Department Policy

ACADEMIC POLICIES OF THE ENGLISH DEPARTMENT

Grades will be based on the student’s performance in the following areas: daily quizzes, homework, midrange assignments, objective tests, and essays written in and out of class. Also, class participation and/or an upward trend may be used as elements in the student’s average.  The teacher will define for the class the weighting of these factors as well as the various levels of achievement on particular objective tests.  For essays, the following descriptions will apply, depending on the nature of the assignment and the grade level of the student:
Honors/Very Good

• Content: The essay contains a significant thesis, clearly defined, and supported with concrete, substantial, consistently relevant detail.
• Organization: The essay is planned so that it progresses by clearly ordered and necessary stages, and is developed with originality and consistent attention to proportion and emphasis; paragraphs are coherent, unified, and effectively developed; transitions between paragraphs are explicit and effective.
• Sentence structure:  Sentences are skillfully constructed (unified, coherent,  varied).
• Diction: The diction is distinctive:   fresh, precise, economical, and idiomatic.
• Grammar and mechanics:  Clarity and effectiveness of expression are promoted by consistent use of standard grammar, punctuation, and spelling.

Good/Pass

• The thesis is apparent but too general, trivial, or trite; it is supported with concrete detail, but detail that is occasionally repetitious, irrelevant, or sketchy.
• The plan and method of the essay are apparent but not consistently fulfilled; the essay is developed with only occasional disproportion or inappropriate emphasis; the paragraphs are unified, coherent, and usually effective in their development; the transitions between paragraphs are clear but abrupt, mechanical or monotonous.
• The sentences are correctly constructed but lack distinction.
• The diction is appropriate:  clear and idiomatic.
• Clarity and effectiveness are weakened by occasional deviations from standard grammar, punctuation, and spelling.

Unsatisfactory/Serious Failure

• The thesis is lacking or confused, or unsupported with concrete and relevant detail.
• The plan and purpose of the essay are not apparent; the essay is undeveloped or developed with irrelevance, redundancy, or inconsistency; the paragraphs are incoherent, not unified, or undeveloped; the transitions between paragraphs are unclear, ineffective, or non–existent.
• The sentences are not unified, are incoherent, confused, incomplete,  or monotonous
• The diction is inappropriate: it is vague, unidiomatic, or substandard.
• Communication is impaired by frequent deviations from standard grammar, punctuation, and spelling.

(The preceding descriptions are essentially those formulated in the “Joint Statement on Freshman English in College and High School Preparation,” prepared by the Department of English at Ball State University, Indiana State College, Indiana University, and Purdue University, and published by the National Council of Teachers of English in A Guide for Evaluating Student Composition.)         
WEIGHTING OF TERM EXAMINATIONS

Grade                                   Fall Term                                              Spring Term
6                                             unit test                                                   unit test
7-9                                         20%                                                            25%
10                                           20%                                                            33 1/3 %
11                                           33 1/3 %                                                   33 1/3 %
12                                           30%                                                            33 1/3 %
The spring term will be weighted and the term and year grades will be averaged in accordance with the published St. Stephen’s grading policy.

LATE PAPERS
Late papers will be penalized one grade level per day; the twenty-four hour period will begin at the time the paper is due.  Weekend days will be counted the same as any normal school day whether the student involved is a day student or not.

ACADEMIC HONESTY
Honesty in academic work is expected of all students at all times at St. Stephen’s.  In the broadest terms, academic dishonesty is the submission as one's own work or material that is not one's own.  We divide academic dishonesty into three categories.  To help clarify the specifics within these categories each academic department publishes its own policy regarding academic honesty.

1.  Cheating on an exam, test, or quiz which includes giving, receiving, offering, or asking for any information for an exam, test, or quiz.

2.  Plagiarism:  The appropriation of passages, either word-for-word or in substance, from the writings of another and the incorporation of those passages as one's own.  It is always assumed that the written work offered for credit is the student's own unless proper credit is given the original author by use of quotation marks and/or correct citations.  Plagiarism may come about through carelessness or ignorance.  Every student, however, may free himself or herself from uncertainties on this score by following the simple general rules listed below.

* direct quotation -- When the exact words of an author are used.  Every quoted passage must be placed within quotation marks and be followed by citation of the source and its page number.

*  indirect quotation -- When summarizing or paraphrasing the words of an author, give a citation of the source and its page number.

*  general acknowledgement of indebtedness -- When general use is made of the thoughts, ideas, or information to be found in another person's work, always include citations directing the reader to the appropriate sources and their page numbers.

3.  Collusion – Excessive collaboration or work with another individual that results in a product that is no long considered one’s own.

(Adapted from the University of Texas, Dean of Students Office)

To help clarify the expectations for each individual assignment, teachers will use the following designations when making out-of-class assignments. 

• Independent – no collaboration, consultation, editing or guidance from another person; all work must be entirely the student’s own

• Collaborative –  working with another is permitted, keeping in mind our guidelines for tutors and outside help

• Sourced – with the use of approved outside sources, provided proper citation is used

• Unsourced – no consultation of outside sources (books, magazines, internet or otherwise)

CONSEQUENCES FOR ACADEMIC DISHONESTY
Minor Violations
If a student has an academic honesty violation on a minor assignment, the consequences will be determined by the individual teacher in consultation with the Department Chair and in accordance with departmental policy.

Major Violations
If a student has an academic violation on a major assignment (or multiple violations on minor assignments), he/she will appear before an Honor Committee made up of the Academic Dean in the Upper School, Division Head in the Middle School, Department Chair and one faculty member from an appointed pool.  The committee will hear the specifics of the case while also considering the student’s previous disciplinary record, patterns of similar behavior, motivation and intent behind the offense and overall honesty and decide upon consequences.  For a first time offense, disciplinary consequences will range from a warning to suspension.  On a second offense the minimum disciplinary consequence will be suspension from school with dismissal as a likely outcome.  There will often be academic consequences as well.

Citation Errors
Citation errors will be handled by the individual teacher in consultation with the Department Chair.  Consequences for these offenses will be strictly academic in nature.

TUTORING AND OUTSIDE HELP POLICY
The role of a tutor is to supplement teacher conferences by providing the additional support necessary for a student struggling with fundamental skills in a particular class. In some cases, hiring a tutor is a great choice; however, a tutor used in place of independent effort and/or conference time with a teacher can be an obstacle to real learning. A student’s best and first resource should always be the teacher.
If students do seek outside help, they are reminded that all student work must conform to the SSES Academic Honesty policy. Regardless of whether an assignment is labeled “independent” or “collaborative,” students must avoid handing in work that is the result of collusion, which is a form of academic dishonesty. Students and their parents should take extra caution when seeking outside help: tutors can help students build skills as well as review and process past work. They can also help guide students’ critical thinking and brainstorming. On the other hand, tutors should never complete part or all of a student’s work, nor should they direct students in such a way that their work is no longer the students’ own. The same guidelines pertain to parents as they help their children as well. To ensure that work with a tutor does not stray into collusion, a good rule of thumb is that a tutor should avoid putting a pen or pencil to the student’s paper.

ENGLISH DEPARTMENT ADDENDUM
We understand that the process of learning in an English class is by its nature a collaborative process, which is why we make a distinction between the process of interpretation (ideas gleaned from class discussion, background research, conversations with peers and other adults) and the product of interpretation, which is the written work itself. Therefore, unless otherwise noted, all out-of-class major written assignments will be designated as Independent and Sourced, which means that all of the written work is entirely the students’ own. If a student incorporates the ideas or approaches of others, he or she must provide the proper citation, or risk plagiarism or collusion. Finally, line-editing and proofreading by others is not allowed. If students have any questions or concerns about what is permissible for a specific assignment, they should always seek clarification from their teachers.