The Cambridge Program offers a quality education that not only insures knowledge, but cultivates the virtues of honor, courtesy, and perseverance. Of these virtues, honor is of great importance, for it is personal integrity that will influence and finally determine many of our actions and beliefs. Students should consider this Honor Code to be enforced in all Cambridge classes, non-Cambridge classes, and all activities associated with Federal Way High School.
The Honor Code, simply stated, is:
Students shall be honor bound to refrain from cheating of every kind, including plagiarism. Students shall be honor bound to take actions to stop any and all violations of this Honor Code, which they see. Inaction implies that one condones inappropriate behavior. Living in a manner that is consistent with this code will produce an atmosphere of trust, freedom, and integrity necessary to the success of each student in this program. Without maintaining a high standard of honesty and conduct, the reputation of the school and of Cambridge Preparatory Academy is compromised and society is poorly served.
There are occasions when collaboration between candidates is permitted or even 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 and 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. If, for example, two or more candidates have exactly the same introduction to an assignment, staff will construe this as collusion, and not collaboration.
Special attention must be given to the avoidance of plagiarism of Internet resources. Students must make a point of using these sources appropriately because of the ease of copy-and-paste techniques.
The following penalties will be enforced in the FW Cambridge Program. The first time a student is caught cheating on a class assignment or assessment, he/she will receive a zero for that assignment or assessment. In addition, a conference will be convened with the parents, the student, and the Cambridge coordinator. The student will be placed on a strict academic probation for the rest of his/her attendance in the FW Cambridge Program. All of the Cambridge teachers will be informed that this student is on academic probation. That student must diligently refrain from even the casual appearance or potential of cheating in all classes. If the student is caught cheating again in any class before his/her graduation from the program, that student may be removed from the program. In the case of a student who does not live within the FW attendance area, that student’s enrollment at FW will be cancelled and he/she will be required to return to his/her home school. Appeals to this penalty may be made to the School Board.
A separate policy must be in place in the case of malpractice on an assessment scheduled to be sent to the Cambridge examiners. If a student is caught cheating during the testing process, or plagiarizing any of his/her assessments, he/she will receive a zero for that assessment. There is no intermediary warning step in this case. The student will still be responsible for the cost of that subject registration however.
Click on the link, print and sign the Honor Pledge