School Policies
Cell Phone/Earbud Policy
Students are expected to have cell phones and all electronic devices/earbuds off and put away during the class period, unless otherwise directed by the teacher.
- 1st violation: Warning
- 2nd violation: Confiscation of device for class period & parent/guardian contact
- 3rd violation: Device sent to office and student picks up after school
- 4th violation: Device sent to office and parent/guardian must pick up
Academic Honesty
Winston Churchill Middle School’s academic honesty policy is based on the IB Learner Profile. We believe that IB students must strive to be principled: “act with integrity and honesty, with a strong sense of fairness and justice...[and] take responsibility for [their] actions and their consequences.”
The purpose of an academic honesty policy is to promote the development of the skills and knowledge needed to be academically honest. It also serves to support students, staff, and parents in creating a learning community where academic honesty is taught, expected and practiced.
Academic Honesty
Academic honesty means more than simply following rules; it means acting with integrity. Integrity means respecting the work of other people. This happens mostly through the proper citing of sources in written work and class discussion. Students need to understand and implement skills and knowledge that will allow them, as a matter of practice, to present only work that is authentically their own.
| Paraphrasing | Put text in your own words |
| Plagiarism |
The representation of the ideas or work of another person as your own
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| Collaboration |
Working together on a common task
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| Collusion | Allowing someone to copy your work or copying someone else's work and presenting it as your own |
| Duplication of work | Submitting the same work to multiple classes |
| Intellectual Property | Material that results from the original, creative thought of a person, which includes forms of expression such as music, videos, photos |
| Malpractice | Any behavior that gains an unfair advantage for a student or that affects the results of another student. this includes forgery of any kind. |
School’s Response to Academic Dishonesty
Depending on the severity of the action, the teacher may choose to handle the consequence individually.
If the infraction is severe:
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The incident will be reported to the administration.
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The incident may be recorded in the student’s academic record.
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Parents/guardians may be contacted to arrange a meeting.
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Guidelines will be set for the student to complete the assignment (loss of academic credit or points may occur).
Roles and Responsibilities:
Administration and/or MYP Coordinator
● Work with the IB Educational Team to create and update annually the academic honesty policy
● Maintain fairness and consistency
● Provide guidance to department chairs in regards to professional development
● Promote parent awareness
Teachers
● Teach and ensure students understand the consequences of academic dishonesty
● Explicitly teach the required skills for academic honesty, such as paraphrasing, collaboration,
collusion, and citations
● Provide opportunities for students to practice and learn how to use other people’s work in support
of their own
● Focus on prevention and provide an opportunity to learn when mistakes are made
Students
● Take responsibility for submitting their own work
● Follow individual teachers’ requirements for properly citing sources
● Will not copy someone else’s work
● Are given opportunities to learn and practice academic integrity
Families
● Support this academic honesty policy and promote good practice in students
● Encourage and support students to be principled learners.