Academic Integrity Agreement (Updated 2023)

As a school which fully embraces the values and practices of the IB, Brockton places considerable weight on academic integrity. As such, it is our working assumption that all student submissions (examinations, tests, quizzes, essays, presentations, assignments, etc.) will be the student’s own work. 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 integrity, in its many forms, as well as the mechanisms through which to avoid plagiarism, cheating etc. Students in the MYP, DP/Grade 11/12 will participate in academic integrity training sessions at the beginning of the school year and will have access to a variety of materials and support throughout the year.

IT IS THE RESPONSIBILITY OF EACH STUDENT TO KNOW AND ABIDE BY EXPECTATIONS OF ACADEMIC INTEGRITY​ IT IS THE RIGHT OF EACH STUDENT TO A FAIR PROCESS IF SUSPECTED/ ACCUSED OF ACADEMIC MISCONDUCT

ACADEMIC MISCONDUCT The IB defines Academic Misconduct as the following: “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.”

"Academic Honesty in the Diploma Program." Online Curriculum Centre. International Baccalaureate, n.d. Web. 26 Aug. 2016.

Academic Misconduct may include, but is not limited to the following: 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. The use of translated materials, unless indicated and acknowledged, is also considered plagiarism. At Brockton, we recognize two degrees of plagiarism: 1.​ Deliberate Plagiarism: The assessment is copied or includes the work of another or artificial intelligence tool presented as one’s own.

2.​ Careless Plagiarism: Not citing references carefully; using the ideas and words of others or artificial intelligence tool without giving proper credit (this can include minor failures to cite paraphrasing in the text and/or on the works cited list); and/or the inclusion of extensive revisions made by someone other than the student. *Refer to notes below on how to avoid 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.

Duplication of work is defined as the presentation of the same work for different assessment components and/or Diploma Programme requirements.

Other examples of Academic Misconduct or Cheating include, but are not limited to: ●​ submitting a paper that was written for one course in another course; ●​ any action that is dishonest and designed to secure a student more time to complete their assignment or to give an unfair advantage; ●​ copying the work of another student or artificial intelligence tool; ●​ assisting another student with an answer; ●​ using any unauthorized assistance (such as cheat sheets); ●​ using unauthorized work prepared by another individual, including a parent or tutor; ●​ unauthorized use of technology that contravenes the spirit of the assessment; and/or

●​ memorizing any outside source and using it to answer a question in a test or on an in-class essay situation (without appropriate citation).

PROCESS OF ACADEMIC MISCONDUCT RESPONSE 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 keep track of the deliberate academic misconduct, however, this will not be placed in the student's record; 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 submitting work that is not containing academic misconduct; 5.​ The student may be referred to the learning support department for additional academic support.

For grades 8 - 12 student integrity violations, including academic integrity, will be divided into three levels. These levels are determined by the importance of the assignment and premeditation of the student. All violations must be recorded in Plagiarism report form (see collab minutes link).

Level One: Violations will be dealt with by the teacher with the student and will be reported to the appropriate IB Coordinator and Department Chair. Students who are caught cheating or plagiarizing may receive a zero on the suspect assignment. Parents will be notified of these situations by the teacher.

Level one violation includes, but is not limited to: ●​ copying homework ●​ 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 properly cited ●​ 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 the IB Continuum Director/ Senior School Principal.

The 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 papers from the Internet/AI-generated work, other publications, or other students ●​ 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 who is guilty of a level two violation will receive a zero on the suspect assignment, but must still meet the minimum requirements of the course 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 and school activities and/or suspension 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

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●​ 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.

In cases of Careless Academic Misconduct, the teacher and administration will use their discretion on a case-by-case basis. *Notes on How to Avoid Plagiarism 1.​ Visit the senior school library website (https://search.credoreference.com, Login: BrocktonSchool; Password: LynnValley) to review academic integrity terms and find suggestions on how to cite.

2.​ Use a citation tool to assist (they are listed on the library website) and document your sources while you are conducting research (do not leave it to the end).

3.​ Review the MLA 9 Handbook for Writers of Research Papers (available in library & online); consult the OWL (the Purdue Online Writing Lab), at http://owl.english.purdue.edu/ or other educational sites like www.Plagiarism.org; 4.​ Talk to your teacher-librarian for assistance.

5.​ Expectations by grade level with citation support

By signing this agreement, I commit to acting ethically and respectfully toward myself and others. I agree to uphold the principles outlined in this agreement and understand that failure to do so may result in disciplinary action by the school.

Date:​

Date:​

Student Name:​ ​ Student Signature:

Parent/Guardian Name:​ Parent/Guardian Signature:

PLEASE RETURN TO YOUR CLASSROOM TEACHER

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