LC Academic Honesty Policy (2/3/05)

A dedicated group of teachers re-created this policy during collaborative meetings.

The existing policy in the student handbook is similar, but it lacked any due process for dealing with students who chose to plagiarize and/or cheat on work. The policy can be found in the student handbook and at the bottom of this document.

The new policy has a progressive discipline element that we hope will discourage students from taking the risk of cheating. If they know that we are presenting a united front and that we will be scrutinizing their work for evidence of dishonest work, they may think twice before turning in the copied/plagiarized work.

Here’s what the policy means to you. If you have a student who chose to cheat, follow Step 1. The last part of Step 1 says you as the teacher will inform the office of the incident. Send an email to SUE POWER and she will enter the information in SASI so, that if the student cheats again (in any other class), we will have a record of it and Step 2 will be implemented.

In SASI, you have limited access to discipline records for each student (this is one of the discipline entries you can access). If you detect a plagiarized paper, go to the student in SASI and look up his/her discipline to determine if you should move on to Step 2, or maybe Step 3.

The only way this will work is if we all work together and let the students know that we care about their authentic learning, and that cheating/plagiarism is not allowed at Lewis and Clark. If one teacher ignores the problem, it will start a crack in the foundation that this policy created. The hope of the committee is that we can change student behavior for the better and help them to realize the value of honest learning.

 Academic Honesty Policy – Cheating and Plagiarism

• Our vision for learning at Lewis and Clark High School is that we demand the highest standard of achievement and excellence from our students. Lewis and Clark secures this highest standard of achievement through the rigor and integrity of our academic pursuits. Achievement and excellence are measured by objective assessments which further enhance student development. 

• We at Lewis and Clark embrace and uphold the values of academic rigor and integrity. Optimal learning and rigor are the result of students developing and communicating their own thinking and findings in a disciplined community.

• Lewis and Clark students adhere to the value of self-discipline by generating their own critically developed work, strengthening our culture of integrity and honesty, and holding all Tigers accountable for their actions. “It takes a little more to be a Tiger!”

• The Lewis and Clark community supports development of well-rounded students who personify trustworthiness, respect, responsibility, fairness, caring, and good citizenship. Lewis and Clark challenges all students to strive for the highest level of academic achievement and excellence.

• Cheating as defined by Spokane Public School Policy 3200 is but not limited to: knowingly submitting the work of others represented as his/her own (i.e., copying from others, using information or technology not authorized by the teacher, asking someone for improper help on an assignment/exam, and/or gaining or providing unauthorized access to exam materials). Cheating also includes the aiding and abetting of cheating by others.

• Plagiarism as defined by Policy 3200 is, but not limited to: the unauthorized use of the language and thoughts of another author and the representation of them as one's own.  It is the students' responsibility to clearly document the source of information used in work submitted as their own (as defined by the MLA Handbook).

• Incidences of cheating are dealt with according to the Lewis and Clark student discipline policy.

  • Step 1: Upon confirmation of cheating/plagiarism, the teacher will discuss the incident with the student and call home to discuss with a parent. The student will be required to redo the assignment and the teacher has the discretion to either give a zero on the assignment or re-grade the assignment for reduced points. The teacher will notify the office so that the incident is recorded in the student’s discipline record. The size/value of the assignment does not mitigate/lessen the impact of the consequence.

  • Step 2: Upon confirmation of a second incident of cheating/plagiarism, the teacher will follow Step 1, and in addition, refer the student to an administrator for discipline. Discipline may include, but is not limited to Saturday School. At Saturday School, the student will be assigned the Academic Honesty research assignment.

  • Step 3: Upon confirmation of a third incident of cheating/plagiarism, the teacher will follow Step 1 and refer the student to an administrator for progressive discipline, which may include, but is not limited to: short-term suspension, or removal from class with an “F” grade.