Schools

Piedmont High Teachers Talk About Cheating

A discussion about academic integrity Thursday evening kicks off a new Education Speaker Series.

From a Piedmont Unified School District press release:

Piedmont Unified School District and the Piedmont Adult School, in collaboration with the Associated Parent Clubs of Piedmont, are piloting a new Education Speaker Series (ESS) this year. The series will include as many as six speakers and topics relating to raising healthy children and young adults.

The first event, scheduled for Thursday, Sept. 20, at 7 p.m. in the Alan Harvey Theater at Piedmont High School, 800 Magnolia Ave., is on academic integrity. Admission is free but seating is limited.

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To see a list of upcoming events, visit the Piedmont Portal: http://www.piedmontportal.org/education-speaker-series/
"New Education Speaker Series Kicks Off Year With Panel on Academic Integrity."

Copying a friend’s homework. Turning to a parent to “help” write an overdue paper or do a class project. Peering over a classmate’s shoulder during a test. Chances are, you or someone you know has probably witnessed this level of cheating or corner-cutting at some point in 12 or more  years of schooling.

While these aren’t exactly new phenomena in the classroom, a combination of forces appear to be creating a new culture of academic dishonesty, where cheating is more widespread than ever before. A Sept. 8 article in the New York Times noted that large-scale cheating scandals at several elite schools included advanced learners who, thanks to the proliferation of online tools, high-stakes academic pressure, and the lack of clear messaging from parents and educators regarding what is ethical, are just as likely to try to pull one over on their teachers or professors than peers who may be cheating just to get by.

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In fact, in a 2009 Stanford study, 95 percent of 11/12th graders admitted that they cheated at least once during high school and 90 percent of middle school students admitted to cheating at least once in school.

Piedmont is not immune to this trend. To help parents better understand what PUSD is doing to promote an ethical learning environment and to help parents learn what they can do to support these efforts, a panel of five teachers from PMS and PHS will discuss a range of topics relating to academic integrity on Thursday, Sept. 20, at 7 p.m. in the Alan Harvey Theater.

The panel, which will be moderated by Stephanie Rafanelli, a Piedmont parent, long-time educator and educational consultant, will include Susan Stutzman (PHS teacher-librarian), Joci Kelleher (PMS Core 6--Lang Arts/Social Studies teacher), Courtney Goen (PHS AP US History and regular US History teacher), Dave Keller (PHS History and Civics teacher), and Tom Huffaker (Chemistry and Biotech teacher).

Rafanelli plans to have the group cover issues such as what individual teachers do in the classroom to promote honesty; how parents can provide appropriate levels of assistance; the most common forms of cheating teachers see at PMS and PHS; and questions of accountability. Although the evening will focus on middle and high school culture, parents of elementary students are encouraged to attend, as this is a topic that touches all grade levels.

Audience members will have an opportunity to ask questions at the conclusion of the event. All ESS events are free, but seating is limited. (For $50, you can join the ESS to get a reserved seat for all events. Sign-ups via The Moonlighter, http://piedmontadultschool.org/c_lectures.aspx).

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