CNG Code of Honor & Disciplinary Policy

ACADEMIC INTEGRITY AT CNG

At Colegio Nueva Granada, our Core Values are at the heart of everything we do. Academic integrity means that all work submitted reflects a student’s individual understanding, effort, and creativity. We recognize that technology, including Artificial Intelligence (AI) tools, plays a role in education, but students must use these responsibly to ensure their work remains an authentic representation of their learning.

1. CNG must model the Core Values while also promoting academic integrity reflective of high-quality academic institutions.
2. CNG must prepare students for the high-stakes consequences for academic dishonesty at universities.
3. CNG strives to provide an ethical education for life, especially given the extensive research linking academic dishonesty to increased workplace dishonesty.

As such, CNG has the following expectations for students:
Expectations for Students

1. Original Work: All assignments, tests, and projects should be completed by the student, demonstrating their own knowledge and effort. Using someone else’s work—whether from a peer, a parent, the internet, or AI—without proper acknowledgment is considered academic dishonesty.  To do this, a student should follow the teacher’s recommended SAIL guidelines for every assignment.
2. Responsible Use of Technology: Students may use AI tools, calculators, grammar checkers, and research databases as long as these enhance, rather than replace, their critical thinking and original work, and are explicitly told by their teachers they are allowed to use it. 
3. Proper Citation and Attribution: Any ideas, words, images, or data taken from external sources—including books, websites, AI-generated content, parents, or peers—must be properly cited.
4. Ethical Collaboration: Group work is encouraged, but students must contribute equally and ensure all shared work is fairly credited. Copying from others or submitting work that is not their own, even with permission, is unacceptable.  At CNG, we believe in collaborating and not copying one another.
5. Honest Assessments: During quizzes, tests, and exams, students must refrain from using unauthorized aids, communicating with others, or accessing prohibited materials.

Examples of Academic Misconduct may include, but are not limited to:

• Copying homework, essays, or projects from others.
• Using AI tools to generate entire assignments without teacher approval.
• Submitting AI-generated work as one’s own without revision or critical input.
• Submitting work written by a parent or sibling.
• Sharing answers or using unauthorized materials during assignments or assessments.
• Fabricating data or misrepresenting research findings.
• Using, taking, buying, selling, giving, soliciting and/or coercing answers or information, and/or distributing photos or photocopies of any form of assessment and/or answers to an administered test, project, or other assignment.
• Falsifying academic records, resumes, applications, research data, laboratory reports, and/or other academic work.
• Misrepresentation of facts, which includes being absent without an acceptable reason and then requesting and/or receiving a postponement/extension for the purpose of obtaining academic benefit.
• Presenting any type of plagiarized material as one’s own academic work for course credit and/ or toward the requirements for a degree.
• Plagiarism can involve obtaining, taking, buying, gifting, and/or receiving a gift and presenting that work as one’s own academic work for any school assignment or assessment.
• Plagiarism includes the use of words, lyrics, ideas, illustrations/graphics, and other expressions not attributed to the original source, including those obtained from the unauthorized use of Artificial Intelligence (AI) tools;
• Plagiarism includes the unauthorized collaboration and/or collusion with another person in preparing homework, formative and summative assessments, and other work for a course.

ACADEMIC DISHONESTY POLICY

Academic dishonesty is a Serious or Grave offense at CNG because it represents a form of stealing with resulting ethical and moral implications. With Integrity and Responsibility designated as Core Values at CNG, we strive as a school to conduct ourselves with integrity and to model the CNG Core Values to prepare students for school, university, and workplace life. We are committed to teaching developmentally appropriate research skills as well as working with students on integrity and responsibility as related to school (and life) experience.

Though CNG considers any behavior infraction a learning opportunity, Academic Dishonesty also carries consequences. In cases of academic dishonesty, there will be systematic follow-up and developmentally appropriate consequences to reinforce the importance of academic honesty, as outlined in our CNG Code of Honor and Disciplinary Policy. CNG believes in the importance of teachers ensuring that students receive direct instruction and guidance to understand artificial intelligence, collaboration versus copying, plagiarism, and the correct use of citations. The school provides various resources for students and faculty to use to take proactive measures against purposeful or incidental academic dishonesty. 

For non-AI suspected academic dishonesty, teachers will take the following actions:

1. The teacher takes steps following the protocol stated in the Academic Dishonesty and Plagiarism document in the CNG Code of Honor and Disciplinary Policy.
2. The teacher inputs the suspected offense as a referral in Skyward and works with the divisional office to collaborate on parent communication. 
3. If, over the course of the investigation, it is determined that there was, in fact, an incident of academic dishonesty, the student will receive a zero on the assignment.

For AI-suspected cases of academic dishonesty, the following process will be followed.

1. The Teacher will write a referral in Skyward for suspected academic dishonesty with AI
2. The leadership team will conduct an investigation and take the following steps:
   • Families will be informed of the suspicion for inappropriate use;
   • Student will have the opportunity to resubmit the assessment; and
   • Student reflection regarding why their work may have been flagged.

If a student is suspected of a third incident (as well as any further incidents), the administration will report a significant pattern of suspected or actual inappropriate use of AI as a Serious Offense with consequences as stated in the Code of Honor. 
 
Following a thorough investigation, guaranteeing the due process established in the Code of Honor, once determined to be a case of Academic Dishonesty, the following consequences will be applied on a cumulative basis for all incidents at the respective building level:

1. First Infraction – A zero will be put in the Skyward gradebook for the test or assignment. Parents will be notified and the student will engage in a reflection/ conversation with the administration. A detention and/or suspension will be assigned. A student may also be placed on Behavior Advisement depending on the developmental level, seriousness of the infraction, and/or previous behavioral record. In addition, students in co-curricular activities may face other consequences as determined by the administration
2. Second Infraction – A zero will be put in the Skyward gradebook for the test or assignment. A parent conference will be held, a suspension will be assigned, and the student will be placed on Behavior Advisement or Probation based on the school’s policy of progressive discipline and the consequence assigned for the First Infraction. In addition, students in co-curricular activities will face added consequences related to restrictions in participation in order to focus on academics.
3. Third Infraction – A zero will be put in the Skyward gradebook for the test or assignment. A parent conference will be held, and a multiple-day suspension will be assigned.  The student will be placed on Behavior Probation and/or Matriculation Hold, with the consequence of possible non-matriculation depending on previous infractions and their cumulative behavioral record. In addition, students in co- curricular activities will face additional consequences which may include restrictions to practice, participation in games, tournaments, or special events, and/or exclusion from CWW participation based on the school’s probation and matriculation hold protocols.

Records – In all cases, the offense will be recorded in the student’s disciplinary file in Skyward and for students at the High School, cases will be reported to colleges/universities if required by the institutions as part of their standard admission process.

Connection to Future – Students and parents must understand that academic dishonesty at the university level may result in expulsion from that university.

Academic Integrity cannot happen without the entire community supporting our students.  To that end, teachers and parents are expected to do the following to support their students.

Role of Teachers and Parents

• Teachers will provide clear guidelines on how to use technology appropriately and will educate students on academic integrity expectations, and immediately report suspected violations of the policy to families and administration.
• Parents/Guardians are encouraged to discuss the importance of honesty in learning and support their child in developing responsible study habits.

Resources for Avoiding Plagiarism

• TurnItIn.com 
• Purdue Online Writing Lab (OWL) 
• Purdue Online Writing Lab (OWL) Research and Citation Resources
  • This also includes links for conducting research, using research, APA Style, MLA Style, Chicago Manual of Style and American Medical Association (AMA) Style.
• Defining and Avoiding Plagiarism: The WPA (Writing Program Administrators) Statement on Best Practices 

Examples of Colleges and Universities fully aligned to these three central reasons

1. CNG must model the core value of academic integrity reflective of high-quality academic institutions.
   • “Integrity is the foundation of the academic experience at Harvard College...Cheating on exams or problem sets, plagiarizing or misrepresenting the ideas or language of someone else as one’s own, falsifying data, or any other instance of academic dishonesty violates the standards of our community, as well as the standards of the wider world of learning and affairs.” - Harvard University website
   • “Purdue University values intellectual integrity and the highest standards of academic conduct. To be prepared to meet societal needs as leaders and role models, students must be educated in an ethical learning environment that promotes a high standard of honor in scholastic work. Academic dishonesty undermines institutional integrity and threatens the academic fabric of Purdue University. Dis- honesty is not an acceptable avenue to success. It diminishes the quality of a Purdue education.” - Purdue University website.
2. CNG must prepare students for the high-stakes consequences for academic dishonesty at universities.
   • “The standard sanction for a first offense (of academic dishonesty) includes a one-quarter suspension from the University and 40 hours of community service. In addition, most faculty members issue a “No Pass” or “No Credit” for the course in which the violation occurred.” - Stanford University website
   • “Level II sanctions (for academic dis- honesty) may include, but are not limited to: 1) any sanctions for Level I violations; 2) course grade of F; 3) course grade of F being permanently calculated into the Grade Point Average; 4) exclusion from activities such as study abroad, honors societies and programs, and varsity athletics; 5) suspension from Bentley University; 6) expulsion from Bentley University.” - Bentley University website
3. CNG strives to provide an ethical education for life, especially given the extensive research linking academic dishonesty to increased workplace dishonesty.
   • “Results suggest that there is a clear connection between cheating in high school and a positive decision to cheat in a specific scenario in college. In addition, frequent cheaters in high school also reported being more likely to decide to violate workplace policies.” -Does academic dishonesty relate to unethical behavior in professional practice? An exploratory study. Harding, Trevor & Carpenter, D & Finelli, Cynthia & Passow, Honor (2004).
   • “The fostering of an environment that dissuades students from plagiarism, in which “cheating” is eliminated and creativity and aca- demic honesty, in all its forms, is promoted, is of the utmost importance. In every case, the academic institution should implement measures to dissuade poor conduct amongst its students; in not doing so, the institution is encouraging its students to transfer to their professional careers the same deceitful behavior, which is highly detrimental to the collective interests of society.” - Academic Dishonesty. Sousa, Conti, Salles, Mussel (2016).
   • “This research demonstrates that cheating is prevalent and that some forms of cheating have increased dramatically in the last 30 years. This research also suggests that although both individual and contextual factors influence cheating, contextual factors, such as students’ perceptions of peers’ behavior, are the most powerful influence. In addition, an institution’s academic integrity programs and policies, such as honor codes, can have a significant influence on students’ behavior.” - Cheating in Academic Institutions: A Decade of Research. McCabe, Tre- vino, Butterfield (2010).