrants further action, a meeting is called with the student,
the teacher in question and the coordinator(s) involved. The purpose of
this meeting is to assess the student's actions and motivations.
5. The coordinator(s) involved decide the outcome so far as IB assessment is
concerned. The Diploma and Middle Years Guide to Procedures Manuals
will be consulted to make sure that the outcome is consistent with IB rules
and regulations.
6. Parents will be informed of the outcome of any malpractice investigation,
including the impact on a student's ability to earn the IB diploma.
Consequences of malpractice
Students and parents need to know that the consequences of malpractice
are severe. Some or all of these consequences can develop from any confirmed
case of malpractice:
1. Damage to the class grade, and by extension to a student's grade
point average.
2. Possible disqualification from testing in the IB subject in which the
malpractice occurred.
3. Possible disqualification from the IB diploma - a single case of
confirmed malpractice results in an N mark in that subject. One N mark
disqualifies any student from successfully completing the diploma.
4. Severe difficulties in getting positive letters of recommendation from
faculty members. These letters are used both for college admission and for
scholarship application purposes.
Responsibilities
We all have roles to play in creating and maintaining a culture of
academic honesty here at Mira Loma:
Students
The candidate is
ultimately
responsible for
ensuring that all
work submitted is
authentic, with the
work or ideas of
other fully and
correctly
acknowledged.
Candidates are
expected to
comply with all
internal school
deadlines.
Teachers
It is the
responsibility of
the teacher to
confirm that, to
the best of his or
her knowledge, all
candidate's work
accepted or
submitted for
assessment is the
authentic work of
each candidate.
Teachers are also
expected to
support the
school's policy on
good academic
practice and
provide candidates
with advice
whenever
necessary.
Parents
Parents need to
know Mira Loma's
academic honesty
policy and to
support their
students in
developing
acceptable
practices for both
completing and
submitting work
for assessment.
Coordinators
The coordinators
must make sure
that all candidates
understand what
constitutes
academic honesty,
authentic work
and malpractice
(especially
plagiarism and
collusion).
Coordinators must
also investigate all
suspected cases of
malpractice, in
accordance with
established IBO
guidelines.
Next Step
Now that you and your student have read Mira Loma's Academic Honesty
policy, please take a moment to fill out the signature sheet on the next page.
That sheet needs to be turned in to Mr. Mathews as soon as possible. A
completed signature sheet is required in order to sit for IB exams this May.
Mira Loma High School
International Baccalaureate Program
Academic Honesty Policy & Procedures
2015
=================================================
We have read and understood the academic honesty policy and procedures from
Mira Loma High School. By signing below we accept the obligations and
responsibilities outlined in this document.
Candidate
Printed Name:
Parent / Guardian
Printed Name:
Signature:
Signature:
Date:
Date: