The purpose of the J. L. Long Middle School Academic Integrity Policy is to promote honesty, responsibility, fairness, respect, and trust throughout the school community.

As a wall-to-wall International Baccalaureate Middle Years Programme campus, every student and every classroom at Long Middle School participates in IB teaching and learning. Academic integrity is essential to helping students become principled, reflective, knowledgeable, and responsible learners.

Academic integrity means completing work honestly, acknowledging the ideas and contributions of others, and demonstrating one’s own knowledge, skills, and understanding.

Academic Integrity Philosophy

At Long Middle School, we believe academic integrity is a shared responsibility among students, teachers, families, administrators, and staff.

Students should be given clear expectations, direct instruction, appropriate support, and opportunities to practice ethical academic behavior. Academic integrity is taught as part of the learning process and is not limited to consequences for misconduct.

The goals of this policy are to:

• Develop honest and responsible learners.
• Teach students how to use and acknowledge sources appropriately.
• Promote original thinking and student ownership of learning.
• Ensure that assessment results accurately reflect student understanding.
• Establish clear expectations for collaboration, technology, and artificial intelligence.
• Provide consistent procedures for addressing academic misconduct.
• Support students in learning from mistakes and making better choices.

IB Learner Profile Connection

Academic integrity supports the development of the IB Learner Profile.

Students demonstrate academic integrity when they are:

• Principled by acting honestly, fairly, and responsibly.
• Inquirers by conducting ethical and accurate research.
• Knowledgeable by building understanding through credible sources.
• Thinkers by developing and communicating original ideas.
• Communicators by clearly acknowledging the ideas of others.
• Reflective by evaluating their choices and learning from mistakes.
• Open-minded by respecting different perspectives and contributions.
• Caring by considering how their actions affect others.

Definitions

Academic Integrity

Academic integrity is the practice of completing academic work honestly, responsibly, and ethically. It includes producing original work, properly acknowledging sources, following assessment expectations, and using technology appropriately.

Academic Misconduct

Academic misconduct is any behavior that gives a student or another person an unfair academic advantage or prevents work from accurately representing the student’s own learning.

Academic misconduct may be intentional or unintentional. Students are responsible for asking questions when they are unsure about expectations.

Forms of Academic Misconduct

Plagiarism

Plagiarism occurs when a student presents another person’s words, ideas, images, data, music, media, or creative work as their own without proper acknowledgment.

Examples include:

• Copying information from a website, book, article, or other source without citation.
• Copying and pasting text into an assignment.
• Closely rewriting another person’s work without acknowledgment.
• Submitting another student’s work.
• Using images, videos, charts, graphs, or music without giving credit.
• Using translated material without acknowledging the source.
• Submitting work created by artificial intelligence as entirely original student work.
• Reusing previously submitted work without teacher approval.

Cheating

Cheating is using or providing unauthorized assistance on an assignment, assessment, or academic task.

Examples include:

• Looking at another student’s answers.
• Sharing answers during a test or quiz.
• Using unauthorized notes, devices, websites, or applications.
• Obtaining test questions or answers in advance.
• Copying homework or allowing someone else to copy.
• Receiving assistance from another person when independent work is required.
• Using calculators, translation tools, or other resources when they are not permitted.

Collusion

Collusion occurs when a student knowingly helps another student engage in academic misconduct.

Examples include:

• Allowing another student to copy work.
• Completing an assignment for someone else.
• Sharing answers through text messages, social media, documents, or photographs.
• Working together when the teacher has required independent work.
• Giving another student access to completed work for copying.

Collaboration is encouraged when it is authorized by the teacher. Students must understand the difference between appropriate collaboration and collusion.

Duplication of Work

Duplication of work occurs when a student submits the same or substantially similar work for more than one assignment or course without teacher approval.

Fabrication or Falsification

Fabrication or falsification involves inventing, changing, or misrepresenting information.

Examples include:

• Creating false research data or results.
• Changing grades, records, signatures, or documents.
• Claiming to have completed work that was not completed.
• Falsely reporting participation in a group assignment.
• Creating or using a false citation.
• Misrepresenting the amount or source of assistance received.

Impersonation

Impersonation occurs when someone completes work, participates in an assessment, or communicates on behalf of another student.

This includes allowing a family member, friend, tutor, online service, or other person to complete an assignment.

Appropriate Collaboration

Collaboration is an important part of IB teaching and learning. Students may work together when collaboration is authorized by the teacher.

Appropriate collaboration may include:

• Discussing ideas.
• Participating in group investigations.
• Giving peer feedback.
• Sharing responsibilities in an assigned group project.
• Studying together.
• Reviewing concepts or practicing skills.

Even when students collaborate, each student must complete and submit their own work unless the teacher clearly identifies the assignment as a shared group product.

Students must accurately identify the contributions of group members when required.

Research and Citation Expectations

Students are expected to acknowledge all sources used in their work.

Sources may include:

• Books and articles.
• Websites and online databases.
• Videos, podcasts, and social media.
• Photographs, artwork, music, and graphics.
• Interviews and personal communications.
• Data, charts, graphs, and statistics.
• Artificial intelligence tools.
• Another person’s words, ideas, or assistance.

Teachers will provide age-appropriate instruction in:

• Paraphrasing.
• Summarizing.
• Quoting.
• Note-taking.
• Creating bibliographies and works-cited pages.
• Evaluating the reliability of sources.
• Using approved citation formats.
• Avoiding accidental plagiarism.

Students should keep records of the sources they use throughout the research process.

Use of Artificial Intelligence

Artificial intelligence tools may support learning when their use is permitted by the teacher and aligned with the purpose of the assignment.

Students must not use artificial intelligence to replace their own thinking, writing, problem-solving, research, creativity, or reflection.

Students are expected to:

• Follow the teacher’s directions regarding whether artificial intelligence may be used.
• Use artificial intelligence only for approved purposes.
• Review and verify all information produced by an artificial intelligence tool.
• Protect personal and confidential information.
• Acknowledge or cite artificial intelligence assistance when required.
• Be prepared to explain their ideas, process, and final product.
• Submit work that accurately reflects their own understanding.

Examples of inappropriate artificial intelligence use include:

• Submitting an AI-generated essay, response, project, image, or solution as original work.
• Using AI during an assessment when it is not permitted.
• Using AI to avoid reading, researching, calculating, analyzing, or creating.
• Asking AI to rewrite another person’s work for submission.
• Using AI to create false sources, evidence, data, or citations.
• Entering confidential student or staff information into an AI tool.

Because assignment expectations may vary, students must ask the teacher before using artificial intelligence.

Use of Technology

Students must use school technology, personal devices, online resources, and digital platforms responsibly.

Students may not:

• Access unauthorized websites or applications during assessments.
• Photograph, record, copy, or distribute assessment materials.
• Share login information or access another person’s account.
• Use messaging tools to exchange answers.
• Alter digital files, timestamps, grades, or records.
• Submit files created by another person.
• Use translation or calculation tools when they are not authorized.

Students are responsible for all activity completed through their accounts and devices.

Student Responsibilities

Students are expected to:

• Submit work that represents their own learning.
• Follow teacher directions and assignment expectations.
• Ask questions when expectations are unclear.
• Cite and acknowledge sources.
• Keep research notes and source information.
• Use technology and artificial intelligence appropriately.
• Protect their work and account information.
• Avoid sharing answers or completed assignments.
• Participate honestly in individual and group tasks.
• Report suspected academic misconduct appropriately.
• Accept responsibility for their choices.
• Complete reflection, correction, or reteaching activities when required.

Teacher Responsibilities

Teachers are expected to:

• Clearly explain academic integrity expectations.
• Design meaningful and authentic learning experiences.
• Identify whether assignments are individual or collaborative.
• State which resources, tools, and forms of assistance are permitted.
• Teach research, citation, paraphrasing, and source evaluation skills.
• Provide guidance regarding the use of artificial intelligence.
• Model proper acknowledgment of sources.
• Use formative checkpoints, drafts, conferences, and reflections to monitor student progress.
• Provide students with opportunities to ask questions.
• Apply procedures fairly and consistently.
• Communicate concerns to students and families.
• Maintain appropriate documentation of incidents.
• Consider student age, experience, intent, and prior instruction when responding to misconduct.

Parent and Guardian Responsibilities

Parents and guardians are encouraged to:

• Reinforce the importance of honesty and responsibility.
• Encourage students to complete their own work.
• Provide support without completing assignments for students.
• Help students manage time and meet deadlines.
• Discuss appropriate use of technology and artificial intelligence.
• Monitor student progress and communication from teachers.
• Contact the teacher when expectations are unclear.
• Support corrective actions and learning opportunities when misconduct occurs.

Administrator and IB Coordinator Responsibilities

Campus administrators and the IB coordinator will:

• Communicate the academic integrity policy to the school community.
• Support consistent implementation across classrooms.
• Provide professional learning for staff.
• Help teachers develop age-appropriate academic integrity instruction.
• Support students and families in understanding expectations.
• Review incidents when administrative involvement is required.
• Ensure that responses follow campus and Dallas ISD procedures.
• Monitor patterns and recommend additional support or interventions.
• Review and update the policy regularly.

Preventing Academic Misconduct

Long Middle School will take proactive steps to promote academic integrity.

Preventive practices may include:

• Teaching citation and research skills in multiple subjects.
• Using drafts, checkpoints, conferences, and process journals.
• Providing clear rubrics and task-specific instructions.
• Designing authentic assessments that connect to student learning.
• Allowing students to demonstrate understanding in multiple ways.
• Discussing appropriate collaboration before group work.
• Using student reflection and oral explanations.
• Reviewing digital citizenship expectations.
• Providing examples of acceptable and unacceptable assistance.
• Giving students sufficient time and support to complete assignments.
• Creating a classroom environment where students feel comfortable asking for help.

Responding to Academic Misconduct

When academic misconduct is suspected, the teacher will review the available evidence and speak with the student before making a final determination.

The response may include:

• A private conference with the student.
• Review of assignment instructions and expectations.
• Student explanation of the work or learning process.
• Comparison with drafts, notes, or previous work.
• Completion of an academic integrity reflection.
• Reteaching of citation, collaboration, or technology expectations.
• Revision or completion of a new assessment.
• Parent or guardian communication.
• Documentation of the incident.
• Administrative referral when appropriate.
• Additional consequences in accordance with Dallas ISD policies and the Student Code of Conduct.

Responses will be appropriate to the student’s age, the nature of the incident, the level of intent, prior instruction, and whether the behavior is repeated.

The goal is to maintain accountability while helping students understand the impact of their actions and develop more responsible academic habits.

Repeated or Serious Violations

Repeated or serious academic misconduct may require additional intervention.

Examples may include:

• Multiple incidents after reteaching and intervention.
• Stealing, distributing, or selling assessment materials.
• Altering grades or official records.
• Impersonating another student.
• Organizing large-scale answer sharing.
• Using technology to gain unauthorized access to information.
• Submitting purchased or professionally completed work.

These incidents may be referred to campus administration and addressed according to Dallas ISD procedures.

Reporting and Confidentiality

Students should report concerns about academic misconduct to a teacher, counselor, administrator, or the IB coordinator.

Reports will be handled as privately as possible. Students should not publicly accuse, confront, embarrass, or post information about another student.

Information regarding academic integrity incidents will be shared only with individuals who have a legitimate educational need to know.

Policy Communication

The Academic Integrity Policy will be communicated through appropriate campus platforms, which may include:

• The school website.
• Student and family handbooks.
• Classroom instruction.
• Parent meetings.
• Student orientation.
• Staff professional learning.
• IB information sessions.
• Course syllabi and assignment directions.

Teachers may establish additional course-specific expectations that are consistent with this policy.

Policy Review

This policy will be reviewed regularly by campus leadership, teachers, students, families, and the IB coordinator.

Revisions may be made based on:

• IB expectations.
• Dallas ISD policies.
• Changes in technology.
• Student and staff needs.
• Academic integrity trends.
• Feedback from the school community.

Conclusion

Academic integrity is essential to meaningful learning at J. L. Long Middle School. By acting honestly, acknowledging the work of others, using technology responsibly, and taking ownership of learning, students develop the skills and character needed to succeed in school and beyond.

Long Middle School is committed to creating a learning environment in which every student is supported in becoming a principled, reflective, and responsible member of the school and global community.