Academic Expectations
Academic Honesty - Philosophy
Honesty, integrity, and academic excellence are highly valued at Concordia. Cheating, copying, and plagiarism are not acceptable and are considered contrary to belief in honest behavior. It is important that all students do their own work. Academic honesty is the hallmark of a good school and a good student. Concordia students are capable of reason and self-discipline and will be held accountable for their actions. Concordia attempts to instill in students a level of individual responsibility equal to the demands that will be placed on them in the future.
The development of individual character, honor, and integrity is a fundamental goal of Concordia. All lessons take place with the understanding that the students will present their own work. In return, the school community recognizes student accomplishment with due respect and honor. No grade is ever worth compromising a student’s personal integrity.
Explanation of Terms in Academic Honesty Policy
Academic dishonesty at Concordia is a serious offense. Specific cases considered violations of the school Academic Honesty policy include, but may not necessarily be limited to, the following:
Cheating
The action of providing or receiving an unfair advantage on an exam, test, quiz, or other graded in-class evaluation is cheating. This includes:
- Copying assignments or offering one's own assignment to be copied.
- Bringing illicit notes into the examination area.
- Gathering/Sharing information about an assignment/assessment with another student who has yet to be evaluated.
- Receiving information about an upcoming test.
- Using technology to cheat.
- Conversing with another student during a quiz, test, or exam, or any other similar activity.
Plagiarism
Plagiarism is the presentation of someone else’s ideas or statements as one’s own. This includes, but is not limited to:
- Copying written answers verbatim from any source (electronic, book, magazine, etc.).
- Failure to cite another person’s ideas.
- Copying another student’s work.
- Students who knowingly allow their own work to be copied are just as guilty as the student copying it. Students are not allowed to give their work to another student without the prior approval of their teacher.
Collaboration versus Copying
Collaboration: Collaboration is a teacher-sanctioned activity where ideas are shared for the purpose of greater understanding for all participants.
Copying: Copying is a form of plagiarism where one is taking someone else’s words or ideas and presenting them as one’s own. Unless directly specified by the teacher, it is expected that every submitted assignment will be the unassisted work of an individual student. Students who share or copy an assignment without the consent of the teacher will be considered guilty of academic dishonesty. In determining the severity of the consequence(s), the administration will consider the circumstances of the incident as well as the student’s past disciplinary record.
Process for Handling a Reported Incident of Academic Dishonesty
- The teacher will notify the Dean of Student Success, Student's School Counselor, parents, and student in writing about the incident involving of Academic Dishonesty.
- The administration may investigate the incident with student(s) and teacher(s).
- An incident report may be created that forms part of the student’s official discipline file.
The student discipline file is used to track patterns of student behavior. It is used for internal use but will not be shared, unless required, by receiving schools or universities. The existence of a disciplinary record may prohibit a student’s eligibility for membership in certain school groups e.g., Student Council, Honor Societies, etc., for a 12-month period following the incident.
Consequences (potential)
- The student will redo the assignment/assessment to provide evidence of learning.
- Student(s) receive a score of zero on the assignment.
- Any consequence of academic dishonesty may include any of the following consequences: suspension, academic or behavioral probation, or expulsion.