East High School Cheating and Plagiarism Policy

Rationale

Our goal as a school is to foster the intellectual and emotional growth of our students. In order to do this, we need to teach students about the implications of plagiarism and cheating. By using the ideas of others and representing them as your own, you are taking someone’s intellectual property. When students plagiarize they also are denying themselves the opportunity to learn and grow as a student. In higher education, plagiarism and cheating are treated very severely and it is important that high school students learn how to avoid academic dishonesty and take responsibility for their own actions and the consequences that accompany them. The goal of this plagiarism and cheating policy is to clearly outline the definitions of plagiarism and cheating and the procedures for handling instances of academic dishonesty at East High School.

Term Definitions 

• Cheating:  Cheating involves unauthorized use of information, materials, devices, sources or practices in completing academic activities. Examples of cheating include, but are not limited to:
  • sharing answers with another student
  • accessing answers through an electronic device
  • falsifying data
  • copying from an outside source or from other student
  • stealing and/or distributing copies of assessment materials
  • falsifying performance records 
  • sabotaging the projects/experiments of other students
• Collusion: when students work together on assignments that are then submitted for assessment without the instructor’s permission to work with others. I.e to prepare and produce work, share one’s answers to an assessment task with other students, or allow others to copy one’s work, and write or edit work for other students.
• Duplication of work: copying an assignment or answers from another student and submitting it for credit under one’s own name.
• Generative AI: Generative AI refers to deep-learning models, such as Chat GPT, that can generate high-quality text, images, and other content based on the data the platform was trained on.
  • If you use Grammarly or any other spelling or grammar checker, you must disclose how you used it.
  • You may not use ChatGPT, DraftCoach, or any other AI programs (including Grammarly) to generate full sentences unless it is specifically allowed/instructed by the teacher. 
  • You may not use ChatGPT, DraftCoach, or any other AI programs to generate computer code unless expressly allowed by the teacher. 
  • You must disclose any writing assistance.
• Plagiarism: the practice of taking someone–or something–else’s work or ideas and passing them off as one’s own.

Expectations

• East High School Students will:
  • acknowledge that academic honesty is an integral part of their education and preparation to be lifelong learners.
  • act with honesty and integrity, by refusing to participate in any form of academic misconduct. 
  • practice appropriate skills, including citations, bibliographies, and other research record keeping as necessary. 
  • accept the consequences of their actions when infractions occur. 
  • submit their own work and confirm that they have correctly cited each use of words or ideas of another person, whether written, oral or visual. 

• East High School Administration will:
  • support teachers and staff in the development and application of consistent academic misconduct policies and procedures.
  • inform stakeholders of the academic honesty policy, the penalties for infractions, and appeal procedures available to students. 
  • apply penalties consistently and fairly when infractions occur, in accordance with the established scope and sequence of the Denver East High School Academic Honesty Policy. 
  • maintain records of infractions, and communicate with appropriate staff as necessary. 

• East High School Teachers will:
  • teach students the tools for academic honesty, including appropriate academic citation systems, in-text citations, preparing bibliographies, maintaining research records, etc.
  • support students as they develop these practices, with lessons that reflect students increasing knowledge and skills over time. 
  • inform students of penalties for infractions of the policy through course syllabi and oral communication. 
  • maintain records of infractions, and communicate with staff and parents as necessary. 
  • regularly use turnitin.com as a vehicle for assessment submission, self and peer assessment of work, and as a tool for ensuring academic integrity of student work. 
  • prior to grading the final version of any assessment component, teachers will verify the authenticity through review of a Turnitin.com report or other safeguard as appropriate per component. 

• East High School Parents/Guardians will:
  • support their students’ coursework. 
  • expect their students’ work to be the result of their own effort. 
  • encourage students to discuss their assignments, and the ways they have applied their knowledge of proper attribution in their work. 
  • communicate their concerns and questions with staff as necessary.

Consequences

Offenses are for the entirety of the students’ time at East High School. Departments who use standard-based grading will average the 49% of the second offense into the student’s grade. 

• FIRST OFFENSE: zero with a makeup opportunity, communication with parent, documented in Infinite Campus, restorative practice meeting with student
• SECOND OFFENSE: zero with makeup opportunity for 49%, communication with parent
• SUBSEQUENT OFFENSES: zero with no makeup opportunity, referral to discipline team, with potential loss of school privileges (athletics and clubs, for example)

Appeals Process

All appeals will be directed to the East Angels Leadership Team (EALT). Appeals can be submitted by completing this form.  EALT will follow up with the student upon review of the appeal.

• Student: You must inform the teacher who has brought up the concern of plagiarism/cheating that you will be submitting an appeal. If this step is not taken, a full review cannot take place.
• Teacher: Once a student has informed you that they plan to appeal your decision, please complete this form with the details of the alleged infraction.

Infinite Campus Documentation Directions (for Teachers to Document)

• Student Information 
• Conference 
• Type One Intervention
• Ladder Level: A
• Student Motivation: Other (include details using the term definitions above in “Description of Offense”)
• Intervention: Reteach classroom rules and expectations