Academic Integrity Policy - Thomas Jefferson

What is Academic Integrity and why do we have a policy?

The IB Learner Profile states that students must “act with integrity and honesty, with a strong sense of fairness, justice and respect for the dignity of the individual, groups and communities.” They are also to “take responsibility for their own actions and the consequences that accompany them.” One of the main purposes of Jefferson’s IB MYP program is to support students in becoming creative, independent, principled learners. To do so, we have developed this school-wide Academic Integrity Policy to define the terms and concepts, highlight the responsibilities of stakeholders, and outline the consequences of malpractice. Students must know the rules, apply the rules, and understand their importance in order to make good choices about their academic success.

Pledge for Student Work

Students sign an affirmation statement when turning in work, examples:Write out this pledge and sign your name. “I affirm that I have not given or received any unauthorized help on this assignment, and that this work is my own.”

“By submitting this assessment, I am affirming that I have not given or received any unauthorized help on this assignment, and that this work is my own.”

Rights and Responsibilities

The school will:

promote teaching skills rather than policing treat all breaches as serious (deliberate cheating as well as misunderstandings)
Use APA format for citations.

Teachers serve as the primary instructor in the process of understanding academic integrity. Teachers will:

Ensure learners understand the academic learning policy
Create inquiry-based assessments that reward the effort required to complete the assignment as well as the final product
Teacher proper ways to acknowledge others’ work
Provide simple, clear guidelines and expectations to students
Use of vertical (subject area team) planning to ensure consistent guidance for students about the use of others’ work
Administer the pledge and discuss its meaning; collect for inclusion in student’s permanent file
Show by example
Clearly communicate any changes in expectations for student autonomy and independence. Such changes should be communicated through examples and be interactive.

Students will:

Always do their own work
Refrain from sharing their work with other students to claim as their own
Track use of resources and always give credit to the original source or author, including all images and online sources
Use appropriate ways to signal use of sources, focusing on APA style citations
Ask the teacher or librarian when in doubt for clarification
Show academic integrity by following the: Online Student Pledge

Parents and Guardians should:

Support their students in planning a balanced approach to student work
Understand what student academic misconduct and its consequences.

Where can we go to get help with citations?

Definitions of types of sources, references to citation conventions and other important information can be found on the TJMS web page here: https://jefferson.apsva.us/library/bibliography/. Great resources are listed below:

Of course, our librarians are there to help as well.

Complete Academic Integrity Policy

Academic Integrity Policy – Updated September 2021

Students and parents sign a pledge at the beginning of the school year. The pledge is maintained in the student’s academic file.

Academic Honesty Pledge Form

Student Name
First Last
Signature * Required
- Yes
I have read and understand the Thomas Jefferson Middle School Academic Honestly Policy. I pledge to act with integrity and academic honestly, using a strong sense of fairness, justice and respect for the dignity of the individual, groups and communities of which I am a part.
Date
MM slash DD slash YYYY
Parent Name

Academic Integrity/Honesty Policy

Academic Integrity/Honesty-Arabic

Academic Integrity/Honesty -Amharic

Academic Integrity/Honesty -Spanish

Academic Integrity/Honesty -Tigrinya

Academic Integrity/Honesty -Mongolian