Page 39 in the 2020-2021 North Royalton High School student agenda provides the district’s policies on cheating and plagiarism. For those who haven’t been bored enough to read through the “Student Conduct” portion of the agenda, cheating could mean any of the following: 1. Copying homework from another student 2. Securing answers in a dishonest manner 3. Allowing one’s work to be copied by another student 4. Transmitting answers from one class to another 5. And obtaining digital copies and images of a test without permission Cheating in class is nothing new. Academic dishonesty has probably been around since the creation of formal education. The prevalence of technology in North Royalton High School has led to an arms race of sorts between high school staff and students, where teachers must take measures against new tech in the hands of students to ensure academic integrity (imagine explaining to a school teacher in the 90’s that her students might have a copy of her test hidden on their smart watches). With classes online, cheating has become easier than ever. Teachers face an uphill battle when it comes to catching cheaters in the virtual classroom. Prior to the COVID outbreak, catching cheaters wasn’t very difficult for Eva Teague, who has been teaching mathematics at NRHS for 18 years. “I am in the room with the students when they are taking a test or quiz and can see if they are attempting to use resources not allowed or look off another’s paper,” said Mrs. Teague. Aaron Garman, another NRHS teacher, has been teaching various English classes since 2003. In the past, Mr. Garman referred to NRHS’s plagiarism policies when it came to cheating. Howev-
CHEATING YOUR FUTURE BY: DYLAN SAUNDERS
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er, he also tried to explain the difference between learning and getting a grade to his students as a preventative measure. “I’ve dealt with cheating by trying to motivate my students and have them see school in a different light. It doesn’t work with all students, but I’ve had success with some,” said Mr. Garman. “If a student is motivated to cheat, a student will find a way regardless of the subject area.” Unfortunately for NRHS teachers like Mr. Garman and Mrs. Teague, students don’t have to try very hard when it comes to cheating. They can switch tabs, send each other answers, and make video calls during tests. “Even though they are not supposed to be using any notes or online help, it is hard for me to monitor that, even when watching them on Zoom,” said Mrs. Teague. Other than watching the Zoom calls during asStudents can easily switch between sessments, Mrs. Teague checks over her As Mrs. Teague mentioned, teache when students are cheatin students’ work to make sure their answers make sense. In light of a recent cheating scandal, Mrs. Teague now plans on making multiple versions of assessments to prevent answers from being shared between class periods. She noted that her current students seem to be doing better than previous classes, which she said could be due to current students cheating on tests. “Just because cheating is a lot easier in a remote setting does not change the fact that it is wrong, dishonest, and reflects the kind of person [students] are and will be. Today’s decisions affect who they will be in the future,” Mrs. Teague said about the cheating.
