Al-Arqam College Preparatory School

International Baccalaureate Program

Academic Honesty & Integrity Policy & Procedures

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Introduction

The purpose of this document is to inform Al-Arqam College Preparatory students and their families of the importance of academic honesty in every class offered through the International Baccalaureate program. Much of this document is drawn from the International Baccalaureate Organization's pamphlet on Academic Honesty, available at Any questions regarding what appears in this document should be directed to the IB Coordinator(Zarah Ali), or to its Head of School, Noor Duso.

Academic Honesty

The IBO defines academic honesty as "a set of values and skills that promote personal integrity and good practice in teaching, learning and assessment." (p.2)

Personal integrity means more than simply following rules. Integrity means respecting the work of other people, without whom a student could not complete his or her IB assessments or class work. This happens mostly through the proper citing of sources in written work and class discussion. When written work consists of "the student's individual and original ideas with the ideas and work of others fully acknowledged" it is deemed authentic by the IBO. When students submit authentic work they are doing more than showing respect for the work of others; they are joining the community of those who value learning and truth as the highest objectives of school.

Integrity imposes three separate requirements on students at ACP:

1. Submitting only one's own, authentic work for assessment both to IB and to your classroom instructor.

2. Refraining from any behavior which might give the student or any other student an unfair advantage regarding class or IB assessment.

3. Reporting any knowledge of the behaviors mentioned in #2 above to teachers or to the IB Coordinators.

Malpractice

Malpractice is defined as behavior which falls into one or more of the categories below:

Plagiarism - the representation of the ideas or work of another person as the candidate's own.

Collusion - supporting malpractice by another candidate, as in allowing one's work to be copied or submitted for assessment by another.

Duplication of work - the presentation of the same work for different assessment components and/or diploma requirements.

Any other Behavior that gains an unfair advantage for a candidate or that affects the results of another candidate.

Claims of malpractice are taken quite seriously here at Al-Arqam College Preparatory. The following steps are taken whenever a teacher finds that a student's work or behavior has fallen into the categories above:

1. The teacher investigates and collects evidence.

2. The teacher chooses to inform the Coordinator or to handle the matter individually. Teachers choose the consequence within their own classrooms and grading systems.

3. If the coordinator becomes involved, they examine the evidence that is presented by the teacher.

4. If the evidence warrants further action, a meeting is called with the student, the teacher in question and the coordinator involved. The purpose of this meeting is to assess the student's actions and motivations.

5. The coordinator involveddecides the outcome so far as IB assessment is concerned. The Diploma Guide to Procedures Manuals will be consulted to make sure that the outcome is consistent with IB rules and regulations.

6. Parents will be informed of the outcome of any malpractice investigation, including the impact on a student's ability to earn the IB diploma.

Consequences of malpractice

Students and parents need to know that the consequences of malpractice are severe. Some or all of these consequences can develop from any confirmed case of malpractice:

1. Damage to the class grade, and by extension to a student's grade point average.

2. Possible disqualification from testing in the IB subject in which the malpractice occurred.

3. Possible disqualification from the IB diploma - a single case of confirmed malpractice results in an N mark in that subject. One N mark disqualifies any student from successfully completing the diploma.

4. Severe difficulties in getting positive letters of recommendation from faculty members. These letters are used both for college admission and for scholarship application purposes.

Responsibilities

We all have roles to play in creating and maintaining a culture of academic honesty here at Al- Arqam College Preparatory School:

Students / Teachers / Parents / Coordinator
The candidate is ultimately responsible for ensuring that all work submitted is authentic, with the work or ideas of other fully and correctly acknowledged. Candidates are expected to comply with all internal school deadlines. / It is the responsibility of the teacher to confirm that, to the best of his or her knowledge, all candidates’ work accepted or submitted for assessment is the authentic work of each candidate. Teachers are also expected to support the school's policy on good academic practice and provide candidates with advice whenever necessary. / Parents need to know the academic honesty policy and to support their students in developing acceptable practices for both completing and submitting work for assessment. / The coordinator must make sure that all candidates understand what constitutes academic honesty, authentic work and malpractice (especially plagiarism and collusion). Coordinator must also investigate all suspected cases of malpractice, in accordance with established IBO guidelines.

Next Step

Now that you and your student have read ACP’s Academic Honesty policy, please take a moment to fill out the signature sheet on the next page. That sheet needs to be turned in to Sr. Zarah Ali as soon as possible. A completed signature sheet is required in order to sit for IB exams this May.

Al-Arqam College Preparatory

International Baccalaureate Program

Academic Honesty Policy & Procedures

2015

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We have read and understood the academic honesty policy and procedures from ACP. By signing below we accept the obligations and responsibilities outlined in this document.

Candidate / Parent / Guardian
Printed Name: / Printed Name:
Signature: / Signature:
Date: / Date: