ACADEMIC INTEGRITY POLICY
The Pupil International School aims to widen intellectual horizons, nurture individual expression and foster the values of honesty and fairness.
The Academic Integrity Policy is a vital element of The Pupil’s commitment to academic excellence. It prompts students to thoroughly comprehend their reference material, use appropriate methods of citation, synthesize and express their own points of view, develop their originality and take pride in their own work.
Framing, communicating, enforcing and internalizing these standards will not only create a principled community of young scholars and facilitate an open and vibrant exchange of ideas based on mutual trust, but also prepare students to become ethical, fair and honest leaders of the future. Violations of academic integrity demean the violator, degrade the learning process, undermine the assessment process and discredit the institution and all its members.
I. ROLES AND RESPONSIBILITIES
The implementation of the Academic Integrity Policy is dependent on the conscious and collaborative efforts of all the stakeholders.
The faculty of the school are responsible for:
● Being aware of The Pupil International School’s Academic Integrity Policy.
● Fostering an environment where academic integrity is expected and respected.
● Providing clear guidelines on the expectations for each assignment (i.e. whether students are expected to work individually or in groups, whether students are allowed to take help from their peers, parents and/or other adults, whether students are allowed to use external references, etc.)
● Evaluating assignments fairly.
● Detecting and properly handling breaches of academic integrity.
The students are responsible for:
● Being aware of and following The Pupil International School’s Academic Integrity Policy.
● Helping foster an environment where academic integrity is expected and respected.
● Ask the faculty for clarification if the expectations for a given assignment are not clear.
● Reporting any breach of academic integrity that they are aware of to the relevant authorities.
The parents are responsible for:
● Being aware of and following The Pupil International School’s Academic Integrity Policy.
● Helping their wards understand the need for academic honesty and support the school promote the same.
● Reporting any incidents that are deemed a violation to the teachers.
● Ask the faculty for clarification if the expectations for a given assignment are not clear.
● Reporting any breach of academic integrity that they are aware of to the relevant authorities.
II. VIOLATIONS
The given list of violations is not exhaustive; it is to give a general idea of the kind of behavior that would be considered a breach of academic integrity:
● Using direct quotes without quotation marks and citations.
● Presenting the work done by others as one’s own.
● Working with peers for an individual assignment.
● Taking help from other students, parents, and/or other adults when explicitly instructed not to.
● Possessing or using unauthorized reference materials (such as textbooks, notes, electronic devices, etc.) during examinations.
● Falsifying data and/or signatures in assignments and official documents such as portfolios and report cards.
● Intentionally interfering with or obstructing the work of other students.
● Facilitating or aiding other students in breaching the Academic Integrity Policy.
III. CONSEQUENCES
In the case of any breach of the Academic Integrity Policy, one or more of the following measures may be taken by the teachers based on the severity of the infraction:
● Instructing the student(s) to redo the assignment.
● Lowering the assigned grade.
● Assigning a failing grade.
● Informing the relevant authorities (PYP Coordinator, Principal, and/or Director).
● Meeting with the student’s parent/guardian regarding the violation.
● Requiring a letter of assurance from the student and/or the parent/guardian that the violation will not be repeated.
● Making a permanent note of the violation in the student’s record.
Further measures, if any, may be taken only after discussion with the student, teacher, parent/guardian and the relevant authority.
IV. POLICY REVIEW
The Academic Integrity Policy is a working document that will be reviewed annually. The Policy Review Committee will comprise the Director, Principal, Primary Years Program Coordinator (PYPC), Curriculum Coordinator and a teacher lead from each class.
The last Review is done in March 2021
Next Review in March 2022
V. BIBLIOGRAPHY:
1. https://www.ibo.org/globalassets/digital-toolkit/brochures/academic-honesty-ib-en.pdf
2. https://neevacademy.org/images/pdf/Academic_Honesty_Policy.pdf