<p>Okay...now that I've decided to speak before the board next Thursday, I would like to know what other schools are doing about cheating. Please tell me what your school's policy is with regards to cheating. I am interested in not only sanctions with regards to grades, GPA, ISS, etc..., but also how the principal/guidance office handles transcripts and scholarship applications once the "perp" has crossed that final line. Please include if you are at a private or public school, the reason is that since we are public and have the obligation to educate the district students, expulsion is not as easy.</p>
<p>1) Official warning (done bcos a teacher can't always be sure);
2) Grade of zero on assignment, detention and parent-student conference with asst principal;
3) Grade of F in class, drop class and no chance to add a class. Grade goes on transcript.</p>
<p>if class is required for graduation, it can be made up in summer, then two grades are averaged.</p>
<p>Private school
I don't think there are set-in-stone penalties prescribed at the school. However, complaints are addressed by the Head of School and referred to a committee of faculty, students, and parents for a hearing and decision. The honor code is taken very seriously by all. The school even has a "no locks" policy on lockers.</p>
<p>At S&D's school, there is no second chance. If your caught cheating once (or even assisting cheating), then you get a zero on the assignment, an official note on your transcript, and a phone call home. If you get caught cheating again, your automatically taken out of the class and the class is kept on your transcript with an F and the F is counted toward your GPA. S says your also suspend 3 days out of school for the 2nd violation as well. The third time I believe you are "expelled" for the remainder of the school year and have to go through a difficult process to get reinstated a different school in the county. This is a public school.</p>
<p>In many of the colleges with honor codes, students sit on the honor code council-- the council holds hearings and makes decisions re violations. What might be good about some sort of council involving students is it could reduce the lawsuit fear, if other students had a part in hearing the cases.</p>
<p>There is such a Judiciary Council at our HS, comprising 9 students (2 from each grade + an elected chair) and 3 faculty members. The Dean of Students can refer an honor code violation to this Council for a hearing, or I believe a student can request a hearing if they want to challenge an action. Expectations and consequences are spelled out clearly in the Honor Code and Handbook which every student is given at the beginning of the year. There is a tear-out page which they are required to return with their signature and the signature of a parent/guardian, during the first month of school, indicating they understand the Code.</p>
<p>This is a private school, btw, but I think the principles could be adapted for public schools too.</p>
<p>Is there somewhere on-line where the code is posted? I am looking for specific ideas. I only have three minutes to talk, but I can leave hand outs. I always find concrete suggestions get further than just asking that something be done. And I don't want to see this turn into yet another committee to investigate....our district is big on that. They hope that it will all go away by the time the committee finally decides something.</p>
<p>Cheating is largely ignored (or just not caught) at my school. However, plagiarsm is serious.</p>
<p>In some classes, if people are caught "sharing" the same work, they split the grade. On a recent chem lab, out of 10 points, 5 people got 2's because they shared the work.</p>
<p>If you are found plagiarizing a paper for a class, the teacher can choose to report it to the principal, and then the student will be forced to make a plea in front of the local board of education and they will decide what to do from there.</p>
<p>texastaximom, I've been following your threads on cheating closely - I wish you luck in your meeting next week. Cheating is certainly present in our mid-sized, competitive public hs, and I've wondered what can be done about it. My daughters are aware of it and won't let anyone copy their homework, look at their papers during tests, etc. - but they aren't willing to become martyrs or social pariahs by turning the cheaters in, either. Not that they're in the popular group - far from it - but NO ONE, it seems, is willing to report cheating for fear of the inevitable reprisals. I've been wondering if an honor code such as the one you're thinking about could eventually create a social atmosphere in which students might keep other students from cheating. An honor council consisting of fellow students is one of the major points of most university honor codes.</p>
<p>At Smith, not reporting cheating when you know of it is a violation of the Honor Code, and theoretically subjects you to the same penalties as the cheater.</p>
<p>My public school is supposed to give automatic 0's on cheating/plagarism, but teachers have so much difficulty "proving" cheating that it very rarely is caught. One time I turned in my whole pre-calculus class for cheating (the sub didn't show up, and the for-a-grade homework answers started going up on an overhead, courtesy of a member of student council), and the teacher just didn't take the paper for a grade and tried to guilt trip people.</p>
<p>Our PHS academic integrity policy:
<a href="http://www.cape.k12.me.us/hshandbook/ACADEMICS.htm%5B/url%5D">http://www.cape.k12.me.us/hshandbook/ACADEMICS.htm</a>
A recent article in the student paper focused on the nationwide "culture" condoning cheating and stated that many students at our school engage in "minor" (!) cheating - sharing homework. But that "major" cheating is rare. I have never been aware of a cheating scandal here, so don't know whether it doesn't happen, is handled but doesn't become public, or is swept under the rug.</p>
<p>I do know that violations of the the other element of the school's honor code are taken v seriously and are enforced. I.e., student athletes who drink/use substances are suspended from teams (different lengths depending on whether self-reported or discovered without self-report), or dropped entirely.</p>
<p>Thank you so much for the suggestions! I am particularly taken with the New Trier policy, as it addresses this child to a tee. If this had been in place, I doubt the cheating would have continued.</p>