Academic
Integrity Policy and
Academic Integrity Procedures Guide
Last updated Fall 2025. Next review will be Fall 2026
Policy Statement
501 – Academic Honesty Policy
Effective date: August 2017 (as policy 216)
Review date: Annually
Approved by: The Head of School, Brockton Preparatory School
Applies to: ☒ Students ☒ Staff ☐ Volunteers ☒ Parents ☐ Others:
Contact: Head of School
1 Reason for Policy
As a school which fully embraces the values and practices of the IB program, Brockton places considerable weight on academic honesty. As such, all student submissions (examinations, tests, quizzes, essays, presentations, assignments, etc.) will be the student’s own, original work.
2. Policy Statement
2.1 Every effort will be made by faculty and staff to ensure that students are provided with ample opportunities to learn both the reasoning behind academic honesty in its many forms as well as the mechanisms through which to avoid plagiarism, cheating etc.
2.2 Students in the MYP, DP/Grade 11/12 will participate in academic honesty training sessions at the beginning of the school year and will have access to a variety of materials and supports throughout the year
2 3 It is the responsibility of each student to know and abide by Brockton’s expectations of academic honesty It is the right of each student to a fair process if suspected or accused of academic misconduct
2 4 If a student is suspected of academic misconduct, the response process shall be that:
● the teacher may address the student first/foremost to express concern
● the teacher will meet with the administrator
● both the administrator and the teacher will meet with the student (and parents, situation dependent); the student will have an opportunity to advocate for themselves (supported by parents if they wish)
● a decision will be made with corresponding consequences, if applicable
3.
2 5 The consequences of deliberate academic misconduct may include (but are not limited to) the following:
● the assessment may receive 0%
● the student may receive a school suspension;
● the incident will be placed on the student’s record;
● if the student in academic misconduct more than once, the School will assess the student’s continued enrollment at Brockton.
2.6 In cases of careless academic misconduct, the teacher and administration will use their discretion on a case-by-case basis.
2.7 Brockton will provide explicit training on academic honesty for students in grades 10-12, and require all DP students to sign an agreement relating to the School’s expectations regarding academic honesty.
Cross References
Cross-referenced to:
205: Appeals and Procedural Fairness
208: Discipline
210: Graduation Program Credits
211: Privacy
213: Student Records
218: Assessment Policy
IB World Academic Integrity Guide (2019)
Philosophy & Rationale
This Academic Integrity Policy is a working document of guidelines developed by staff and administration from each IB programme (PYP, MYP, DP, and CP), and from each division of the school (Junior and Senior). It is the responsibility of the Brockton teaching staff and administration to determine whether candidates’ work meets the IB’s standards concerning academic integrity. The IB expects teachers to use appropriate means to ensure that work is, to the best of their knowledge, the candidate’s authentic work.
As the IB Learner Profile is the foundation of the International Baccalaureate Programmes, so shall it be the cornerstone of Brockton School’s Academic Integrity Policy In our efforts to promote academic integrity, Brockton’s faculty encourages our students to be:
● Inquirers – acquiring the skills necessary to conduct inquiry and research
● Knowledgeable –exploring concepts, ideas, and issues
● Principled – acting with integrity and taking responsibility for their own actions
● Open-minded – accustomed to seeking and evaluating a range of points of view
● Courageous/Risk-Takers – brave and articulate in defending their beliefs
● Thinkers – making ethical decisions
● Communicators - communicating honestly and giving credit to others’ work
● Reflective - reflecting on choices and actions, modelling empathy, compassion, and respect for others
When applied to learning and student work, these qualities will establish skills and behaviour that support academic integrity in the classroom, for homework, and during examinations. Academic integrity is expected to be introduced, modelled, and used throughout the school.
Definitions
"Academic Honesty in the Diploma Programme." Online Curriculum Centre. International Baccalaureate, n.d. Web 26 Aug 2016
The IB defines academic misconduct as follows:
“Academic misconduct is a behaviour that results in, or may result in, the student or any other student gaining an unfair advantage (or a behaviour that disadvantages other students) in one or more assessment components.”
Plagiarism is defined as the representation, intentionally or unwittingly, of the ideas, words, or work of another person or artificial intelligence tool without proper, clear, and explicit acknowledgment. Unless indicated and acknowledged, the use of translated materials is also considered plagiarism.
Collusion is defined as supporting academic misconduct by another student, for example allowing one ’ s work to be copied or submitted for assessment by another
Collaboration vs. Collusion: When students are working in a group with the intention of handing in individual pieces of work, sometimes it can be hard to distinguish between collaboration and collusion
When we collaborate, we work together towards accomplishing a task, and we often share intellectual ideas; however, if you allow your academic work to be used by another - and passed off as their ownthen you are committing collusion
Duplication of work is defined as the presentation of the same work for different assessment components and/or Diploma Programme requirements
Cheating - Cheating is the use of unauthorized assistance and includes but is not limited to:
● Submitting a paper that you wrote for one course in another course
● Memorizing any outside source (tutors, textbook, outside courses) and using it to answer a question in a test or on an in-class essay situation
● Any action that is dishonest and designed to buy you more time to complete your assignment or to give you an unfair advantage
● Copying the work of another student, assisting another student with an answer, using any unauthorized assistance (such as cheat sheets), using unauthorized work prepared by the student, another individual, or technology
● Unauthorized use of technology that contravenes the spirit of the assessment
Cheating violates Brockton’s expectations of academic integrity Consequences of noncompliance may result in a grade of 0% on the assessment, test, exam, or assignment; a school suspension; and/or a re-evaluation of the student’s continued enrollment at Brockton if deliberate cheating is repeated
Google Apps for Education (GAFE): Brockton School uses Google Apps for Education (GAFE), which provides students with other opportunities to take ownership of their learning and consistently practice academic integrity.
Inclusion Policy: The IB believes that all students have the right to be assessed as accurately as possible regarding their abilities, knowledge, and mastery of skills Students with special assessment needs are permitted to be assessed under conditions that will allow them to demonstrate their abilities accurately, within the guidelines set by the IB. Please see our Inclusion Policy
Diversity, Equity, Inclusion, and Justice in Academic Integrity
Brockton’s Academic Integrity practices focus on developing an ‘ethical culture’ where our entire community strives to be responsible, moral, and honest with our decision-making and our behaviour Whether it involves scholarly work, assessment, or treatment of others, we are committed to acting in a responsible way whereby others can trust in us as community members Should integrity be in question, we practice restorative justice to provide an opportunity for needs to be communicated and addressed, and integrity to be repaired
Academic Integrity Expectations of Brockton Students
Our expectations and best practices are set out below. The learning of these skills will develop from grade to grade.
● Approach all academic work in a principled manner, striving to produce authentic work which fully acknowledges source materials
● Document source material in the prescribed manner
● Use direct quotations appropriately
● Paraphrase and cite others’ ideas appropriately
● Understand the concept of plagiarism
● Understand the consequences of cheating with respect to behaviour, school-based work, assessments, and external examinations
● Acknowledge explicitly and appropriately the help provided by another person
● Follow all test and examination rules as determined by Brockton, IB, and the B.C. Ministry of Education
● Exhibit the principles of fair play and sportsmanship when representing Brockton School
A Brockton student DOES NOT
● Copy from any source (including artificial intelligence) without adhering to rules that govern intellectual property
● Copy the internal assessment work of other students
● Give another student their work to copy
● Use notes during a test unless allowed by the teacher or permitted by the examination rules
● Do homework for another student
● Present material written by another student as their own
● Purchase and/or submit pieces written by someone/something else
● Write essays for other students
● Present artistic or creative work in any medium that has literally been reproduced except in a manner allowed by the teacher or permitted by the examination rules
● Participate in behaviour that could be perceived as dishonest or does not adhere to the Academic Honesty Policy
In a cohesive and comprehensive way, students will receive instruction in:
● The research process
● Authentic authorship
● Anti-plagiarism
● The rules for acknowledging source material based on standard practice
● Data gathering techniques
● The planning, preparation, and execution of research writing assignments
● Considering bias in reference material
Misconduct most commonly involves plagiarism or collusion However, there are other ways in which a candidate may commit misconduct and in so doing be in breach of the academic integrity regulations The following examples of misconduct do not constitute an exhaustive list and refer only to the written examinations:
● taking unauthorized material into an examination room (such as cell/mobile phone, written notes).
● leaving and/or accessing unauthorized material in a bathroom/restroom that may be visited during an examination
● misconduct during an examination, including any attempt to disrupt the examination or distract candidates
● exchanging information or in any way supporting the passing on of information to another candidate about the content of an examination
● failing to comply with the instructions of the invigilator or other member of the school’s staff responsible for the conduct of the examination
● impersonating another candidate
● stealing examination papers
● using an unauthorized calculator during an examination, or using a calculator when one is not permitted for the examination paper
● disclosing or discussing the content of an examination paper with a person outside the immediate school community within 24 hours after the examination
Academic Integrity Published October 2019 Updated March 2023
Academic Integrity Agreement
Students in the MYP, DP, CP, and Dogwood programmes are expected to comply with Brockton’s Academic Integrity Agreement. This agreement is distributed at the beginning of each school year once the students have had an orientation to the Senior School Library and research skills. All students in the graduation years are expected to practice research skills across a span of courses (CP core, DP core, DP courses, BC Ministry courses, etc.), and adhere to the academic integrity expectations of the IB, and the BC Ministry of Education, as well as Brockton School.
Consequences
For students in the PYP (JK-5), the focus is on learning about Academic Honesty and Integrity Should integrity be in question, we practice restorative justice (such as redoing work and/or support with citation) to provide an opportunity for needs to be communicated and addressed, and integrity to be repaired
For students in the POD (grades 6 & 7) integrity violations, including academic integrity, will be situation dependent and may include (but are not limited to) the following:
1. The student will redo the work so the teacher can then regrade the work.
2. The teacher and student will meet to discuss the process of citation and referencing. The student may be required to complete some additional work to demonstrate their understanding of citation and referencing.
3. The school administration will monitor deliberate academic misconduct; however, it will not be recorded in the student's file.
4 If the student commits academic misconduct more than once, the school administrator will meet with the family to discuss any concerns or challenges preventing the student from submitting work that does not contain academic misconduct
5 The student may be referred to the learning support department for additional academic support
For students in grades 8-12, student integrity violations, including academic integrity, will be categorized into three levels. These levels are determined by the importance of the assignment and premeditation of the student. All violations must be recorded in the Plagiarism report form (see the collab minutes link).
Level One: Violations will be dealt by the teacher with the student and will be reported to the appropriate IB Coordinator and Department Chair. Students who are caught cheating, plagiarizing, or
using AI-generated work may receive a zero on the assignment in question Parents will be notified in these situations by the teacher
Level one violations include, but are not limited to:
● copying homework or using AI-generated work
● looking at another’s test or quiz
● allowing another student to look at a test or a quiz
● using other secretive methods of receiving or giving answers on a test or quiz
● taking information from another source that is not cited correctly
● working with others on an assignment that was meant to be done individually.
Level Two: Repeated level one violations are severe and will be dealt with by the teacher, the respective IB Coordinator, and IB Continuum Director/ Senior School Principal. Department chair should be informed about the violation.
Parents will be contacted in these situations (as determined by the Principal of Senior School).
Level two violations include, but are not limited to:
● copying from the Internet, other publications, or other students
● using AI-generated work without permission or citing
● taking any part of a test to use or give to others
● submitting as their own any material that has been developed or written by another
These violations can be considered theft; therefore, any student found guilty of a level two violation will receive a zero on the suspect assignment, but must still meet the minimum course requirements by rewriting the assignment according to teacher specifications The points on this assignment will not be added to the student’s score Further consequences may include suspension from the class, school activities, and/or expulsion from the school The recording of this information will be included in the student’s school file. Students must be in good standing to receive school awards.
Level Three: Level three violations are extreme and will be dealt with by the Director of the Senior School or the Head of School, and if applicable, any third-party authorities (e.g. BC Ministry Examinations department or IB organization). Parents will be contacted in these situations by the Principal of Senior School.
Level three violations would include [but are not limited to]:
● Stealing examinations
● Altering grades on a computer database
● Violation of academic integrity during examinations or externally moderated assessment
● Repeated level 2 violations
Sanctions would include (but would not be limited to) removal from Brockton School, reporting to the Ministry of Education, IB organization, and/or universities
Fostering an Academic Integrity Culture
Fostering an academic integrity culture requires a positive attitude toward good practice and modelling age-appropriate incremental conceptual understanding through the IB continuum All subject teachers share responsibility for teaching academic integrity throughout the school year and are encouraged to adopt a principled and ethical approach to learning. Students are expected to be responsible for producing authentic and genuine individual and group work, correctly attributing sources, acknowledging the work and ideas of others, using information technology and social media responsibly, and observing and adhering to ethical
and honest practices during assessments, tests, and/or examinations. Students must also master the technical components of academic integrity, which includes learning how to correctly reference and ethically use information, opinions, and artificial intelligence (AI) tools
Primary Years Programme (PYP)
Junior Kindergarten, Kindergarten, & Grade 1: Students are introduced to acknowledging authors and illustrators, identifying the differences between the roles of the author and illustrator, and locating where to find the author’s and illustrator's names
Grade 2: Students are introduced to using jot notes and recording the title, author, and date of a publication Students will tend to use one or two sources for research purposes Students learn the purpose of a table of contents and an index
Grade 3: Students begin to identify keywords, captions, and sidebars. They record book titles, authors, and dates of publication, as well as internet article titles used for research. They become cognizant of the concept of student voice vs. textbook voice in writing. Students are introduced to the concepts of plagiarism and the use of artificial intelligence.
Grade 4: Students learn more about the concept of plagiarism. They continue to learn how to put ideas into their own words by using keywords from texts, to incorporate quotations, to record references that include author, title, and date of publication, to cite internet article titles and addresses, and to discuss reliable books and internet sources. Students are introduced to tools that support learning and the ethical use of technology, including artificial intelligence.
Grade 5: Students will identify keywords in reference materials, use quotations correctly, reference information (author, title, date), reference borrowed images and interviews, differentiate between reliable and unreliable internet sources, acknowledge anonymous authors, and begin creating MLA bibliographies Students are guided to utilize tools that support learning, including artificial intelligence, while also being mindful of its ethical use Students strive to apply the above research skills during the Exhibition process Students become introduced to and practice MLA sourcing, learn about the difference between paraphrasing and direct copying, and also learn the basics of making a bibliography They learn the MLA format that will be developed in MYP
Art: Students are encouraged to learn from various artists and discuss how they can apply artists’ processes and styles to create unique and inspired art pieces, without copying others’ works
Music: Students may play arrangements of an original music composition and may talk about the reworking of a music piece so that it can be simplified or expanded to include various instruments, while at the same time recognizing the original piece and composer by citing the original arrangement.
French: French translation should be authentic and not done through Google Translate. All sources are cited in the grade 5 and grade 6 research.
ADST: Students design and create projects that may model the work of designers, programmers, builders, and other creatives. They are encouraged not to copy the work of others and ensure they are including their own unique additions and ideas
Middle Years Programme (MYP)
Beginning in Grade 8, all students at Brockton are expected to fully utilize the Modern Language Association’s (MLA) referencing format to document their research, information, and notes from various sources effectively.
Referencing in Grades 6/7 (The POD) In the POD, the knowledge of MLA referencing terminology, how to record various dates of publishing and access, and the format and purpose of works cited and works consulted are reintroduced with more detail and reinforced Additionally, students are taught the purpose and format of Works Cited pages and introduced to in-text citations Students will know how to correctly reference the following types of sources: books, websites, artificial intelligence tools, encyclopedias, magazine and newspaper articles, interviews, TV shows, images, and films using MLA referencing Students will be explicitly taught the ethical use of information, opinions, and artificial intelligence (AI) tools and how to reference them.
Referencing in Grade 8 In Grade 8, the knowledge of MLA referencing terminology, how to record various dates of publishing and access, and the format and purpose of works cited and works consulted are reinforced. Students will learn how to correctly reference multiple types of sources, including books, websites, artificial intelligence tools, encyclopedias, magazine and newspaper articles, interviews, images, and films. They will be introduced to the formats of emails, journal articles, and organizational documents. Students will use works cited and in-text citations where appropriate. Moreover, students will begin to evaluate sources for reliability and analyze the author, purpose, timeliness, and audience. Students will review and practice the ethical use of information, opinions, and artificial intelligence (AI) tools and referencing
Referencing in Grade 9 - In Grade 9, students are proficient in MLA referencing terminology, how to record various dates of publishing and access, and the format and purpose of works cited and works consulted. The purpose and format of the works cited and in-text references are reinforced. Students are familiar with correctly referencing the following sources: books, websites, encyclopedias, magazines, journal and newspaper articles, interviews, emails, organization documents, and films. Moreover, students will continue to evaluate sources for reliability and analyze the author, purpose, timeliness, and audience. Students will begin to make increasingly informed choices regarding their research, seeking multiple perspectives and ethical use of information, opinions, and artificial intelligence (AI) tools
Referencing in Grade 10 - In Grade 10, students apply the knowledge of MLA referencing terminology, the record of various dates of publishing and access, and the format and purpose of a works cited and works consulted in all of their research assignments Students will know how to correctly reference the following types of sources: books, websites, encyclopedias, magazines, journal and newspaper articles, interviews, emails, organization documents, images, and films Moreover, students are proficient in their evaluation of sources for reliability and analysis of the author, purpose, timeliness and audience Students will continue making informed choices regarding their research and actively seek multiple perspectives. Students will continue to develop, refine, and apply the ethical use of information, opinions, and artificial intelligence (AI) tools and referencing
Referencing Skills (Scope and Sequence)
For a thorough description of how students at each grade should cite and reference, please see Brockton’s Citations and Referencing Guide, also see “Research Skills” in this Core Competencies/ ATL scope and Sequence.
The Graduation Years:
Diploma Programme (DP), Hybrid Programme, Career-Related Programme (CP), and B.C. Dogwood:
In the Graduation Years, Brockton School Diploma Programme, Career-Related Programme, and BC Dogwood, students are expected to respect themselves and others by preparing their own schoolwork to the best of their ability for evaluation by Brockton teachers Students in the graduation years (Grades 11 & 12) are expected to be proficient and apply correct referencing skills An authentic piece of work is one that is based on the student’s original ideas with the ideas and work of others fully acknowledged (including the use of any type of Artificial Intelligence) In contrast, academic dishonesty is a student’s attempt to claim and show possession of knowledge and skills that s/he does not possess
Brockton is an IB school. All IB students understand the importance of acknowledging others because it is a central feature of the constructivist, inquiry-based approach promoted in all IB programmes; yet, in the DP and the CP, this requires the explicit teaching and learning of specific conventions accepted in a community of learners for being transparent about the use of ideas and work of others note making, in-text citation and the preparation of a bibliography.
In the DP and the CP, students are encouraged to enter into academic “conversations” in a variety of fields of study As such, it is essential that students fully acknowledge source materials to situate themselves within the relevant academic discussion In this vein, academic integrity not only ensures that students give accurate and reliable credit to others, but it also ensures that teachers, assessors, and other interested individuals can track a student’s sources to fully engage with their research progress and outcomes. Diploma students are strongly encouraged to use the research templates and/or platforms provided by their teachers to compile their research notes and to create their citations. Course teachers must have access to all their students’ research templates and/or platforms to track and provide feedback on their progress, as well as verify the accuracy of citations. This process will be used by classroom teachers and the DP and CP Coordinators to verify the authenticity of student work to the IB.
Definition of misconduct in the DP and CP:
Academic Honesty Cardiff: International Baccalaureate Organization, Aug 2009 PDF Received as conference materials for the IB Librarians' Conference, June 2016
The IB defines misconduct as behaviour that results in, or may result in, the candidate or any other candidate gaining an unfair advantage in one or more assessment components Misconduct includes the following:
a. Plagiarism: this is defined as the representation of the ideas or work of another person or an artificial intelligence tool as the candidate’s own. For example, in the CP, a student may neglect to reference a source of material in their Reflective Project and be found guilty of plagiarism.
b Collusion: this is defined as supporting misconduct by another candidate, as in allowing one ’ s work to be copied or submitted for assessment by another
c. Duplication of work: This is defined as the presentation of the same work for different assessment components and/or IB diploma requirements.
d Any other behaviour that gains an unfair advantage for a candidate or that affects the results of another candidate (for example, taking unauthorized material into an examination, misconduct during an examination, falsifying a DP CAS or CP Service record, colluding to create a false language portfolio, disclosure of information to and receipt of information from candidates about the content of an examination paper within 24 hours after a written examination)
e. Presenting the same work for different assessment components and/or diploma requirements constitutes duplication of work and is therefore considered misconduct. For example, if a DP candidate submits the same or a very similar piece of work for DP History, SL Internal Assessment, and for a DP Extended Essay in history, this would be viewed as misconduct. However, it is perfectly acceptable for a candidate to study one aspect of a topic for an Internal Assessment and another aspect of the same topic for an Extended Essay.
f Fabrication of data is a further example of misconduct If a candidate manufactures data for a table, survey or other such requirement, this will be interpreted as an attempt to gain an unfair advantage in an assessment component For example, in the CP studying DP Biology, a student working on their IA may be guilty of misconduct if they do not use all of the data they acquired and selectively fabricate data to inform their work Consequently, the final award committee will find the candidate guilty of misconduct
g. Using authentic data is a matter of academic integrity. Many candidates for the Diploma Programme and Career-related Programme are fluent in two or more languages and are therefore able to conduct their research in more than one language, perhaps with the aid of the internet. Such candidates must be aware that copying a passage of text, translating this passage
into another language, and then using the translated text in their work without acknowledging its source still constitutes plagiarism
The IB is very clear about its expectations for academic integrity. The IB requires authentication of student work:
Authentication is an assurance from the teacher that, to the best of their knowledge and belief, the work being submitted has been undertaken by the candidate.
For an assessment electronically uploaded by the candidate, the authentication process is confirmed on screen by both the candidate and the teacher
For an assessment electronically uploaded by the school (on behalf of the candidate), the authentication process is confirmed on screen by the teacher This option requires the school to have previously secured the candidate’s authentication
Source: International Baccalaureate “Career-Related Programme Assessment Procedures 2020” International Baccalaureate Organization 2019
IB Career-Related Programme (CP)
CP students engage with IB Diploma Programme subjects, the four elements of the CP core and a career-related study. All elements of the CP are interlinked and connected to form an educational framework. Student work in the CP can be inspired and informed by the student’s range of subjects. It is possible that data or information may be used in more than one area of a student’s studies and that expertise can be transferred where students utilize the skills developed in one area of the CP in another area. However, all tasks and assessments must be distinct from, and may not be included or used in, other areas of the student’s CP. CP teachers should support students to be fully aware of their responsibilities in respect of academic integrity
Source: International Baccalaureate “Academic Honesty in the IB Educational Context ” International Baccalaureate Organization 2019
Authenticity of Work - Roles of Stakeholders:
Students will abide by the internal timelines and deadlines outlined by the CP Coordinator and the Reflective Project Coordinator at the beginning of the Career-related Programme (September of Year One) Students will maintain regular communication with their advisor to reflect, reiterate, engage, and reflect again The student will ensure their work is their own and sign a contract stating their work is authentic and their own intellectual property
Supervisors will discuss ethical dilemmas with students and provide guidance on appropriate research methods They will remind students of the criteria for marking and the points awarded for each section They will complete the supervisor report, indicating how the 3-5 hours were spent with the student
The CP Coordinator will share school assessments of the Reflective Project, select and inform supervisors, oversee the marking, standardization, and in-house moderation of marking among the teaching staff, and upload any requested moderated samples to IBIS. Ultimately, the coordinator and the school ensure that the work is authentic and the intellectual property of the student
Guidance on the use of artificial intelligence from IBO
The goal of academic integrity is to make knowledge, understanding, and thinking transparent Students must also master the technical components of academic integrity, which include learning how to correctly reference and ethically use information, opinions, and artificial intelligence (AI) tools.
Such transparency needs to be taught and supported throughout the educational journey so that students understand how knowledge is constructed, as well as their own role in furthering knowledge construction and building understanding While technical proficiency is crucial, conceptual and ethical knowledge should come first
Recent technical advancements in AI tools have sparked concerns in the educational community, as students may use these tools to produce their own assessments In some ways, this is not a new academic integrity issue for the IB. These tools can effectively produce a unique essay (or other product) for the student this can be paralleled to a student buying an essay from the internet or having a third party (such as a parent or tutor) write it for them. In cases where another person creates the essay for a student, teachers are well-positioned to identify when it is not the student’s own work.
Teaching students about academic integrity
Opportunities created by AI tools reinforce that academic integrity is an ethical choice that students must make. Students cannot learn about acting with integrity by being given a list of rules for the examination room or learning a particular format for referencing They learn by talking about what it means to act with academic integrity and seeing it role-modelled around them
To initiate a conversation about this topic, teachers could consider the links between:
● TOK ways of knowing and acting with academic integrity
● Arts, legitimately emulating a particular person ’ s style and acting with academic integrity
● The scientific principle of testing another’s hypothesis and acting with academic integrity
The key message is that students need to be taught about academic integrity, and discussions about the ethical use of AI are a great classroom exercise
The IB and AI tools (Page 53 of the Academic Integrity Policy)
The IB aims to avoid joining the “ arms race ” between AI tools that claim to be able to distinguish between AI-generated and human-authored content It is better to ensure that students can speak about their work with their teachers rather than accusing them of misconduct based on increasingly minor differences in the predictability of their word choices However, students need to be aware that the IB does not regard any work produced even if only in part by such tools as their own Therefore, as with any quote or material from another source, it must be clear that any AI-generated text, image or graph included in a piece of work has been copied from such software The software must be credited in the body of the text and appropriately referenced in the bibliography If this is not done, the student would be misrepresenting content as it was not originally written by them which is a form of academic misconduct It is not realistic to prevent the use of these tools, as they will rapidly become commonplace. However, the IB believes that schools should explain ethical behaviour when using these tools and why they are often not the most helpful piece of software. Some recommendations are as follows.
● Before writing a piece of work, students should find research material it is entirely reasonable to use a search engine to do this This research will give them ideas and help shape their arguments
● Students benefit from having an example of a well-written essay to reference when drafting their own work There is nothing wrong with this, although the student must be clear that they are only using it to
understand what good essay structures and coherent, supported arguments look like, not to copy sections of it
● Students should be encouraged to ask the software research questions rather than the essay title, and then explore the sources it provides ensuring they also explore the inherent bias of the results
What does the IB expect when a teacher checks the authentication box to confirm that work is the student’s own?
● The teacher has observed the student's development of the work over a period of time IB coursework is not designed to be completed in a single evening
● This is the best approach to ensuring that the work is attributed to the student, and it also promotes best practice in writing coursework
● The student can explain their work sufficiently to give confidence that it has been created by them.
● The student is clear when they are quoting other people’s ideas and when they are claiming an idea or conclusion as their own work this is the expected way of referencing.
● The teacher confirms that the quality of the final piece of work is in line with what they would expect the student to produce.
Teachers are the best placed to know what a student is capable of and when a piece of work appears not to have been written by that student. If teachers are not convinced that the work is the student’s own, it must not be submitted to the IB. If it has been written for them by their parents/guardians, sibling, tutor or obtained from an essay mill, the IB is less likely than the teacher to be able to identify this The IB is very effective is in spotting similar work used by students in different schools for example, two students buying the same essay off the internet While tools are being developed to detect essays written by AI tools, it is likely to be a while before they are reliable enough to be the sole evidence of academic misconduct that leads to a student losing their grade for the subject concerned
It is a school’s decision on how to deal with a student who submits work that is not their own, as per the school’s academic integrity policy For example, are students allowed to submit entirely new work, to rewrite it under supervision, or do they lose the opportunity to submit anything?
The IB’s only requirement is that work that is not the student’s own cannot be submitted for assessment; it does not accept a marking penalty for such work Teachers must keep in mind that if a student does not submit coursework, then the IB will not award a grade in that subject
How should teachers guide their students when using AI tools?
Students should be informed of the following rules, as transparency is essential
● Any text, picture, or product produced by an AI tool be that by copying or paraphrasing that text or modifying an image must clearly reference the AI tool in the body of their work and add it to the bibliography.
● The in-text citation should include quotation marks, using the referencing style already in use by the school. Additionally, the citation should include the prompt given, the AI tool, and the date the AI generated the text. In-text citation example: “The development of the tools and variables required for...”(text taken from ChatGPT, 2023)
● Bibliography references should contain; 1 Prompt 2 Publisher
3 Date
4 Location: Give the general URL for the tool 1
See this guide
“Describe the symbolism of the green light in the book The Great Gatsby by F. Scott Fitzgerald”
Using software to improve language and grammar
There are software programs available to help authors improve the quality of the language they use, from simple spell checkers to complex tools that rewrite sentences. IB assessments usually do not evaluate the quality of language or spelling, so there is limited benefit in using such tools.
● The exception is in language acquisition, where marks are awarded for sentence structure In these subjects, the use of such tools is not permitted
● The IB awards bilingual diplomas, and universities and schools consider the language subjects taken as proof of proficiency in that language Therefore, students are not permitted to write essays in one language and then translate them for submission to the IB in another language For subjects other than language acquisition, the use of spell checkers and bilingual dictionaries is acceptable
● The IB will always consider the use of software to support access and inclusion requirements for students Please refer to the Access and Inclusion Policy for more details
● The IB allows students to use basic tools to support their spelling and grammar when this is not what is being assessed
Confidence in IB results
The IB and IB World Schools are partners in maintaining the value (currency) of IB grades to be trusted by institutions. The IB needs to trust schools to do due diligence, and schools can trust the IB to take its responsibility seriously in the interest of their students.
Alignment with other school Policies
To our Mission Statement, Vision and Values:
We are committed to inspiring the growth of outstanding humans who have integrity, compassion, and take principled action We support our students in being responsible, respectful, and showing gratitude to the people and resources that support their growth in knowledge and skills Our Academic Honesty Agreement, signed by both students and parents, demonstrates our commitment to upholding our mission.
To our Language Policy:
Our Academic Integrity Policy aligns with the Language Policy in that all faculty share the responsibility for teaching academic integrity throughout the school year and are expected to encourage a principled approach to learning. Academic Integrity should be clearly communicated and expected of all students across all subject areas.
Assessment Policy
Our Academic Integrity Policy aligns with the Assessment policy in that all student assessments must reflect the students’ own work and adhere to the objectives outlined in our Academic Integrity Policy. Should Academic Integrity be in question, this policy outlines the steps to resolve the issue and the impact on the assessment.
Our Academic Integrity Policy aligns with the Access and Inclusion Policy by providing support and guidance from the teachers and the Learning Services team. Learners at Brockton are held accountable to this policy regardless of their learning abilities. Referencing skills are taught incrementally as students progress through the IB continuum. The Learning Service team may support the student and teacher in adjusting expectations for referencing skills, taking into account the student's individual learning needs.
Review Process
This policy is reviewed annually as part of the subject team meetings and as part of the school's overall improvement plan The Leadership Team will review the implementation of the policy in classrooms and throughout the school regularly as part of the review process All IB policies are posted on Brockton’s website