Academic Integrity Policy
Canadian International School Bangladesh
Academic Integrity Policy
Mission Statement
Through the promotion of academic excellence, CISB strives to develop individuals for our society
who, through understanding, tolerance, and respect, will help to create a safe place where children
become lifelong learners, where excellence is tempered with compassion, and where success is
moderated by spiritual understanding.
Name of the Document: Academic Integrity Policy
People Responsible for Academic Integrity Policy:
1. Janice Smales (Principal)
2. Dewan Mehtauddin (DPC)
Communication Channel and Availability: 1. Official Web Page
2. Teachers’ Hand Book
Target Audience: Any Internal and External Stakeholders of the
school including but not limited to Students,
Parents and Teachers.
Policy Effective Date: September, 2023
Last Review Date: July 16, 2023
Next Review Date: July 6 ,2024
Policy Review Criteria: Annually
Policy Review Team: Then Principal , DPC , Librarian, ideally a parent and
a student + 2 teachers
Academic Integrity:
Philosophy:
It is the goal of CISB (Canadian International School Bangladesh) to develop graduates who serve
society through understanding, tolerance, and respect. The promotion of academic excellence is key
to this strategy. Self-respect leads to respect for others, and the notion of playing fair will help to
create a better world community. We aim to create a safe place where children become lifelong
learners, where excellence is tempered with compassion, and where success is moderated by spiritual
understanding.
The Purpose
CISB‟s Academic Integrity Policy aims to align the school‟s practices with the IBO Academic Policy
of Nova Scotia Education
https://www.nscc.ca/docs/about-nscc/policies-procedures/policy-academicintegrity.pdf.
In accordance with this, the students and staff of the Canadian International School Bangladesh
believe that academic integrity is an important aspect of education. It is there to establish a learning
environment in which students produce original work, practice honesty in all environments,
instructional as well as assessment, and show respect for the work of others. To be effective our
academic integrity policy is a school-wide endeavor. We offer a commitment to maintaining an
ethical culture; not just a list of rules and penalties and have embedded academic integrity into the
strategies used by the school and appreciate the value it will bring to our students for their learning
and future endeavors.
A lack of knowledge and understanding of what constitutes academic misconduct or school
maladministration can be a common factor in reported cases. In order to prevent this and clearly
establish the expectations of all school community stakeholders:
List of responsibilities/stakeholder, to ensure the academic integrity of CISB.
The school administration must provide timely information about:
● what constitutes good academic practice and ethical behavior
● resources the school has available to support students‟ learning and understanding in this
area
● definitions of different types of student academic misconduct and school maladministration
● the investigation protocols that the school and/or the IB will observe when an incident of student
academic misconduct or school maladministration is identified
● The sanctions or actions that the school and/or the IB will apply if it is confirmed that an
infringement to the regulations occurred or the expectations of the school or the IB are not
met.
Program Coordinators must support all the tasks listed in the Responsibilities in the “School leadership
team” section and are also responsible for:
● ensuring that all school and IB policies are applied fairly and consistently
● ensuring compliance with secure storage of confidential IB material policy and the conduct of IB
examinations
● ensuring that teachers, students and parents and legal guardians have a copy, read and understand
the school‟s academic integrity policy and the program relevant IB regulations
● reporting suspected instances of student academic misconduct and school maladministration to the
school administration and/or the IB
● supervising all activities related to the investigation of student academic misconduct and school
maladministration cases according to the school and/or IB policy.
● Inform students and parents that the school intends to use plagiarism checking software to ensure
that the student is submitting original work
IB teachers must support the school and program coordinators and are also responsible for:
● ensuring that students have a full understanding of the expectations and guidelines of all subjects
● ensuring that students understand what constitutes academic misconduct and its possible
consequences
● planning a manageable workload so students can allocate time effectively to produce work
according to IB‟s expectations
● giving feedback and ensuring students are not provided with multiple rounds of editing, which
would be contrary to instructions described in the relevant subject guides
● ensuring that all student work is appropriately labeled and saved to avoid any error when
submitting assessment to the IB
● developing a plan to cross-reference work across multiple groups of students when they are
preparing to submit final pieces of work for assessment in order to prevent collusion
● responding to student academic misconduct and supporting the school‟s and IB‟s investigations
IB students must support their school, program coordinators and teachers and are expected to:
● have a full understanding of the school‟s and the IB‟s policies
● respond to acts of student academic misconduct and report them to their teachers and/or program
coordinators
● respond to acts of school maladministration and report them to their teachers and/or program
coordinators
● complete all assignments, tasks, examinations and quizzes in an honest manner and to the best of
their abilities
● give credit to used sources in all work submitted to the IB for assessment in written and oral
materials and/or artistic products
● abstain from receiving non-permitted assistance in the completion or editing of work, such as from
friends, relatives, other students, private tutors, essay writing or copy-editing services, pre-written
essay banks or file sharing websites
● abstain from giving undue assistance to peers in the completion of their work
● Show a responsible use of the internet and associated social media platforms.
Parents and legal guardians of IB students are expected to:
● understand IB policies, procedures and subject guidelines in the completion of coursework or
examination papers by their children
● support their children‟s understanding of IB policies, procedures and subject guidelines
● understand school internal policies and procedures that safeguard the authenticity of their
children‟s work
● support their children in planning a manageable workload so they can allocate time effectively
● understand what constitutes student academic misconduct and its consequences
● understand what constitutes school maladministration and its consequences
● report any potential cases of student misconduct or school maladministration to the school‟s
directorate and/or the IB
● submit only genuine and/or authentic evidence to support a request for inclusive access
arrangements or adverse circumstances considerations for their children
● Abstain from giving or obtaining assistance in the completion of work to their children.
It is important for everyone to understand a lack of Academic Integrity is considered a discipline issue
as essentially a rule has been broken. The school will be using plagiarism software.
What is Academic ‘Misconduct’?
Malpractice is behavior that results in, or may result in the candidate or any other candidate gaining an
unfair advantage in one or more assessment components.
Malpractice may include:
● Plagiarism: The representation of the ideas or work of another as the candidate‟s own
● Collusion: Supporting malpractice by another candidate – allowing one‟s work to be copied or
submitted for assessment by another
● Duplication of work: The presentation of the same work for different parts of the diploma. (An
example would involve submitting the same piece of work for a History Extended Essay and the
History internal assessment)
● Fabrication of data
Misconduct also includes:
● Making up data for an assignment
● Falsifying a Creativity, Activities, Service record
● Leaving and/or accessing unauthorized material in a bathroom/restroom that may be visited during
an examination
● Exchanging information or in any way supporting the passing on of information to another
candidate about the content of an examination
● Taking unauthorized material into the examination room, including a mobile phone, an electronic
device, own rough paper, notes …
● Misbehaving during an exam, including any attempt to disrupt the examination or distract another
candidate
● Copying the work of another candidate with or without their permission
● Referring to or attempting to refer to, unauthorized material that is related to the examination
● Failing to comply with the instructions of the invigilator or other member of the school‟s staff
responsible for the conduct of an examination
● Impersonating another candidate
● Including offensive material in a script
● Stealing examination papers
● Disclosing or discussing the content of an examination paper with a person outside the immediate
community within 24 hours after the examination
● Using an unauthorized calculator during an examination
● Concealing and/or using unauthorized software on a graphic calculator, particularly, but not only,
during examinations
DEFINING FORMS OF Misconduct
Collusion/Collaboration
Collaboration involves working together with other students. There are occasions where collaboration
with other candidates is permitted or actively encouraged. Nevertheless, the final work must be
produced independently, despite the fact that it may be based on similar data. This means that the
abstract, introduction, content, conclusion or summary of a piece of work must be written in each
candidate‟s own words and cannot therefore be the same as another candidate‟s. For example, if two
or more candidates have exactly the same introduction to an assignment, the final award committee
will interpret this as collusion (or plagiarism), and not collaboration. Working together is
collaboration. Copying someone else‟s work is collusion. Even if you have „collaborated‟ with another
student, the work you present must be your own. Collusion is malpractice and will be penalized.
Plagiarism
Plagiarism is passing off someone else‟s work (ex: another student, family member, tutor,
nanny…etc), writing, thoughts, visuals, graphics, music and ideas as your own. Plagiarized work is
work which fails to acknowledge the sources which it uses or upon which it is based. Plagiarism is a
clear breach of academic honesty. It is also a criminal offense in some instances.
AI usage policy
Students are permitted to use AI tools and resources, such as grammar and spell checkers, for the
purposes of editing and improving their written work. However, students must still submit original
work that is their own, and must not use AI to generate or copy content.
Plagiarism is defined as the act of presenting someone else’s work or ideas as one’s own, without
proper attribution. This includes the use of AI to generate or copy content. Plagiarism is a serious
offense and will not be tolerated at our school.
Any student found to have committed plagiarism, including the use of AI to generate or copy content;
will be subject to disciplinary action, up to and including suspension or expulsion.
We expect all students to be honest and to submit only their own original work. By using AI tools and
resources in an ethical manner, students can improve their writing skills and better demonstrate their
knowledge and understanding.
What is paraphrasing?
Paraphrasing is writing a piece of text out in your own words. You are allowed to do this, but you
must acknowledge the source you have used.
What is Infringement?
Infringement is when a student unintentionally violates the standard academic practice of clearly
acknowledging all ideas and words of other persons. In this case, the candidate is not deliberately
attempting to gain an unfair advantage. An example of infringement would be a candidate who has not
used some means of indicating a quotation, but has cited the source of the text in the bibliography or in
a footnote. The final award committee may designate a case of this type as academic infringement and
not malpractice. If the final award committee decides that an academic infringement has been
established, no marks will be awarded for the component or part(s) of the component. The candidate
will still be eligible for a grade in the subject or IB diploma requirement concerned. The head of
school will be notified that this action has been taken. The case will not be recorded as malpractice.
Acknowledging Sources
How can I make sure that I am not plagiarizing material?
● The simplest method of avoiding plagiarism is to honestly, accurately and clearly acknowledge, by
references in the body of your work, and/or in a bibliography at the end, each and every piece of
material you used in the production of your work.
● All ideas and work of other persons, regardless of their source, must be acknowledged.
● CD Rom, email messages, web sites on the Internet and any other electronic media must be treated
in the same way as books and journals
● The sources of all photographs, maps, illustrations, computer programs, data, graphs, audio-visual
and similar material must be acknowledged
● Passages that are quoted verbatim must be enclosed within quotation marks and references
provided
● All works of art, film, dance, music, theater arts or visual arts must have their source/origin
acknowledged
● Material cannot be paraphrased without acknowledging the source
● The teachers will submit all Internal Assessment through Turnitin, a text-matching software which
is the first level of safeguard to ensure that students are submitting their original work
The Role of the Librarian
The Librarian is a very useful resource for all DP students and teachers. He/She is an expert in the area
of academic honesty and can provide ethical guidance alongside information on the most appropriate
citation system to use in each DP Internal Assessment assignment, particularly the Extended Essay.
Clarifications
● Paraphrasing: Paraphrasing is restating someone‟s words or ideas in another form, sometimes to
aid clarity; it is not simply changing a few words. Paraphrased text must still be referenced and the
source added to the bibliography.
● Using quotation marks: These must be used whenever words from another source are directly
quoted.
● Referencing: Students must reference all external sources of information including images,
quotations, or ideas.
● Bibliographies: Each source of information must be included in a bibliography; a reference to a
source of information is not complete unless it is listed.
● Proper research: Students will be taught good research techniques throughout the school from
Grade 7 to 12; not only will this help avoid plagiarism but will also encourage good investigative
skills.
● Duplication of work: It is academically dishonest to offer up a piece of work in one subject or
topic that is duplicated or very similar to that in another subject or topic e.g. the same book studied
in two separate language courses; a Mathematical Studies project that is similar to Geography
coursework etc.
● External tutors: External tutors should not be editing work for students in any way; the same
applies to websites where “guidance” services can be obtained. Anything that involves any form of
editing of students‟ work by a person other than the student will be regarded as suspect.
● Collaboration versus collusion: Students at CISB need to be aware of the distinction between
legitimate collaboration and unacceptable collusion and understand that the latter constitutes
plagiarism.
Students will be taught the general premise that collaboration, though this may mean working in
groups, means each student taking their own notes, results, data etc. then retiring to their own
workspace to write up and otherwise complete their own work. Superimposed on this general premise
may be requirements set by individual departments depending on the type of group work which takes
place in their subject areas e.g. group work in science practical lessons.
What Support Can Students Expect From CISB?
● Through its „Academic Integrity Policy‟, the school makes it clear what constitutes academic
honesty and an authentic piece of work
● All Grade 11 students will be introduced to the Academic Integrity Policy, by the DP Coordinator,
in Advisor Class, in the first Quarter.
● Students will be clearly informed how malpractice will be investigated, and what the consequences
are of having been found guilty of malpractice
● Teachers must also actively use correct citing conventions when providing candidates with
reference material
● The Librarian is always willing to provide support and assistance in terms of research, and the
correct use of citations, the school will use MLA format. The Library website also provides
considerable advice regarding their aspects of academic honesty.
● Candidates will be advised at all times to act as honestly and as accurately as possible to
acknowledge the ideas and work of others.
● Candidates will be provided with the „Conduct of Examinations‟ prior to the Diploma exams, and
this will be discussed fully by the student advisors.
Citation requirements (Grades 7 to 10)
Students should be able to signal wherever they use the work or ideas of another person, at a gradeappropriate level, in all written, visual and presentation work and also they will be addressed through
the following:
Grade 7
✔English – At least one library session at the start of the year as an introduction to
the library; how to find books and how to use the library catalog.
✔PSE – a library session on how to effectively research using Google and other
search engines.
Grade 8 ✔English lessons – At least one library session on identifying plagiarism and how
to make a bibliography (works cited) for websites, articles and books.
Grade 9 ✔English lessons – learning to research, to take notes and to paraphrase.
✔PSE – revision of how to make a bibliography and how to reference images.
Grade 10
✔English – how to tell the difference between a primary and a secondary source
✔How to subsequently find the primary source.
✔How to introduce citations into an essay.
✔How to reference a citation using parenthetical insertions (brackets)
IB Diploma Program ( Grade 11 and 12):
● The IB Coordinator will give two presentations on academic integrity to all Grade 11 students as
early as possible in Grade 11. Reminders will be given throughout the two years of the diploma
program.
● The School librarian will lead tutor group sessions in Grade 11 on referencing and research skills.
In Grades 11 and 12 students and staff must adhere to the citation policy in all written, visual and
presentation work. (Effective Citing and Referencing (2014), Published by International Baccalaureate
Organization).
The table below are guidelines and Exemplars for the synthesis component of the research unit, “How
to Cite”- page 6 & 8 from Effective Citing and Referencing (2014), Published by International
Baccalaureate Organization.
CISB Computer and Internet Usage
Policy
Each student is responsible for his/her actions and activities involving CISB computers, networks and
Internet services, and for his/her computer files, passwords and accounts. These rules provide general
guidance concerning the use of computers, internet and examples of prohibited uses.
A. Acceptable Use:
CISB computers, networks and Internet services are provided for educational purposes and research
consistent with its educational mission, curriculum and instructional goals. All policies, school rules
and expectations concerning student conduct and communications apply when students are using
computers and the internet. Students are also expected to comply with all specific instructions from
teachers and other school staff when using the school‟s computers and network.
B. Prohibited Uses:
Examples of unacceptable uses of CISB computers and network that are expressly prohibited include
the following:
● Accessing Inappropriate Materials – Accessing, submitting, posting, publishing, forwarding,
downloading, scanning or displaying defamatory, abusive, obscene, vulgar, sexually explicit,
sexually suggestive, threatening, discriminatory, harassing and/or illegal materials.
● Illegal Activities – Using school networks and Internet services for any illegal activity or in
violation of any policy or school rules. CISB assumes no responsibility for illegal activities of
students while using computers.
● Violating Copyrights – Copying, downloading, or sharing any type of copyrighted materials
(including music or films) without the owner‟s permission. CISB assumes no responsibility for
copyright violations by students.
● Copying Software – Copying or downloading software without the express authorization of the
administration.
● Plagiarism – Representing as one‟s own work any materials obtained on the Internet (such as term
papers, articles, music, etc). When Internet sources are used in student work, the author, publisher
and web site must be identified.
● Non-School-Related Uses – CISB computers, networks and Internet services for non-school-related
purposes such as private financial gain; commercial, advertising or solicitation purposes; or any
other personal use not connected with the educational program or assignments.
● Misuse of Passwords/Unauthorized Access – Sharing passwords, using other users‟ passwords, and
accessing or using other users‟ accounts.
C. No Expectation of Privacy:
CISB computers and networks remain under the control, custody and supervision of the school at all
times. Students have no expectation of privacy in their use of computers, including e-mail, stored files
and Internet access logs. This also includes homework completed, and will include any written work
that is liable to scrutiny and can carry penalties if the work is deemed to be plagiarized.
Consequences of misconduct
Policy and Procedure
● Using previous ideas and the ideas of others to construct knowledge and understanding is good practice.
Positive instruction by teachers and parents as to how to do this with integrity is the best approach, as
opposed to simply emphasizing the penalties of not doing it. At CISB, the school as a whole has to make
sure that the students learn academic honesty from an early age, presumably by elementary school.
● All teachers, however, need to be on the alert for misconduct in every piece of work; this way hopefully it
can be nipped in the bud. This can be achieved by a high level of interaction between teachers and students.
● Initially misconduct should be dealt with in departments. In line with the CISB expectations,
faculties/departments should set out a clear set of guidelines as to how to work honestly, and identify any
specific scenarios that might occur in their subject areas. A procedure for carrying out a departmental
investigation should be laid down. Therefore, all teachers will know what to do, because specifics may
differ slightly from department to department, or some types of misconduct may be more prominent in
some subject areas than others. Procedures must be in line with the School Policy.
● Once a faculty/departmental procedure has been established, it should be made clear to the students what
constitutes misconduct in that subject and what will happen to them if they commit misconduct.
● If the student repeatedly violates the rules of academic honesty, it will have an effect on the student‟s
behavior grade, which will be lowered.
First Incident: Written Warning
A behavior contract will be signed by the student, the parents, the Principal which will state that any
further instances of malpractice will result in removal of school support with the University/College
applications, nor will students receive any recommendations regarding character/academic ability.
Second Incident:
Should a second malpractice occur the school WILL remove any support with the University/College
applications and WILL not provide the student any recommendations regarding character/academic
ability for their application process.
Subsequent Malpractice:
Repeating malpractice in any form in any other course may result in the removal of the student from
the Canadian International School Bangladesh.
Resubmission:
For students on a first incident of malpractice involving plagiarism, the teacher may, at her or his
discretion, allow a student to resubmit an assessment. In all other cases, there shall be no rewriting or
resubmission of assessments, and NO GRADE will be given. Extenuating circumstances shall be
presented to and decided upon by the Principal.
Late Submission:
Extensions will only be granted by the DPC on the following grounds (with supporting documentation
to be provided:
● Acute illness – e.g. hospital admission, serious illness, severe anxiety or depression. Does not
include minor illness such as mild cold. A medical certificate must be provided.
● Loss or bereavement – e.g. death of a close family member, family relationship breakdown. A
death notice or certificate must be provided.
For all assessment items handed in after the official due date, and without an agreed extension, a 10%
penalty applies to the student’s mark for that assessment item for the first day (or part thereof) after the
due date of submission. After that, a penalty of 10% per day (or part thereof) will be applied for each
day after the due date.
Reference & Bibliography
● Academic Honesty Policy (2011, 2012), Published by International Baccalaureate
Organization.
● Effective Citing and Referencing (2014), Published by International Baccalaureate
Organization.
● Academic Honesty: Guidance for Schools, (2003, 2011), Published by the International
Baccalaureate Organization.
● Academic Honesty in Diploma Program Arts (2012), Published by the International
Baccalaureate Organization.
● IB DP Academic Honesty Guide: Academic Honesty in Diploma Program Music, Theatre and
Visual Arts.
