Policy

Intellexi Learning Academy Code of Conduct

Roles and Responsibilities

The purpose of this code of conduct is:

• to establish and maintain safe, caring, and orderly environments for purposeful learning
• to establish and maintain appropriate balances among individual and collective rights, freedoms, and responsibilities
• to clarify and publish expectations for student behavior while at school, while going to and from school, and while attending any school function or activity at any location.

Acceptable Conduct:

• Attend school each day, arriving on time for all classes.
• Attend Zoom/Hybrid classes regularly for online classes (Synchronous Model).
• Log in three times weekly for online classes (Asynchronous Model)
• Attend all classes and complete the work assigned in those classes.
• Be cooperative, courteous, and respectful in dealings with administrators, teachers, school staff, and other students.
• Carry out directions given by school staff.
• Take care of the books, equipment, and learning materials provided for their use.
• Treat the school building, grounds, and equipment with care and prevent litter.
• Respect the rights of others. Don’t take things that don’t belong to you and don’t threaten or interfere with other students.
• Demonstrate the highest standards of conduct and good judgment when involved in school-sponsored events.
• Have no contact with alcohol, drugs, weapons, or replica weapons while at school, on the school grounds, or in attendance at any school-sponsored event in the community.
• Act as responsible members of the school neighborhood, by being courteous to people living in the area, by refraining from disturbing or disrupting their daily activities, and by being respectful of their property.
• Adhere to this Code of Conduct while traveling to and from school and while off the school premises during the lunch hour or at other times during the school day.
  

Unacceptable Conduct:
Behaviors that:

• interfere with the learning of others
• nterfere with an orderly environment
• create unsafe conditions

Acts of:

• bullying, harassment, or intimidation
• physical violence
• retribution against a person who has reported incidents

Illegal acts, such as:

• possession, use, or distribution of illegal or restricted substances (alcohol/drugs)
• possession or use of weapons
• theft of or damage to property

Consequences:
The severity and frequency of unacceptable conduct as well as the age and maturity of students is considered in determining appropriate disciplinary action.

• responses to unacceptable conduct are pre-planned, fair, and consistent, while reflective of the particular circumstances of each individual case
• disciplinary action, wherever possible, is preventative and restorative, rather than
  merely punitive
• students, as often as possible, are encouraged to participate in the development of
  meaningful consequences for violations of the established code of conduct

Notification:
School administrators and counselors may have a responsibility to advise other parties of serious breaches of the code of conduct. For example:

• parents of student offender(s) – in every instance
• parents of student victim(s) – in every instance
• police and/or other agencies – as required by law
• all parents – when deemed to be important to reassure members of the school community that school officials are aware of a serious situation or incident and are taking appropriate action to address it.

Attendance (In-Classes)

Regular attendance at school is critical for the student’s learning and achievement of course expectations. To encourage regular attendance by students, our school will ensure that students and their parents are informed about the school’s policy on attendance through the school’s course calendar. Where, in the principal’s judgment, a student’s frequent absences from school are jeopardizing his or her successful completion of a course, school staff will meet with the student and the parents to explain the potential consequences of the absences, including failure to gain credits, and discuss steps that could be taken to improve attendance. All Late and Absence Time will be completed by the student in order to maintain the integrity of 110 hours for each course of study for credit purposes.

Attendance (Online Courses)

Regular attendance in any learning environment is of paramount importance to school success. Course content and learning activities have been designed to be 110 hours for all full-credit courses or 55 hours for all half-credit courses. Log in and log out times will be recorded through the online platform. Completion of activities found on the platform will be checked by the instructor or the school online administrator. Students who do not participate in their online courses regularly will diminish their learning experience.

The following processes have been put into place to encourage regular attendance by the student:

• The Principal will maintain attendance records as it is expected that students and teachers should log in to their courses on a regular basis. Students and/or parents will be contacted if they have not logged in within a month’s time.
• Students should maintain a log of online and offline activities.
• Students who leave a course before completion must communicate their intentions either in writing to the principal or over the phone in the interest of up-to-date record keeping before any request can be acted upon.
• To encourage attendance, the principal will work with the curriculum writers, to set manageable assessment and evaluation assignments early in the course, in order to give the student positive feedback and breakdown any existing technology barriers.
• Students who have not completed their course within 6 months from the day of enrollment in that course, will be automatically unenrolled from the course.
• For Synchronous Model: The teacher teaches in real-time with students online via Zoom webinars and all students must attend their Zoom/Hybrid classes. The teacher communicates with students through a webcam/camera and finally, the teacher records the session.
• For Asynchronous Model: The teacher posts offline materials from the beginning of a new semester, or new learning materials are posted on Moodle Learning Platform daily or weekly. All students must log in three times weekly. All teachers check students’ Learning Log and depending on the types of activities, teachers spend hours on the assigned activities. Teachers also give feedback to students via email or chat message.
• If the students fail to log in 3 times, they will be received the first notice. If the students fail to log in 6 times, they will be received a second notice. Ultimately, 8 logs in failures result in dropping the course.

Note: The principal is committed to inform the start and end date of the course (Mid/Final terms, and withdrawal).

Online/Virtual Code of Conduct for Computer Use (Acceptable Use Policy)

The school reserves the right to monitor all learning materials in user accounts on the file server in order to determine the appropriateness of computer/internet use when a challenge has arisen. The following processes have been put into place:

• The Moodle Learning Platform at ILA is intended for educational purposes only. Any use of any tool within the course for any other purpose other than the intended educational purpose is prohibited. Students will make absolutely sure that their communications on-line or through the use of e-mail are research-related, respectful, responsible, and ethical.

• Students can access into “Moodle Learning Platform”, and they must comply with the guidelines set by the school Principal, provincial, and federal laws.

• If the platform is used inappropriately or in a prohibited manner, the Principal reserves the right to terminate the registration or suspend the user. There is the possibility of further disciplinary action including legal prosecution if the appropriate laws, regulations, or

contracts deem it necessary.

• Students will not seek out or transmit materials that are racist, sexist, pornographic, homophobic, or dangerous, that contain portrayals of illegal acts, or that are against any school policy. Malicious platform damage, interference, or mischief will be reported to the appropriate authorities.

• Students will NOT give out personal information such as an address, telephone number, or parents’ work numbers without the permission of a teacher or staff at school. In addition, students will not give out personal information about other people.

• All activities in an online environment are public. The school reserves the right to monitor all material that is placed in a user’s account and to remove it if deemed necessary.

• For the security purpose of the online environment, the student user must not reveal his/her password to any individual except his/her parent.

• Please report the principal any unethical issues which may occur via email communications or chat messages from other users.

• Never attempt to access unauthorized material or to impersonate another user. Any attempt to vandalize, harm, or destroy the data of another user is prohibited. Any attempt to vandalize the data of the course or school is also prohibited.

Student and Teacher Timetables

• All courses are a minimum of 110 hours of instructional time in length and are worth one credit with the exception of .5 credit as mandated in Ministry regulations. Our school is open from 9:30 a.m. to 9:30 p.m. there are classes both in the morning and in the afternoon. The school operates on a three-period-a-day cycle. Full-time students take four courses each term. There are three terms in a school year. For online courses, students should move chronologically through the lessons posted in the calendar for the course in which they are registered. The student can start the course within 24 hours of registration and move through the course at his or her own pace. Students can also interact in meaningful ways with his or her ILA teacher from anywhere in the world as long as they have an internet connection. A host of communication tools and procedures have been developed by Moodle Learning Platform in order to facilitate this essential communication component of quality education. A ILA student has many ways of communicating with the teacher and the teacher has many ways of communicating information and ideas back to the student.

Teachers and Other School Staff Members

Under the leadership of the principal, teachers and other school staff members maintain order in the school and are expected to hold everyone to the highest standard of respectful and responsible behavior. As role models, ILA teachers and school staff uphold these high standards when they:

• help students work to their full potential and develop their sense of self-worth;
• empower students to be positive leaders in their classroom, school, and community;
• communicate regularly and meaningfully with parents;
• maintain consistent standards of behavior for all students;
• demonstrate respect for all students, staff, parents, volunteers, and the members of the school community;
• prepare students for the full responsibilities of citizenship.

PLAGIARISM and CHEATING

Academic Dishonesty

Plagiarism is considered a form of cheating. It is the act of taking the ideas or words of another and presenting them as your own. Examples of plagiarism include:

• failing to acknowledge a source used in researching an assignment
• failing to footnote or endnote material directly taken from another source
• completely “lifting” whole sections of someone else’s work
• purchasing an essay and handing it in as your own work
• copying assignments, graphics, work of peers, homework, published work (text, periodicals, pamphlets, and recordings), material from Internet websites
• misrepresenting the ideas of others as your own.

Cheating

Cheating is the act of using unauthorized materials and/or resources during tests, exams or other Assessment of Learning tasks. Examples of cheating include:

• giving your own work to others
• using the work of others
• using unauthorized study aids
• copying the work of others on tests or exams

Consequences

Depending on the severity of the incident, the consequences for plagiarism or cheating will reflect a continuum of behavioral and academic responses, based on at least the following four factors:

• grade level of the student
• maturity of the student
• number and frequency of incidents
• individual circumstances of the student.

Consequences could include:

• repeating the assignment
• mark reduction
• mark of zero
• suspension

Responsibilities of the Teacher

Teachers are expected to help students avoid plagiarising by:

• defining the term and reminding them of it when setting out an assignment
• giving them examples of what constitutes plagiarism
• emphasizing the importance of using process skills to arrive at a product
• teaching them research skills so they can avoid plagiarising: note taking, paraphrasing, summarizing
• teaching them proper formats for footnoting, endnoting and bibliographies
• teaching them organizational skills: finding and organizing information to build understanding of a topic
• teaching them how to make an outline for a report or research essa
• having them keep a learning log to reflect on what they learned through the process: how research and organizational skills helped with the project, how could the product be improved, how can the research and organizational skills be improved
• assessing the process steps: notes, outline, summary, bibliography, drafts, etc.
• informing students of the consequences of plagiarism
• providing students with information about what constitutes plagiarism and cheating
• designing evaluations which minimize the opportunities for students to plagiarize
• monitoring the steps in the assignment process to ensure work is being done.

Responsibilities of the Student

Students are expected to:

• Ensure they are aware and understand the school’s plagiarism/cheating policy.
• Complete all assignments on time, with care, and without copying the work of another.
• Complete the steps of the assignment process and submit all rough work.
• Do not distribute work to others for the purpose of allowing them to copy it.

The onus of proof is on the student to verify that his or her assignment is the result of his or her efforts alone.

Appeal
Students may appeal the teacher’s decision to the Principal after discussion with the teacher.

Academic Honesty – Plagiarism and Cheating

Intellexi Learning Academy expects that all people in our learning community to behave in an honest manner. Plagiarism is defined in Ministry Policy as the use of the language and thoughts of another without attribution, in order to represent them as one’s own original work. The Administrative Team and the teachers will make it clear to students that the evaluations that they complete must be their own work and that cheating and plagiarism will not be condoned. The Administration and the teachers will address the prevention of cheating and plagiarizing by communicating with the parents and the students the process of documentation to be utilized by the school. The teachers may use whatever means of detecting cheating and plagiarism that best supports student achievement and success.
When responding to students who have plagiarized, or cheated, the school will use a clear procedure that considers four mitigating factors when determining the appropriate outcomes and support for the student.

The four factors include:

• grade level
• maturity of the student
• the number and frequency of incidents
• the individual circumstances of the student

When a student plagiarizes or cheats, the student does not provide evidence of achievement according to the achievement chart in each subject discipline. The Principal and the teacher will choose from a variety of possible responses. Other than Final Evaluation Procedures in University Preparation Courses, the opportunity to demonstrate achievement of the overall expectations in a similar evaluation will be provided. A mark of zero may be a resolution depending on the mitigating factors.

In each instance of Plagiarism and Cheating, there will be a record in the OSR of the event and a record of the decision made, and a copy of the letter informing parents of the occurrence and the resolution by the school team.

LATE and MISSED ASSIGNMENTS
Principles

Students are responsible for providing evidence of their achievement of the overall expectations within the time frame specified by the teacher, and in a form approved by the teacher. Students must understand at the outset of the course that there will be consequences for not completing assignments for evaluation or for submitting those assignments late.

The Ministry of Education’s policy states that “the primary purpose of assessment and evaluation is to improve student learning”. It follows that deduction of marks for late work does not improve learning nor does it help students who are struggling in school.
Submitting work late is a learning skills issue and is best dealt with in that way. The Ministry requires teachers to separate evaluation of achievement of the curriculum expectations from the development of learning skills and work habits in order to provide students and teachers with good information about academic progress and to clearly identify strengths and weaknesses.

Students submit work late for many reasons and teachers should take into account individual circumstances that recognize:

• Legitimate explanations
• Poor time-management skills
• Lack of academic skills
• Poor understanding of the assignment
• Difference between uncharacteristic and repeated behaviors.

Assignments that are consistently late and incomplete are often a demonstration of poor learning skills and should be addressed in the Learning Skills and Work Habits area of the report card. Habitual neglect of deadlines is a behavior issue that should result in disciplinary action. Late assignments are not necessarily correlated to poor achievement. Therefore, a student should not fail a course or grade based on late penalties.

Strategies to Support Students

Teachers are expected to develop strategies to help prevent and/or address late and missed assignments including:

• giving student at least two weeks notice for major assignments and, in setting the due date, ensuring that students are not already pressed for time with competing major assignments
• granting reasonable extension if, prior to the due date, the student and teacher negotiate a new submission date. The negotiated date must be recorded on the “Date Deferral Notice” and this notice must be submitted with the assignment.
• clarifying the course of action (including a mark of zero) if a student does not submit the assignment on the due date and has not taken the responsibility to negotiate a deferred date
• asking the student to clarify the reason for not completing the assignment
• helping students develop better time-management skills
• planning for major assignments to be completed in stages, so that students are less likely to be faced with an all-or-nothing situation at the last minute
• maintaining ongoing communication with students and/or parents about due dates and late assignments, and scheduling conferences if the problem persists
• taking into consideration legitimate reasons for missed deadlines
• setting up a student contract
• reviewing the need for extra support for English language learners
• providing alternative assignments or tests/exams where, in the teacher’s professional judgment, it is reasonable and appropriate to do so

Procedures

If a student has missed or failed to complete Assessment of Learning tasks due to attendance or other issues (e.g., an I – Incomplete – has been recorded in the teacher’s tracking record) the teacher will review student data and determine whether there is sufficient evidence to make a valid and reliable judgement about student achievement.

The teacher will consider the following:

• Has the student demonstrated the expectations of the missed evaluation(s) through other assignments, observations, or conversations?
• What is the student’s most consistent level of achievement on the completed evaluations with particular emphasis on the more recent achievements?
• What is the student’s reason for the missed evaluations?

The teacher will determine the student’s overall level of achievement based on the weight of this evidence or increase the value of other assignments and remove the missing evaluation.

Process for the Teacher

Students should be expected to submit work on time. The teacher must inform students of the due date of an assignment and the ultimate deadline, which is the last opportunity for students to submit the assignment for evaluation. This deadline is set at the teacher’s discretion. Teachers may deduct marks for late submissions. Normally the deduction should not exceed 20% of the value of the assignment.

Missed Evaluations

If, in the teacher’s professional judgement the student has not demonstrated achievement of expectations of the missed evaluations in other evaluations or in another context and/or the student does not have a valid reason for the missed evaluation(s), the teacher may determine that insufficient evidence of achievement has been provided by the student to make an accurate and valid evaluation of student performance. The teacher will consider the student’s most consistent overall level of achievement on completed evaluations but will use professional judgement to determine the mark.

Students who, despite strategies used to help them, do not submit assignments may be given zero. Teachers evaluate students on achievement of overall curriculum expectations. Therefore, giving a mark of zero will normally result in a gap in the record of achievement of curriculum expectations. The teacher has no evidence of the student’s knowledge or skills related to the expectations evaluated because the student has missed tests, not handed in assignments, or was absent for presentations. Students are accountable for providing the teacher with evidence of their learning. Teachers should not make up or estimate what students know and can do.