Academic Integrity

ACADEMIC INTEGRITY at SANDS

Sands values honesty, therefore, any form of plagiarism or cheating is considered serious misconduct. Plagiarism is the copying or reproduction of any work without the proper recognition of the original authors. Cheating includes having someone else do an assignment for you, submitting the same assignment more than once, deviously getting answers to a test, and consciously assisting another student to attain marks through misrepresentation. THESE BEHAVIOURS COMPROMISE ACADEMIC INTEGRITY.

Consequences for such actions could include:
• The administration will be notified, and the event will be recorded by the teacher and administration.
• The teacher will communicate with the parents/guardians.
• At the teacher’s discretion, a student may receive a zero on the assessment under question for academic dishonesty.
• In the event another incident of cheating or plagiarism occurs, the teacher and administration will meet with the student and the student’s parents. Progressive discipline will be administered, such as:
o Suspension from school
o Removal from a course
o Community service
• Students who exhibit repeated breaches of academic integrity may be ineligible to receive any year-end awards/scholarships.

The following are examples of what further constitutes cheating or plagiarism. This is not an exhaustive list:
• Copying and pasting text from on-line media or web site
• Parents/guardians completing students’ work on their behalf
• Transcribing text or simply modifying text from any printed material, such as books, magazines, encyclopedias or newspapers
• Replacing select words using a thesaurus does not constitute original work
• Using a photograph, artwork, video or audio without permission or acknowledgement
• Using another student’s work, even with a few changes in the wording, and claiming it as one’s own, even with permission. This is known as collusion and is not acceptable
• Purchasing or acquiring work that is not your own is academically unethical, ie a commercial sources or website that sells essay or projects
• Using an electronic device to translate from one language to another is not using one’s own words
• Using work that was written for another class or another purpose without getting permission from both teachers
• Allowing another student to copy one’s work
• Taking credit for a group assignment without contributing anything
• Looking at another student’s test to view their answers
• Talking to or communicating with another student during a test
• Using a cell phone during an assessment without teacher permission

ASSESSMENT EXPECTATION FOR STUDENTS

Sands prides itself on mutual respect between all members of its community. The staff works hard to prepare meaningful and engaging learning activities and materials. Students are expected to come to class on-time with books and equipment, ready to work hard and to participate in learning.
• Produce quality work on all assignments, projects, tests, and to meet deadlines
• Make effective use of Flex Time to meet academic deadlines

Students missing work in a course will, in consultation with teachers, parents, and administration, receive an “I” plan at the end of the term. The “I” plan will:
• Provide the student with reasonable deadlines to submit missing work. Work not submitted by this deadline may not be accepted by the teacher
• Provide information in relation to the learning that the student has completed so far in the course
• Provide suggestions on how the student and parents can support the student in their learning.

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