Grades & Academic Integrity
Grades
|
The table depicts the DoDEA Virtual High School Grade Scale. Please refer to the Course Information and Grading Policies page under your course(s) Materials tab for specific grade information set by your teacher(s).
|
|
|---|
Grades and Feedback Information in Schoology
Regular School Year Courses: During the schoolyear, the Grades list in Schoology is not a complete or official record of your graded assignments. Please go to GradeSpeed to locate your offical grade.
Summer School Course: During the Summer School session, the Grades list in Schoology provides a current record of your grades, and progress reports will be sent to you at least weekly during the summer session.
You will want to monitor your grades in Schoology for the following reasons:
- Monitoring feedback and taking note of your grades frequently on assignments and tests makes you more aware of how you are doing and provides you with an opportunity to reach out to your teacher for help before it is too late.
- Are you getting behind? Monitoring your assignments can help you pace yourself more accurately.
Locate assignment grades and feedback from the Grades tab in the left panel of your Schoology Home page, or in your course locate the Grades tab in the left panel of the Course screen. Read the PDF below to learn how to access grades and feedback in Schoology (NOTE: This is the same PDF found in the Schoology LMS Grades tab).
Regular School Year Accessing Grades & Feedback
Summer School Accessing Grades & Feedback
Images: Photographer Feverpitched, iStock/thinkstock.com | MartinaVaculikova, Mathematics seamless pattern, iStock/thinkstock.com.
Next Topic: Click the GradeSpeed button above.
During the regular school year, GradeSpeed is the Official Grade Reporting System. GradeSpeed is a web-based program that enables you and your parents to log-in to view grade and attendance data. Click GradeSpeed or when you are in your course, the link to GradeSpeed is located on the DVHS Student Resources page.
Gradespeed is Not used during the DVHS Summer School.
Your teacher may enter codes into GradeSpeed to indicate the status of an assignment. The chart below depicts some of these common codes.
 |
|---|
To create a parent account and to review the steps to log into GradeSpeed please refer to the Parental/Student Guidance.
Image: GradeSpeed Logo - https://dodea.gradespeed.net/gs/
Next Topic: Click the Academic Integrity button above.
Summer School
Late Policy
Please refer to the Course Information and Grading Policies page under your course(s) Materials for specific information about late work.
There are no extensions in summer school for finishing the course.
Attendance Policy
Because of the compressed nature of summer school, absences are highly discouraged. Each missed day is the equivalent of missing 3 days during a regular semester. If an absence does occur, the student is responsible for making up all missed work. This needs to be done as soon as possible to avoid late work penalties and to avoid getting behind in the course.
Please contact your instructor immediately if you believe you need more time to complete an assignment or if you need to discuss a plan for making up missed work. In the event of a planned absence, students must inform the instructor in advance.
Grades & Progress Reports
Each week parents and students will receive an email listing any missed assignments. Progress reports will be sent at least weekly during the summer session.
Gradespeed is Not used during the DVHS Summer School.
Remember: Locate assignment grades and feedback from the Grades tab in the left panel of your Schoology Home page, or locate the Grades tab in the left panel of your Course screen.
Academic Integrity
We expect our students to act with integrity. We could debate the definition of integrity and its various uses, but in our online courses, it means that students will be fair and perform work with honesty. The work you produce should be your own, and when you do this, you will be completing your coursework with integrity.
Click each topic below to learn more about Academic Integrity.
In an online environment, plagiarism and cheating is one of the greatest concerns in regards to student achievement. Whether intentional or not, the use of other people's work is a violation of the DoDEA Virtual High School’s policy of Academic Integrity and can result in severe consequences.
Image: Judge's Wooden Gavel with flag in background; Shutterstock.com
The DoDEA accreditation agency, AdvancED, requires the DVHS to have assurances that academic integrity exists within our courses. DoDEA Virtual High School operates under the expectation that all students will hold to academic standards that are both ethical and honest; thus, any sort of academic dishonesty is prohibited. Plagiarism, cheating, copying the work of another student, or copying answers from the internet are all examples of academic dishonesty (though this list is not all inclusive).
Additionally, all school related assessments must be taken in the presence of an official DoDEA proctor unless otherwise noted by the instructor. For further guidance, please refer to the individual teacher’s course policies and procedures.
You are encouraged to work with your peers through the use of interactive technologies such as instant messaging, discussion boards, blogs and wikis as needed.
The DoDEA Virtual High School expects all students to abide by ethical academic standards. Academic dishonesty - including plagiarism, cheating, copying the work of another, using technology for illicit purposes, or any unauthorized communication between students for the purpose of gaining advantage for coursework or during an examination - is strictly prohibited.
Any violation of the DoDEA Virtual High School’s policy of Academic Integrity can result in severe consequences. Any cheating or copying will result in an administrative referral and a possible grade reduction to include a zero for the assignment.
Violations of the DVHS Academic Policy can be addressed at both the DVHS and at the student's local school.
DoDEA Regulation 2051.1, "Disciplinary Rules and Procedures," states that a student may be disciplined, to include removal from school (i.e., suspension, expulsion, or out of school placement) in appropriate circumstances…as stated in “E3.5. Grounds for Removal” for the following acts, “E3.5.18 Forging, cheating, or plagiarizing the work of others.”
Plagiarism is defined by the Random House Dictionary as:
"The unauthorized use or close imitation of the language and thoughts of another author and the representation of them as one's own original work."
Note the use of the words "close imitation". This means that you do not have to copy verbatim for it to be considered plagiarism.
Please read this recent report from Turn-it-IN: Plagiarism_Spectrum_US_8.5x11.pdf
You can also visit their website for a nice overview: https://www.turnitin.com/infographics/the-plagiarism-spectrum
Image: Modern Day Crimes: Idea Theft; ElenaNayashkova,iStock/thinkstock.com
One of the most common errors made when using technology is the gross misuse of "copy and paste." This can include text and images. Remember that ALL wording for assignments MUST be your own.
The instructor may search databases to identify cases of "copy and paste" from web sites.
DVHS teachers may use an originality checking software such as Turnitin. As easily as it may be to find information and copy it, it is just as easy for the teacher to locate the source. Simply changing a word here or there using the thesaurus does not hide the overall pilfering of content from an external source.
Instead, make a point to grasp the general idea of what you are reading and then type it in your own words into your assignment. This is one way to assist you in avoiding plagiarism. Additionally, anytime you use an image from the internet, you should cite the source with at minimum, the inclusion of the web address.
Please read this recent report from Turn-it-IN: Plagiarism_Spectrum_US_8.5x11.pdf
You can also visit their website for a nice overview: https://www.turnitin.com/infographics/the-plagiarism-spectrum
Understanding the Turnitin Report.pdf
|
Image: Copy - Paste; pressureUA,thinkstock.com
Translation software that converts English words to a target language works, but the technology is not perfect, meaning that some significant mistranslations will almost always occur. Sometimes these sites produce pure nonsense. Turning in such a translation is just another form of plagiarism, and it is cheating. Most often teachers recognize the use of such programs because of the characteristic "feel" of computer translations and the typical errors that occur. Frequently two students from opposite sides of the country will submit identical pieces, which is a dead giveaway for the teacher.
Images: Global translate app World map, human hand with smartphone composition. cienpies, iStock/thinkstock.com.Next Topic: Click the Test Security button above.
Test Security
Teachers may choose to have a test proctored or they may use Respondus LockDown Browser, which is a progam that prevents access to other webpages, taking screenshots, copying or printing during a test.
Click a picture or link below to choose the type of detailed instructions you would like to review.
Note: This video does not have audio. 
|
Download/Print PDF |
Next Topic: Click the Citation Resources button above.
What does this all mean for my online course?
There are a number of places to go for information about citing sources (giving credit to someone whose work you used) but your school media center person is the best and closest source. You need to tell who wrote or created what you are using, who did it originally, and when and where it was published. The best rule of thumb is that if you are in doubt about whether or not to cite a source, cite it. And, in case you were not aware, there are commercially available “plagiarism-fighting” tools on-line that make it easy to check for plagiarize information.
Should you have a question about any of these topics, please ask first before turning in something that could cause you to receive no credit for that project. If you want more information on plagiarism, you can go the following websites:
You can also use the Turnitin app in Schoology to upload your paper before submitting it to your teacher to see if all sources are properly cited. Turnitin will create an originality report for you to evaluate.
Click a picture or link below to choose the type of detailed instructions for using Turnitin.
Understanding the Turnitin Report.pdf
|
Images: Word english made with wooden; nimon_t, iStock/thinkstock.com. Browser window with modern interfacee; tovovan, iStock/thinkstock.com.
Next Topic: Click the Tutoring & Help button above.
Tutoring and HelpIf you have questions or seek clarification about course assignments, please schedule a time for extra help with your teacher. Please do not hesitate to ask for help at anytime. The following tutoring companies are provided for your convenience only. The companies may provide tutoring/information in a variety of curricular areas. The list is not exclusive and DoDEA and DoD do not endorse any of these companies. Providing the list does not infer that DoDEA or DoD recommends any of these companies. Khan Academy, TED, Tutor.com, YouTube, Crash Course, DuoLingo, Virtual Nerd, Statrek.com, PatrickJMT, SOS Math, Desmos |