Risk vs. Reward: Consequences of Cheating

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Cheating is prevalent at all high schools and, for many, it is easy for it to spiral into an endless recurrence. As high schools try to stop it through various AI detectors and other resources, more students find new and innovative ways to cheat. With students employing new AI measures to cheat, it is hard to see an end to this pattern. One way, though, is through harsh and effective consequences to remind students not to continue down this addictive path.

Consequences for cheating are important and should be weighted differently for each class. Language classes, for example, should implement more of an innovative approach to dealing with cheating. Luz Diaz, a Spanish teacher at the School, wants a system where she can give students a 50% on an assignment, let them retake the assignment, and average their grades. Even though she supports the consequences of a grade reduction, she wants to assist them to the best of her ability with any trouble students face. Diaz states, “We try to know every student, so nobody falls into the cracks. Especially if I found out there is a pattern, I would want to tackle that issue with that student and give them the support and the tools to not depend on cheating, whether it is academic help or support.”

Since English and History classes have writing projects, students tend to have more innovative ways of cheating compared to language classes. Plagiarism checkers and AI detectors rarely accurately detect plagiarism in a paper, and at times, can be incorrect for broad topics. Bryan Jennewein, a 10th-grade English teacher, explained how “AI can be a remarkable tool to help us become stronger writers, and perhaps some more guidance for our community as a whole is warranted.” Jennewein, though only at the School for one year, taught at CIIS before and noticed that students tend to “[submit a] final submission evidencing that they submitted their assignment or prompt to an AI tool, had that tool largely compose[d] the piece, and then the student performed some revision to incorporate the AI-generated content into or even as the whole of their final submission.” Jennewein also emphasized the importance of the Upper School Division Guide or the 2023-2024 Disciplinary Procedures for Academic Dishonesty. It can be hard to understand why a student cheats, but Jennewein’s main goal is for students “to know [that] there is another option: just talk to us. We understand the academic rigor at Head-Royce, and I guess I wish more students knew that it would be completely okay with me to just email or come by, have a little meltdown, and make a plan together, to get them through the crunchy bits, with integrity, and successfully.”

Though cheating can be a controversial topic with many gray areas, it is a bigger issue than just a poor grade on an assignment. Cheating to pass may give teachers temporary assurance that you understand the material, but as time goes on and students move to college, students struggle with mastering foundational concepts as they are repeatedly faced with advanced material. Remember, you are cheating yourself out of becoming the best version of yourself.