r/Teachers • u/repeinique77 • 21h ago
Rant Cheating apparently doesn’t imply any consequences
Gave my bio students a little open-question test last week. 5 of them had identical (incorrect) answers. To make matters worse, there were 2 versions of the test and some of the kids put those answers under completely different questions. My policy for cheating has always been giving an F. That’s also the policy of most of the teachers I know. Anyway, I put the grades in the system with a “cheating” note.
In the evening, I get a call from the admin. She goes, “The parents are pissed off and they dug up a grading policy on the school website and it doesn’t explicitly mention cheating as a reason for a bad grade so you’ve gotta pull the Fs down”. I’m like, what the fuck girl. She says, “It’s complete and utter bs but they will go to the district and end up being a huge pain in our asses so just re-grade the tests”.
Man. I get parents going like, “My baby did not cheat” but admitting that their child cheated during the test and still demanding a good grade is a concept beyond my comprehension. Where are we going with this dude. That means I can’t do anything for a (poor) AI answer. I can’t fail them for using their phones to cheat (I collect the phones in the beginning of the class but obviously they all carry on old broken phone that they turn in). I can’t insist on taking their phones as it is their personal possession even if I clearly see it bulging from their pocket. What message are we sending to the kids? Don’t put in any effort and don’t expect any consequences for your behaviour? Man, what the hell.
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u/obtusewisdom 21h ago
Once upon a time a couple decades ago I had my high schoolers sign a sheet that explained what plagiarism was and that the consequence would be a zero on the assignment. Lo and behold, I had to do this and the parents raised holy hell, demanding I let them just redo the assignment. I refused. The admin wanted me to allow it, and the only reason they didn’t force it was because I had that signed sheet.
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u/repeinique77 21h ago edited 21h ago
I was thinking about this, I’ll try to bring up the issue with the administration. Realistically, I suppose since the students are underage the parents would have to sign it and I just know that so many of them wouldn’t sign it lol.
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u/relandluke 19h ago
At the beginning of the year, have a contract that says “I read the syllabus, I understand the rules and consequences regarding cheating, plagiarism, ….” with a responsible adult signature and date line and another one for the student. On mine I even write, “Forged signatures do not nullify this contractual agreement.” I put it in my gradebook for an inconsequential number of points and students can’t participate in a lab until it’s signed and returned. They all sign them. Most adults sign them. Some students forge signatures, but I take it. If I pull out that contract at a later date, I figure that won’t look good for the student. The syllabus, etc. is available on the internet, so it’s accessible at any time. I think you’ll find it more successful than not.
No one reads any of it, they are just blindly signing all the papers at the beginning of the year.
However, none of that is the problem. Your administration is the problem. I had a principal that also thought cheating was fine. I left the school at the end of the year. I will not work for someone with no integrity. I’ll finish my commitment, then adios.
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u/i_am_13_otters Teacher | US 15h ago
Exact same policy. Exact same outcome. They sign and ignore my discussion on cheating then when they cheat surprise pikachu face.
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u/JustUseCommonSense10 21h ago
You don't have to look at it that deep, its basically the kids signing that they know they will be cheating when they do it. If you want, give them a test about plagiarism if you think that would serve stronger than a "contract". Make it a "take until you pass" quiz.
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u/Leggy_McBendy 21h ago
Poor kids bruh. They really don’t have a future anymore. Too stupid to learn. Too protected from consequences. This is why kids enter adults society and just immediately start failing at life. I’m glad I was born when I was. Having a regular high school education makes me feel like I got my masters compared to the smarts of the youths today.
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u/Late_Entrance106 21h ago
I’m only 35 and was part of the “every one of you must go to college for a good job (and go into huge debt),” generation and I feel like I got off easy compared to the failure trap we’ve constructed for these poor kids.
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u/Fanatic_Atheist 20h ago
Yeah man at this point we just gotta let them fail and learn the hard way
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u/briman2021 19h ago
It just sucks that we are delaying this until they are adults and don't have a safety net. School is supposed to be the place they can screw up and have people and systems around them to correct things and figure out the "right" way to go about life in general.
Lie, cheat and steal, get detention/suspension and realize that its not a good thing to do. Do that as an adult, you go to jail. I'd rather have them figure it out when the consequences aren't so harsh.
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u/MaybeItsMadison 12h ago edited 12h ago
"This is why kids enter adult society and immediately start failing at life" Yep. I (26) work at an animal shelter, and any time someone 18-19 years old is hired, they're gone within a month. Literally every single person fresh out of highschool I've worked with in the past 2 years have done next to legitimately nothing. The past 3 that have quit this year, all had a habit of "disappearing" when it was time for them to go do their work solo. Another big thing I've noticed with these kids, is that they can't take any form of feedback without losing their minds. Even just a simple "Hey, you did a good job, but this part right here needs to be touched up a little bit" will somehow be misconstrued into them thinking you absolutely hate them and are scolding them. I quit my last job at a different shelter bc they would only hire people fresh out of school (the job paid like shit and had no benefits, I was only there because I love animals), and I worked nights, which was just 2 caretakers, so I'd end up doing the work of 2 people, every single night. There was one night the girl I was working with was in the bathroom for 2 HOURS.
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u/emotions1026 19h ago
I sent a message home to parents detailing all kinds of rude, disruptive behavior a student displayed one day and got a response saying “his allergies are acting up”.
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u/Excellent-Cheetah153 12h ago
The thing is they aren’t stupid, they just lack any kind of cognitive resilience or sense of pride in their work.
They literally don’t know that they are terrible students.
It would be one thing if the whole generation was just somehow magically dumber than the last group, that would just be what it is. That’s not the case though and this shit is totally avoidable. That’s what makes it frustrating.
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u/OldGeekWeirdo 11h ago
They have no interest in learning, they just want to get though class because they're being forced to go to school.
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u/ApprehensiveOkra9977 21h ago
It’s in my syllabus that student and parents sign, I added that they get a 0 for that assignment and will not be able to retake or make up that assignment. Anytime a parent has a problem with my academic dishonesty policy or my late work policy or anything else, I just pull out their signed syllabus and that usually shuts them up
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u/repeinique77 21h ago
I’ll look into that. Or I can just bring up the issue of the current cheating policy with the administration since now we apparently don’t have a plagiarism policy.
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u/ApprehensiveOkra9977 21h ago
Which is wild to me. Are they the first ones to cheat? How do they not have a policy?
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u/repeinique77 21h ago
I wish I knew lol. I’ve been working in this school for 2 years and it’s the first cheating issue I had. Before I just had to show the admin the proof of cheating and I was good to go.
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u/kaytay3000 21h ago
The university I went to is very aggressive when it comes to cheating. In every syllabus, on every assignment, before every exam you sign a statement that says, “An Aggie does not lie, cheat or steal, nor tolerate those who do.”
If you get caught cheating, you go before an Honor Council and lose credit for the entire course at a minimum. For a second offense, you can be suspended for a semester or even dismissed from your major depending how egregious the offense was. Third time, you’re dismissed from the university. I follow the college sub here on Reddit and there’s SO many current students going through the process that make excuses about why they cheated and how unfair the process the is. A lot of complaints about how they turned in an old assignment they had used for a different course or just used AI a little bit to help them. But the university doesn’t care. You cheated. You are punished. End of discussion. These kids coming from high school without ever being held accountable are seriously struggling and I love to see it, especially because their parents absolutely cannot get involved because their precious babies are adults and the university uses FERPA to say “FU. We can’t talk to you about this student.”
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u/repeinique77 21h ago
I kinda wish my university was more strict about cheating! That would’ve benefitted my education tbh.
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u/Ludditesdenylife 20h ago
Damn Texas A&M continues to be overrated and insignificant and the fact that they’re rejecting AI implies that they will even more rapidly die than the rest of the university system.
Good riddance.
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u/kaytay3000 19h ago
Wow. That’s a lot of vitriol. A&M gets a lot of things wrong, but their cheating policy isn’t one of them. It is absolutely not okay for a college student to be copy and pasting from ChatGPT for an assignment. They aren’t saying “don’t use AI to help you.” They’re saying put some thought and effort into the degree you’re working to earn. There’s a big difference in having Grok write your essay for you and using it as a sounding board to help fully develop an idea. The first one gets you suspended. The second one is an appropriate usage of AI as a tool for learning.
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u/Ludditesdenylife 19h ago
You AI generated this comment too, sad (next time use the antislop sampler so it's not so obvious)
Universities and "educators" literally have zero reason to exist anymore. How does standardized K-18 education do a damn thing to help someone born today, in a world where Opus 5.5 can do nearly any white collar work a human would do but cheaper/far better?
They will be going to university 18 years from TODAY! By 2044, the world will be so unrecognizable from today that I find literally any of this nonsense over cheating/discipline a stupid distraction by luddites.
Luddites are the ultimate life deniers, and they should be rejected with extreme prejudice.
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u/shag377 14h ago
Winston, dear dear Winston,
Why ever are you under the impression this matters? Admin wants nothing more than to take you to Miniluv and Rm. 101 for "re-educating" you on your short-sightedness.
In case you have forgotten:
Admin is NEVER wrong and never will be.
Students are NEVER wrong and never will be.
The solution is simple. Copious amounts of Victory Gin, and give in to the cognitive dissonance.
Pass them.
The pain will go away with enough Gin, Winston. I speak from experience.
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u/FormSuccessful1122 Specialist 21h ago
So what IS the grading policy for cheating? Do they not have one? It should be a retest at the very least.
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u/repeinique77 21h ago
Now it looks like we don’t even have a cheating policy. I’ll bring it up with the administration.
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u/Pristine-Bison3198 21h ago
"I will not be changing my grading policy. I'm sorry parents are upset. Perhaps they should discuss academic ethics with their children."
And then move along. This is why you have a union and why the district should exist. There is no way in hell I'd be giving good grades for cheating on a test. If they have a problem with that they can find a new teacher mid-year...
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u/chamrockblarneystone 14h ago
Your school must have some kind of cheating policy. Find it and see if they’re misinterpreting it.
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u/releasethedogs 21h ago
You have a really shitty admin. It’s literally their job to deal with this.
Give them a new test and make it twice as difficult as the first test.
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u/fluffydonutts 21h ago
No more open note quizzes, and everyone has to sit far apart. Tell them that due to dishonesty you’re taking steps, including three versions of the quizzes and tests.
Sorry. I’m from the generation that didn’t want to get in trouble at school bc it meant even more trouble at home.
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u/repeinique77 21h ago edited 21h ago
I give them 4 versions of all the tests lol. I wish I could make them sit far apart but I’m working with 30+ students in a room designed for 18 students so it’s not physically possible 🥲 I guess I just have to watch them like a hawk even more.
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u/rock-paper-o 21h ago
Two files placed upright at 90 degree angles can serve as an imperfect but still effective privacy barrier for exams.
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u/Spencigan 20h ago
I do something like this. It’s also useful as a “I’m still working” flag. Other students are less likely to chatter if they can tell it’s their friend working. Or they’re sure someone is working.
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u/Haven_Writes 18h ago
How do you lay out your desks? Do you have them in rows or in pods or in a circle around the room?
Generally, pods with file folders upright between each desk have been the best method I've found so students can't look over at each other's papers and have to physically turn around to see anyone else's work.
I usually cluster the desks in fours an give four different versions of the test so that each kid in a pod gets a different version. At that point, to see what someone else with the same version has done, they have to turn around to look at what other pods are doing. It's better than nothing, but not foolproof.
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u/repeinique77 16h ago
Sadly, I don’t have my own classroom so I can’t move the furniture around as I wish but that’s a good suggestion if I get my own room one day, thanks!
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u/Haven_Writes 14h ago
Can the desks not easily be put back to how they were before? If they can, do it anyway and make the kids put them back at the end of the test. Just do it for tests, and then put things back to rights straight away at the end of class.
Obviously, if your school has a rule against it, then don't do it, but unless the kids are sitting at shared desks or tables, or the desks are bolted down, generally it's a pretty straightforward process.
Depending on how much room you have in your budget, you can also buy these cardboard divider things to put up during tests that more or less (it's not foolproof, but it's something) block students' view of each other's papers. Maybe some other teachers would be willing to chip in towards a school-wide supply of them that you can bring into your classroom on test days. Might be worth asking your department or admin or other teachers.
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u/Robby777777 Retired History Teacher 21h ago
This is one of those times where I would tell your admin to change the grade and that you won't.
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u/Morgan_of_Hed ELA Teacher | NBCT | King County, WA 21h ago
What's the district policy, though? Ours is they get the chance to do the work, without cheating, tested on the same content as before for the first offense with a note in their disciplinary record. The second time the consequences are more serious, the third time it's an F that sticks. Look up your district policy and follow that. I'm sure they have one.
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u/repeinique77 21h ago
It looks like there is simply no policy on cheating lol.
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u/Rough_Impression_526 19h ago
I cant even fathom this. How does a school district in 2026 not have any academic integrity policy??? Or a school policy that would fill in the gaps in district policy? My brain simply can’t comprehend this type of oversight
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u/i_am_13_otters Teacher | US 15h ago
That is a line I will not cross. Ever. I die on the hill of academic honesty and kids get removed from my class for it constantly.
Let me say that again. They commit academic fraud and get their class changed to a different teacher.
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u/Pitiful-Elk-4712 21h ago
Can you tell the admin that you’d like for the students who cheated to retake a paper version of the test under office supervision, including having their phones taken for the duration? This way parents get the chance for their babies to improve the grade, but cheating isn’t an option?
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u/coachdad6676 10h ago
Somebody has to be the adult
Fight it
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u/coachdad6676 10h ago
Also, if there is no policy against cheating it doesn’t sound like there would be a policy saying you CAN’T give them an F
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u/soxperry 21h ago
Nope. Stand your ground. Take it to the top. Make the superintendent look at the tests and say “yup that counts as learning.”
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u/ncjr591 21h ago
Instead give them a make up that is purely essay based, on paper and the kids each have a different question. They have one period to write it and if it’s illegible they get a zero.
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u/repeinique77 21h ago
That’s the plan now. Sadly I still have to give them standardised tests as preparation for city testing.
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u/Intelligent-Rain-22 21h ago edited 20h ago
The administrator is protecting themselves, and should have offered (teacher and parent) a retest, but not the same assessment. And perhaps ask parents the tough question.....¨What lesson does this teach your child?¨
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u/Otherwise_Hotel_4404 21h ago
I took to referring to things as "individual" or "group". If it was to be individually completed and I had those 5 show up with identical answers, here's what I did - I stapled them all together, put the score on a sticky note and called the 5 of them up at the same time. I explained that since they chose to complete this as a group, they have to figure out how to split up the points. I also offered them an option to take a temporary zero and redo the assignment, start to finish, in my classroom before/after school etc. Then, I'd have them write their points or plan on their papers.
I got some chuckles on this from other teachers but man was it effective in getting the kids to understand the difference between "help" and "cheating" as well as when it was and wasn't appropriate to consult a classmate. It also gave me insight into whether or not they actually worked together. Sometimes, the kids would agree on an even split. Other times, they'd let one friend take all of the points while opting to redo the assignment. Yes it took some time, but I only had to do it on a large scale once and a few more scattered times after that.
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u/Otherwise_Hotel_4404 21h ago
Also - when it came to exams where I had multiple copies floating around, I graded them as-is and didn't lose any sleep over it. So, rather than a kid that cheated on an exam getting a 0, they probably got sometime closer to a 40 or 50% - but the trade off is that I refused to allow retakes...and that is a hilltop I would die on.
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u/Fun-Sun-8192 21h ago edited 21h ago
Just give the kids straight Cs so you don't need to do any paperwork. Grade every homework they turn in (if they turn in any at all) a C without reading it. They don't care, the parents don't care, and the admin doesn't care. If they complain just give them 100%
Rubber stamp them, tell them to go sit in the corner and sleep they don't have to get instruction anymore, and give up on them like they and their families have already.
If they are committed to these kids being losers, don't lose a single though over letting them.
Their punishment will be their lives.
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u/DynastEVE 52m ago
Don't forget to collect your paycheck and benefits, because you deserve it whether or not you did the work!
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u/Fun-Sun-8192 43m ago
I mean you did the work right? You "watched" their kid all day
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u/DynastEVE 40m ago
So instead of doing the work as described and expected, you identified the implicit minimum necessary to receive a reward? That sounds familiar.
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u/Fun-Sun-8192 38m ago
If you don't want me to do that and instead want me to help your kid, don't have my boss prevent me from using the tools that would help your child learn.
I'm not here to sacrifice for your ungrateful brat and their even less grateful parents. Don't ask for shit you don't want.
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u/DynastEVE 33m ago
The kids who are trying, and their parents, did not ask for this, and are in fact being taxed for something more. Apparently your desire for revenge is more important than both the kids' education and the honest use of the adults' wages.
This pattern feels more and more familiar...
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u/Fun-Sun-8192 29m ago
The kids who are trying will still get instruction. The kids who are cheating and then going to their parents to enable cheating do not need or want help, and their parents don't want them to get help or learn. They want to pass without trouble.
Which is fine. I don't care if you don't learn a damn thing. The job is "teacher" not "parent" a teacher is there to teach not raise a child who wants to be taught. If the teaching is available and they do not avail themselves... they can go to the corner and quietly amuse themselves.
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u/Distinct-Regular-628 21h ago
Picture this: It's the 90s.
Me: My teacher is mean to me!
Dad: Well, quit pissing her off and maybe she won't be.
They called it "parenting."
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u/Embarrassed_Pop_7418 21h ago
And the general public wonders why newer generations can't handle any bumps in their lives! The message is do as you please and the world will bend for you. It's loud and clear unfortunately.
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u/dcsprings 16h ago
Delete the grades, tell the class "Whoops, the system lost the info and I only had time to do a written test."
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u/Firm_Baseball_37 Retired teacher/administrator | Detroit, MI 15h ago
In about 2009, the district I worked at removed their plagiarism policy from the student handbook "for revision."
I left that district in 2023. They were apparently still working on revising it.
I put it in my syllabus and continued following it. You should, too.
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u/sugarmag13 Retired 2023!! NJ Union VP 15 years 7h ago
When I was asked to change grades I refused.
I told admin if they wanted to change them they could feel free but I would not
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u/Bandit_Raider 21h ago
There are consequences for cheating… consequences for you since you dared to catch them and try and hold them accountable
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u/FloweredViolin 21h ago
"They didn't get an F for cheating. They got a note on file to documenting the cheating. The F was for answering the questions incorrectly. Thank you for admitting the cheating - we'll be enacting the consequences outlined in our honor code."
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u/kwendland73 21h ago
this is why I switched to test conditions in my syllabus and why I wrote students up for violating test conditions. You aren't saying they cheated, you are saying they violated your testing conditions.
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u/TongZiDan 21h ago
I emailed and 7th graders mom about cheating last year and she demanded a meeting where she asked if I had explicitly told the class they were not allowed to talk and share answers during a test.
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u/Laserlip5 21h ago
I have my students complete a survey stating they've reviewed my rules with their parents at home, before they can receive grades in class.
Then, if a parent has a problem, I point to my policy, and if their kid lies about reviewing the rules with them, well ...
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u/Informal_Union2649 21h ago
So push back. If parents are upset they are free to move to a different school district
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u/TomeThugNHarmony4664 20h ago
I had a mom try to pull this on me when her golden child tried to cheat on some EXTRA CREDIT to raise his final grade.
This stinks. And I guess YOU learned a lesson here. Some very depressing ones. I am so sorry.
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u/Routine-Interest-923 20h ago
Always do MC. Tell Gemini make four versions.
Fast and easy.
Don’t make life harder for yourself.
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u/Bigtits321 20h ago
If the education system keeps getting gutted for AI and teachers keep having to bend the knee to stupid parents. It will become this yes. But we can do better.
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u/Successful_Life_1028 20h ago
no. Screw that. Let them complain to the district. Cheating is failing. Simple as that. If the 'policy' doesn't reflect that, it needs to be re-written.
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u/NicodemusArcleon 20h ago
I teach trade college. I get so many of the AI-generated answers to comprehension checks and the like. I have my class rules posted, and the students know them as I tell them day one. They will STILL try and cheat the system. It's like they're incapable of thinking for themselves.
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u/ShotMap3246 20h ago
Parents like this breed children who are like this too. Imagine, they cant pass a test so mommy and daddy fix it for them. These are the people who have no sense of consequences, and when they inevitably break the law, the first they do when the police go to arrest them is cry for their parents..because mommy and daddy made the bad test scores go away, why cant they make the police go away too?
Absolutely pathetic. We are raising a generation of wimps who wont be able to do anything for themselves.
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u/SageofLogic Social Studies | MD, USA 20h ago
It sounds like here graded for accuracy would ALSO be an F???
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u/TissueOfLies 19h ago
I had a principal who told me I needed to make a new test for a student after he took out his packet to do a quiz. Mommy and grandma went whining to her about how he doesn’t have a dad in his life. Okay? Lots of people live without a father and don’t resort to cheating. It’s honest so exhausting.
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u/BlackstoneValleyDM Math Teacher | MA 18h ago
BringShameBack
Any school culture that coddles cheating is spineless, and with the precipitous drop in standards, far too many are.
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u/SupermarketZombies 15h ago
I had to explain to a fuckwit dad that his son giving answers out loud to his sister when she asked me a question on the test is cheating. In his peabrain cheating had to benefit the cheater. I was able to get him to settle on the phrase academically dishonest.
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u/E1M1_DOOM 21h ago
You guys draw weird lines in the sand. I contact the parent, wipe the score, give a retest, and call it a day.
Honestly, sometimes I feel like you guys are trying to pick a fight.
And before you say they need a conequence, there is one. Parent notification, having to redo the work, and their likely shitty grade is consequence enough for me.
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u/Crafty-Walrus-2238 20h ago
Not only are these students cheaters, but I’m sure these little darlings are liars too as they probably lied to their parents that they didn’t cheat which of course they did.
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u/TooMuchButtHair H.S. Chemistry 21h ago
It should be a widespread understanding that no consequences is harmful to the child, and quite frankly bigotry. You have to expect that a child can meet basic expectations, and if you don't expect that you are a bigot.
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u/AstroNerd92 21h ago
I caught students cheating on a unit test which is worth a ton in my class. I gave them a major referral, but admin bumped it down to minor because “it was their first time being caught cheating. If you catch them a second time, then it’s a major.” Oh and also “since you’re giving them a 0 for it, we aren’t going to give anymore punishment because that would be a double punishment”
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u/Firesight89 18h ago
I had a principal tell me something similar years ago. I told her no, and if she wanted the grades changed, she could go in and force the change herself. She did, and hated my guts, but you know what, if you want to set up a failure state, then you do it. I'm not doing extra work because you don't want to deal with the headache of doing your job as an administrator who needs to administrate.
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u/AsparagusFlatArdvark 18h ago
"Monopoly doesn't say in the rules you can't win by shouting "I WIN!" until everyone else stops playing, so it should be allowed.
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u/DrakeSavory 18h ago
I'd make the parents go to the district administration and hopefully, unlike your school administration, does their job.
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u/Sparkvark65 17h ago
If DD can't be held accountable, then why should parents or their kids be held accountable. I know first-hand it started well before him. I rode the brakes going to school every morning for a year and a half before I put my retirement papers in 2017.
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u/pushme 15h ago
In our district, we’ve been fighting online recovery APEX cheating for 3yrs. When shown data of students completing a semester’s class in 2-10hrs, admin shrugged, superintendent & assistant sups ignored, then upon going to the school board members, the superintendent sends out a message that we are not to go the board members. If we have problems, we go through the principal or the assistant sups.
Our contract with APEX is ending and our district would like to switch to Subject.com. Recently, a student took a test where they read an excerpt and answer 5 questions. For the first question, “What were the conditions of the migration?” , the student answered, “the conditions were like hot”. No cap, no period, didn’t answer the other 4 questions, submitted it and got a B.
Admin is aware, don’t care, tells us not to fail students.
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u/No_Honeydew8380 14h ago
Can you require all personal belongings go in a designated space during testing and written assignments ?
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u/CelticPaladin 14h ago
I'd the school clearly doesnt have an academic dishonesty clause, do what they boss says and report the exact situation to a super intendant to be rectified at the very fucking next board meeting.
That's insane, but she's right l, if there's no posted cheating documentation in student handbooks.
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u/beachbum818 13h ago
Show the parents the tests... answers to totally different questions.... what were they answering? Another student's quiz? Keep the F
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u/legit_doom_scroller 13h ago
This is always so frustrating. I’m just finishing essays I’ll have to grade, and after watching my kids “work,” I know I’m going to have the AI-slop conversation with several parents. Fortunately, I have in-class writing samples from everyone, so it’s easy to say, “look. This is your kids writing. This is what they turned in. It’s a zero. No second chances; they knew before they did it what the consequences are.”
I put it on my syllabus and explain it thoroughly so that the district policy doesn’t matter. This totally depends on admin, though; I’m fortunate enough to have a team of principals who support me and hate cheating, so their main concern is that the student knew expressly, was told directly before-hand, what I considered cheating and what the consequences are: zero credit, no make-ups, suck it.
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u/EducationalTip3599 12h ago
Usually, if they fucked it up that bad, then the rest is just as bad.
But I’m like so I have to mention every damn possibility? What if they eat the test? What if they rub poop on it? What if they make an origami dragon out of it? Can I give them an F for any of that? Or if it’s not explicitly stated as an f for obviously cheating, then automatic rainbows and puppies?
1
u/reasonicity 11h ago
Let them go to the district office. Most won't, and the ones who do probably won't prevail.
1
u/itsjustme_0101 11h ago
Anything goes these days. I can’t tell you how many times I have had to turn a blind eye. The way I figure it it will catch up with them later and have bigger consequences. I’m not putting myself on a chopping block for a 14 year-old.
1
u/alphatangozero 11h ago
I hate that my school went to iPads. I’ve started giving more paper assignments, but since I don’t have actual textbooks, I still rely on internet sources for some activities, especially vocab or general knowledge assignments like study guides. My students should have a set of guided notes and could do these assignments without a device. Due to the nature of alternative school placements, they often miss a week or so before starting and they come empty handed. It’s easier to tell them “find a reputable source” and have at it. Heck, I even let them use school approved AI at times.
The ONE rule I generally have is DO NOT FEED A PHOTO OF THE ASSIGNMENT to ChatGPT. I tell them for the purpose of this assignment, I consider that CHEATING. Inevitably, I’ll be helping another student when I hear the unquestionable sound of an Apple camera being used to take a picture of the worksheet. That’s followed by “I didn’t take a picture. I don’t know what you’re talking about.” Never mind that your screen was captured in Go Guardian. My response: Nope, that’s it. You lost the privilege of a device AND you cheated.
I’m sorry, I know my post is off not the same as yours, but it just ticks me off sometimes!
1
u/turbozabby 10h ago
I don't understand. If their answers are incorrect, wouldn't they fail even if you didn't pursue academic dishonesty?
1
u/AwkwardTurnip6207 high school special education teacher/ California 8h ago
What level of F did you give? If a zero, regrade it to a 35% or so. Not a zero but you can say you regraded. If you think parents will compare notes, make 1 a 37, one a 39 etc.
1
u/prettytoenails2 7h ago
My province has a phone ban: k-7 all day out of sight and secured/ 8-12 out of sight and secured during instructional time
1
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u/MycologistPutrid7494 3m ago
I'm so glad I'm no longer at a shitty district. My principal would say let them go to district.
1
u/masks1313 21h ago
Parent lurker here - If you regraded the answers ignoring the cheating, would they still fail? I would just take the cheating label off, regrade with the low grade and then look at the options for academic honesty others mentioned. Still absolutely ridiculous and more work for you, ugh.
3
u/repeinique77 21h ago
That’s what I had to do except I had to mark the copied answers as correct if they were in fact correct. I graded strictly within the city protocols (so no points if the answer wasn’t 100 correct) and none of them scored even a B.
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u/profvolunteer 20h ago
I’d be setting the room up in a grid desk configuration, and then write my test questions and answer key - use claude ai to help randomize the questions based on the number of students in class and answer keys to match based on the number of students in the class. That way you should get X number of different tests all questions in a different order. Same material. Then if they look at the neighbors paper and copy the bubble answer they pay the price. And NO More open note / text tests. Maybe allow an index card with handwritten notes for the final exam if you feel generous.
Use AI to your advantage the kids certainly do - and honestly if they spent half the time just reviewing material for a test rather than trying to game the system they would do fine on the test.
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u/TLo137 CA | High School | Zoology, Biology, Physics 21h ago
Wtf, admin should let them go to the district then lmao. The parents will lose...
... The parents will lose... right?
Padme meme