HOMESCHOOL LIFEParent & Student Handbook

Academic Integrity 学术诚信


ISNS Academic Integrity Policy


ISNS Academic Integrity Policy Reviewed Jun 2026


The ISNS Academic Integrity Policy outlines the school’s expectations for honesty, originality, responsible technology use, and ethical academic behaviour across all grade levels and IB programmes. It emphasizes that academic integrity is central to the ISNS Code of Conduct, the IB Learner Profile, and the development of Approaches to Learning skills.


Purpose of the Policy

ISNS aims to create a safe, supportive, and academically honest learning environment where students learn to produce authentic work, acknowledge the ideas of others, and develop skills such as research, critical thinking, problem-solving, and communication. The policy applies to students, teachers, parents, administrators, programme coordinators, librarian teachers, and the technology integration team.


Definition of Academic Integrity

Academic integrity means students demonstrate their own abilities using authorized materials, clearly acknowledge sources, identify what work is their own, and credit the ideas, words, images, and contributions of others. It also includes responsible use of information technology, social media, translation tools, AI, and ethical behaviour during examinations.


Academic Misconduct

The policy identifies several forms of academic misconduct, including:

  • Plagiarism: Copying, paraphrasing, summarizing, or adapting someone else’s ideas or words without proper citation; incorrect or fabricated citations.

  • Cheating: Using unauthorized materials or devices, sharing test questions, copying during assessments, submitting false information, reusing previous work without permission, or paying others to complete assignments.

  • Collusion in group work: Submitting another student’s work as one’s own, relying on others to do the work, misrepresenting contributions, or planning responses together for individual assessments.

  • Misuse of translation tools: Using translation apps or reverse searches beyond permitted single words or phrases, especially in language acquisition tasks.

  • Misuse of AI: Using AI in ways that violate teacher guidelines, failing to cite AI-generated material, or presenting AI-generated work as one’s own.


Use of Artificial Intelligence

ISNS recognizes that AI can support teaching and learning but must be used responsibly.


Teachers are expected to:

  • Stay informed about AI technologies.

  • Give students age-appropriate guidance.

  • Set clear expectations for AI use.

  • Uphold the AI academic integrity policy.

  • Use AI where appropriate for planning, differentiation, and resource creation.


Students are expected to:

  • Follow teacher instructions about when AI is permitted.

  • Cite any AI-generated material used.

  • Acknowledge AI assistance honestly.

  • Use AI to support, not replace, their own learning.


Subject-Specific Expectations

The policy gives examples of academic integrity across subjects. Students are expected to credit sources in the arts, conduct independent thinking in English, use ethical research methods in Individuals and Societies, avoid overusing translation tools in language courses, use only authorized materials in math, contribute fairly in group work in physical education, and accurately report and credit scientific research in science.


Examination Expectations

The policy also addresses examination integrity and school maladministration. Examples of maladministration include granting unauthorized extra time, failing to supervise students properly, not securing testing materials, allowing unauthorized materials or devices, and permitting inappropriate teacher involvement during final DP exams.


Responsibilities

Students are responsible for:

  • Understanding the Academic Integrity Policy, AI Policy, Acceptable Use Policy, and IB policies.

  • Completing work honestly.

  • Giving credit to all sources properly.

  • Avoiding unauthorized assistance.

  • Reporting misconduct or maladministration.

  • Using technology, social media, translation tools, and AI responsibly.


Teachers are responsible for:

  • Teaching and modeling academic integrity.

  • Explaining policies and consequences.

  • Providing guidance on acknowledging sources.

  • Planning manageable workloads.

  • Monitoring student work and submissions.

  • Using Turnitin and AI-detection tools where required.

  • Reporting and documenting misconduct in ManageBac.


Parents are responsible for:

  • Supporting the school’s academic integrity expectations.

  • Understanding IB and ISNS policies.

  • Helping students manage workload appropriately.

  • Avoiding inappropriate assistance.

  • Reporting concerns about misconduct or maladministration.


Librarian teachers are responsible for:

  • Teaching age-appropriate academic integrity lessons.

  • Supporting research skills and responsible source use.

  • Maintaining resources for students and teachers.

  • Collaborating with teachers to reinforce academic honesty.


The Technology Integration Team is responsible for:

  • Teaching digital citizenship.

  • Supporting responsible use of digital tools.

  • Reinforcing trusted sources and academic integrity practices.

  • Helping review and uphold the AI Policy.


Programme coordinators are responsible for:

  • Explaining the policy to students, parents, and teachers.

  • Ensuring schedules and deadlines are manageable.

  • Making policies and subject guides accessible.


Procedures for Academic Misconduct

The policy provides grade-level procedures for investigating and responding to academic misconduct.

Grades 6–8

For unintentional misconduct, such as mistakes in acknowledging sources, students are usually given a chance to correct the work, attend an academic integrity workshop, and resubmit. Incidents are documented in ManageBac.

For intentional misconduct, such as AI-written work, unauthorized translation, collusion, cheating, blatant plagiarism, unauthorized extra time, or working in an unauthorized location, students may receive a zero and parents are contacted.

Consequences increase across first, second, and third offenses, potentially including meetings with the MYP Coordinator, principal, and parents, as well as an academic contract.

Grades 9–10

Minor issues related to acknowledging sources may be treated as teachable moments. More serious or intentional misconduct is documented in ManageBac and parents are contacted.

Consequences escalate from a zero for related criteria and detention for a first offense, to a zero for the whole task and possible academic contract for repeated offenses. A third offense may result in serious consequences, including possible dismissal, non-renewal of enrollment, or ineligibility for the full Diploma Programme.

Grades 11–12

All cases of misconduct must be reported to the Diploma Programme Coordinator, teacher, principal, and parents, and documented in ManageBac. ISNS states that it cannot submit work to the IB if academic misconduct is suspected.

For a first offense, affected sections may be removed and the student may rewrite them under supervision. For a second offense, affected sections are removed and only authenticated work is graded or submitted, which may result in failure or removal from the DP course or programme. For a third offense, the student may receive a zero, the work may not be submitted to the IB, and the student may be removed from the Diploma Programme or course.


Review and Student Declaration

The policy is reviewed bi-annually by the Middle and High School Leadership Teams with input from staff. It has been revised several times, most recently in June 2026. Students are expected to sign a declaration confirming that they understand and agree to follow the ISNS Academic Integrity Policy.