ACADEMIC INTEGRITY POLICY
INTRODUCTION
Integrity is an essential value of our Catholic identity
and of our academic community. Real learning only
happens in the context of honest work, even in times of
high pressure and difficulty. Students choosing to cheat,
plagiarize, or inappropriately collaborate not only limit
themselves in the opportunity for true learning, but also
cultivate distrust among our community. Stu- dents, in
all academic situations, are encouraged and expected
to behave with honesty, fairness, and responsibility.
VIOLATIONS
Violations of Padua’s Academic Integrity Policy fall into
four broad categories: cheating, plagiarism,
inappropriate collaboration, and facilitating academic
dishonesty for others. For each, the violations are
considered as “minor” or “major.” Minor violations
represent poor judgment or a misunderstanding of the
Academic Integrity Policy. Major violations represent a
deliberate attempt to deceive and thus undermine the
academic integrity of our community. The violations
below serve as examples and are not comprehensive of
every type of violation.
CHEATING
Minor:
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Talking during a test or quiz.
Looking at another student’s test or quiz during the
testing period.
Major:
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Stealing, reproducing, circulating or otherwise
gaining access to a quiz, test or homework
materials prior to the time authorized by the
teacher.
Having in one’s immediate possession unauthorized
notes, books, calculators, phones, photos,
computers, social media, websites, or other aids
during a quiz or test.
Altering graded work and then resubmitting it for a
new grade.
Providing false information about reasons for class
absences or late work when requesting a make-up
quiz or test or an extension for homework.
Using an unauthorized website or app, such as an
online translator, to complete homework or other
assignments.
PLAGIARISM
Minor:
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Using the words, sentences, arguments, rhetorical
structures, and ideas of another without proper
citation and acknowledgment.
Copying data, facts, graphs, computer programs,
spread- sheets, images, photos, film/video, or other
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materials and using them without proper citation or
acknowledgment.
Copying homework or classwork from an answer
key, solution manual, textbook, web site, or other
items from an- other student, thus presenting
another’s work as your own.
Failing to give appropriate credit to source material,
whether quoted, summarized, or paraphrased.
Major:
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Copying quiz or test answers from an answer key,
solution manual, textbook, web site, or other items
from another student, thus presenting another’s
work as your own.
Copying a majority of another’s work on a larger
assessment such as a project, presentation, paper,
or lab and presenting this work as your own.
Purchasing or copying a paper from a website,
another student, or another resource and presenting
this work as your own.
Fabricating quotations and/or sources.
INAPPROPRIATE COLLABORATION
Minor:
 Receiving help with homework, reports, labs,
upcoming tests, or other activities when not
allowed by the teacher.
 Accepting credit for a group project without doing
your share of the work.

Dividing an assignment in various parts and only
doing a selected part of the work while taking credit
for contributing to the whole.
Major:
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Submitting as one’s own work any material “shared”
via any physical or electronic means by another
student.
FACILITATING ACADEMIC DISHONESTY FOR
OTHERS
Minor:
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Allowing another student to use past homework
assignments, papers, labs, or similar items.
Sharing such material as homework, reports, labs,
and/or test information with another student when
told collabora- tion is not allowed.
Helping others with their homework or other
assignments when not allowed by the teacher.
Major:
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Writing a paper for another student.
Allowing or helping another student to look at your
test or quiz during a test.
Sharing with other students your notes, books,
calculators, phones, photos, computers, social
media, websites, or other aids during a quiz or test
Providing any materials, information, or assistance
to another person with the knowledge or reasonable
expectation that such would be used for dishonest
purposes.
CONSEQUENCES OF ACADEMIC INTEGRITY
VIOLATIONS
Students who choose to disregard the integrity
expectations at Padua Academy are subject to a variety
of consequences, both major and minor.
CONSEQUENCES OF MINOR VIOLATIONS
Minor violations will result in disciplinary action
determined by the teacher. At minimum, students will
receive a detention and a maximum of 65% credit for the
assignment or evalua- tion in question, even if the work
is completely redone. The student’s name will be
reported to administration. Teachers may also choose
additional disciplinary measures, which may include
requesting school administration and/or the Academic
Integrity Committee to recommend appropriate
consequences.
CONSEQUENCES OF MAJOR VIOLATIONS
Major violations will result in disciplinary action
determined by the administration and/or the Academic
Integrity Commit- tee. Teachers are not permitted to
determine the consequences in these cases. At
minimum, students will receive the appropriate level of
demerit and a maximum of 60% credit for the
assignment or evaluation in question. The offending
student’s parents will be contacted for all major
violations.
THE ACADEMIC INTEGRITY COMMITTEE
The convening of the Academic Integrity Committee,
comprised of one administrator and three teachers, can
be requested by an administrator, a teacher, a student,
or a student’s parent to consider any major violation.
The committee will meet with both the student and the
teacher and will consider the nature of the violation. The
consequences determined by the committee are final
and cannot be appealed.
This version of the Academic Integrity Policy was
approved in May 2014. Any updates to the policy will be
posted on paduaacademy.org.