The primary purpose of assessment is to improve student learning. 

The primary purpose of evaluation is to verify and accurately communicate what students know and can do with respect to the overall curriculum expectations.

To support student learning and growth it is necessary to gather evidence of learning that accurately reflects what a student knows and can do.

Using multiple sources of evidence (conversation, observation and product) increases the reliability and validity of the assessment of student learning and will provide students with opportunities to demonstrate their learning in ways that are an equitable and accurate reflection of what they know and can do.

It is the responsibility of the student to provide evidence of their learning. 

Students are expected to demonstrate academic integrity by relying on their own efforts and doing their own work to the best of their ability in their face-to-face and online courses. 

The International Centre for Academic Integrity defines academic integrity as “a commitment, even in the face of adversity, to six fundamental values: honesty, trust, fairness, respect, responsibility and courage.

These fundamental values recognize the importance of learning and growth and the need to be able to assess student work in a way that can validate learning that has occurred.  Learning and growth, more important than a mark or grade, ensures that students have the necessary knowledge and understanding to successfully meet future educational and career challenges.

Academic Dishonesty

Academic dishonesty is the act of gaining an unfair advantage in meeting course requirements and represents a missed opportunity to demonstrate learning.

Plagiarism and cheating are specific types of academic dishonesty.  Plagiarism is the act of using someone or something else’s words or ideas, including Artificial Intelligence (AI), as though they were one’s own. A student who plagiarizes takes the product of another person’s mind or from AI (either deliberately or accidentally) and presents it as their own. 

It is imperative that credit be given to the source and author of those words and ideas. 

Cheating

Cheating is the act of giving or receiving unauthorized assistance for academic gain. This includes the unauthorized use of AI to complete some or all of an assessment without teacher permission.

Examples of Academic Dishonesty include but are not limited to:

• Copying from another student or making information available to another student;

• Submitting another individual’s assignment, in whole or in part, and representing it as your own;

• Preparing an assignment for submission by another student;

• Using direct quotations, or large sections of paraphrased material without acknowledgement;

• Copying an assignment/essay from any electronic or hard copy source including AI, or knowingly allowing one’s assignment/essay to be copied by another student;

• Purchasing/accepting or distributing/selling assignments/essays in partial fulfillment of course requirements.

• Submitting the same or substantially the same work for credit in two different classes.

• Accessing unauthorized resources (calculator, notes, internet)

• Impersonating another or allowing yourself to be impersonated.

Validating Learning – Determining Academic Dishonesty

To determine the learning that has occurred, students may be required to participate in a Learning Conversation with their teacher and provide evidence of their learning including but not limited to process work, version history, and AI prompt history. If a student is not able to show evidence of learning and academic dishonesty is suspected, evidence of learning will be considered to be missing, and a continuum of response will be followed.

Consequences of Academic Dishonesty

In the case of academic dishonesty including cheating and plagiarism, the student has missed out on learning and evidence of a student’s achievement of overall expectations is considered to be missing.  Consequences of Academic Dishonesty will be progressive in nature and will reflect a continuum of response that will take into account the grade level, maturity, the number and frequency of incidents, and the individual circumstance of the student. The parent / guardian will be contacted by teacher and /or administrator and administration will be consulted for a repeat occurrence.  Following a Continuum of Response (see p. 37 of LKDSB Assessment, Evaluation and Reporting Expected Practices Grades 9-12), a student may still be expected to provide evidence of their learning of overall expectations within a time frame specified in consultation with the teacher and in a form approved by the teacher.  A mark of zero may result if evidence of learning is not provided.