Marriotts Ridge High School Academic Code of Honor and Integrity

Marriotts Ridge High School is a community of learners who embrace the value of lifelong learning and the power of knowledge.  We expect students to take responsibility for their learning, maintaining academic honesty and a positive learning environment.  Exemplifying Honor and Excellence in all That We Do!

Our staff expects Marriotts Ridge students to take responsibility and accept the consequences of their actions in order to maintain an environment of academic integrity. 

DEFINITIONS of VIOLATIONS

  1. Cheating: Using or attempting to use unauthorized materials, information, or study aids in any academic exercise
  2. Facilitation:Helping or attempting to help another student violate any provision of the Honor Code
  3. Falsification:Making up information/data or a citation in any academic exercise
  4. Plagiarism: Intentionally or unintentionally representing the words or ideas of another as one's own in any academic exercise
  5. Lying: Knowingly making a false statement
  6. Stealing: Taking, obtaining, or using others' property without the express permission of the owner
  7. Computer/Electronic Communication Misuse: Any unauthorized use of electronic devices, software, Internet, network or other technology; accessing inappropriate websites; misuse of account credentials; disrupting the normal operation of a technology system
  8. Violation Procedures: Knowingly and willingly failing to follow security procedures

EXAMPLES of VIOLATIONS

This is not an exhaustive or a complete list of examples.  
  • Obtaining information about the content of an assignment, exam, test, or quiz from a student who has already completed the assignment or taken the exam/quiz. (cheating)
  • Providing information about the content of an assignment, exam, test, or quiz to a student who has not yet completed the assignment or taken the exam/quiz. (facilitation)
  • Possessing, copying or paraphrasing another student’s homework, classwork, or ideas without the instructor’s permission.  This includes handwritten and typed documents as well as digital images. (cheating/plagiarism)
  • Allowing another student to copy homework or classwork without the instructor’s permission. (facilitation)
  • Not acknowledging another writer’s ideas or direct words within a given assignment.  A list of resources alone is not sufficient. (plagiarism)
  • Copying or paraphrasing an excerpt from the Internet or any other resource without citing the source. (plagiarism)
  • Cheating on exams, tests, or quizzes, including failure to follow procedural guidelines before, during, and after testing situations. (cheating/violating procedures)
  • Copying or buying an essay, lab report, or project and submitting it as one’s own. (cheating/plagiarism)
  • Using an assignment from a student who previously took the class and submitting it as one’s own (cheating) and/or providing that assignment to a current student. (facilitation)
  • Using a computer translator in a World Language class without the teacher’s permission. (cheating)
  • Making up a source to use as a citation in an assignment. (falsification)
  • Using a cell phone or other electronic device for any assignment unless directed to do so by the teacher. (cheating, facilitation, plagiarism, and violation of procedures)
  Student Responsibility: Students who have doubts about how the above violations could apply to a particular assignment must seek specific guidance from the teacher before turning the assignment in for a grade.  This includes clarification on proper citations, whether work is to be independent or cooperative, and proper use of technology.   Due Process:  When a violation has occurred, the teacher will meet with each individual student separately, notify a parent/guardian by phone, and give the student and parent the opportunity to request a follow up meeting. If the follow up meeting occurs, the student will be given an opportunity to discuss the specific Honor Code violation at a scheduled meeting with his or her teacher and instructional team leader or designee.

CONSEQUENCES for VIOLATIONS

1st offense:
  • The student receives a 0 on the entire assignment
  • The parent/guardian receives a phone call from the teacher
  • The teacher submits a disciplinary referral to the administration
  • The student serves an after school detention
2nd (or subsequent) offenses:
  • The student receives a 0 on the entire assignment
  • The teacher submits a disciplinary referral to the administration
  • The parent/guardian receives a phone call from the teacher
  • The administrator holds a staff, parent/guardian, and student conference with administrator
  • The student serves an extended school detention for a second offense
  • The student serves an in-school intervention for a third offense
  • The student serves subsequent consequences as determined by the administrator and in accordance with the guidelines in the Student Code of Conduct, which may be found in the Student/Parent Handbook.
  Offenses are cumulative and consequences increase for each offense committed throughout a student’s career at Marriotts Ridge High School and in the Howard County Public School System.   A student’s disciplinary record is considered during the application process for all Honor Societies.  A violation of the Honor Code may impact a student’s membership or continued participation in any Honor Society and a staff member’s choice to complete recommendation letters for colleges, scholarships, and other programs.  Information about violations may be shared with any staff member who works directly with the particular student.   It is much easier to explain a poor grade to your parents, a college, or a potential employer than to explain an Honor Code violation.   Parts of this policy are adapted from Dr. Andrea Goodwin, Associate Director, Office of Student Conduct, Univ. of Maryland presentation and the UM Code of Academic Integrity (instituted 1990-91), the River Hill High School Academic Integrity Policy  & Honor Pledge, the Atholton High School Academic Integrity Policy, the Centennial High School Honor Code, the Glenelg High School Honor Code, the Hammond High School Honor Code, the Wilde Lake High School Academic Honor Code, and the Virginia Tech Honor Code.