CHEATING
It is a student’s responsibility to refrain from the appearance of cheating. A teacher is not obligated to prove an incident of cheating, only to have probable suspicion. A student cheating may receive a zero for formative assessments (classwork, homework, etc.) or may be required to complete an alternate assignment in the case of cheating on a summative assessment (tests, quizzes, projects, etc.). Students may also receive a one-day suspension with required questions to reflect on in writing or with a teacher. Repeated incidents of cheating will result in expulsion or dismissal. Forms of cheating include looking at another student’s test paper, talking while a test is in session, using prohibited items (cheat sheets, calculators, textbooks, etc.), or other behavior inconsistent with the teacher’s guidelines for testing procedures. A violation of the testing environment (i.e., talking while testing in session) also constitutes cheating and carries the same consequences. Allowing or facilitating cheating carries the same consequence as cheating.
PLAGIARISM
According to the American Heritage Dictionary, to plagiarize is “to use and pass off the ideas or writings of another as one's own; or to appropriate for use as one's own passages or ideas from another.” Plagiarism is a form of cheating and holds the same consequence. Examples of plagiarism include but are not limited to copying homework from another student, copying material from a book to use in a written assignment without proper citation, copying the back cover of a book for use in a book report, using “cut & paste” to copy material from an internet site for a written assignment.