Makowski ECC #99 An IB World School

At Stanley M. Makowski ECC #99, learning is built on honesty, respect, and responsibility. Academic integrity means that everyone in our community- students, staff, and families- acts in a principled way so that all learning is genuine and trustworthy.

As an IB Primary Years Programme (PYP) school, we see academic integrity as part of our commitment to the learner profile and approaches to learning. Students are supported to become caring, reflective and principled learners who create their own work, give credit for the ideas of others, and make ethical choices when using information and technology.

This policy applies to all members of the learning community and our early childhood center from pre-K through grade 4, in all learning spaces, during school hours and in school related activities at home. The policy is aligned with current IB academic integrity guidelines and will be updated when IB expectations change. The PYP coordinator ensures that the policy remains consistent with IB publications on academic integrity and PYP programme standards and practices.

Academic integrity in the PYP grows from everyday classroom practice. Teachers model integrity and design learning that values curiosity, creativity, and authentic student voice.

At Makowski, integrity is fostered through:

• The IB Learner Profile Attributes- Principled, caring, reflective, communicator etc.
• Approaches to Learning- Emphasis on research skills and the ethical use of media and information

Because our learners are Pk-Grade 4, expectations are taught and reinforced in developmentally appropriate ways. Younger children learn through stories, play, and teacher-modeling. Older students receive more explicit instruction on using and acknowledging sources.

Students are expected to:

• Try their best to produce their own work, using their own words, ideas, drawings, and strategies.
• Acknowledge when ideas, images, or information come from someone else, in simple age-appropriate ways (Example. “I learned this from the book…”)

At Makowski, we reinforce good academic practice to include the following student behaviors:

• Showing the learner profile attribute of being principled by being honest about what they know, what help they receive, and what they still need to learn.
• Using classroom resources, books, digital tools, and other people's ideas respectfully and responsibly.
• Asking for help when they are unsure what is allowed in an assignment or assessment.
• Working collaboratively while still contributing to their own thinking and not letting others do all the work for them.
• Practicing simple forms of citation (such as naming the book, website, or person) as preparation for more formal citation and later years

Academic misconduct occurs when a student’s work does not honestly represent their own learning, even if this happens unintentionally. At Makowski the focus is on teaching and prevention. Forms of misconduct may include, but are not limited to:

• Copying: Producing another person's work (text, images, solutions, creations) and presenting it as one's own, including copying from peers, books, or digital media without acknowledgement
• Unfair Collaboration: Letting others complete all or most of the work on tasks that are meant to show individual understanding, or sharing answers in a way that misrepresents learning
• Plagiarism (age-appropriate): Using phrases, sentences, or key ideas from other sources without an attempt to show where they came from (for students old enough to understand this concept).
• Misuse of Technology or AI Tools: Using digital tools or technologies in ways that hide a student’s own contribution or bypasses the learning process

Academic integrity is a shared responsibility among all members of the school community.

Students are responsible for:

• Trying to complete their own work and asking for help when unsure what is expected
• Giving simple credit when using information, stories, or images from others
• Respecting others’ work and ideas and group tasks and sharing fairly

• Modeling academic integrity by acknowledging sources and demonstrating ethical use of information and technology.
• Explicitly teaching age-appropriate research skills, citation practices, and digital citizenship.
• Designing learning experiences that foster inquiry, creativity, and original thinking, and that discourage copying and overreliance on templates or adult help.
• Clearly explaining expectations and permissible support for each task or assignment
• Observing for potential misconduct and responding according to this policy.

• Supporting children in completing tasks at home by encouraging effort, discussing ideas, and helping with organization, while not doing the work for the child.
• Modeling integrity in their own use of information and acknowledging when they assist.
• Reading and understanding the academic integrity policy and discussing it with their children in age-appropriate ways.
• Communicating with teachers when unsure about expectations for support on learning tasks

Makowski prioritizes prevention of academic misconduct be embedding academic integrity into everyday teaching and learning. Prevention is preferred over punishment.

Preventative practices include:

• Regular class discussions, stories, and learning engagements about honesty, fairness, and respect for others’ ideas.
• Explicit lessons, especially in upper PYP grades, on research skills, using sources responsibly, and simple citation practices.
• Use of developmentally appropriate tools and visual supports (Ex. Learning Agreements)

The academic integrity policy will be shared with staff, families, and students in accessible and age-appropriate ways. The policy is posted on the school’s website under Academic Integrity Policy.

Policy Review

This policy was developed in alignment with IB requirements and reflects the current practices of Stanley Makowski Early Childhood Center #99.

Date of Last Review

December 2025

Review Cycle

This policy will be reviewed every three years or on a as needed basis.