Honor code: Will it make a difference?

It's like traffic on the Beltway and rain in the spring. It's like bad pick-up lines on Valentine's Day and alcohol in bars. Or, as social studies teacher Joann Malone puts it, "like casual sex."

Spontaneous, commonplace and yet not all that acceptable, academic dishonesty has become widespread among students, according to a Silver Chips poll of 100 Blazers taken Jan 10-14 in English classes, which reveals 76 percent to have cheated in high school. In contrast, an Emporia State University survey of 17,000 college students that was taken 50 years ago found only one in five students to have cheated in high school.

Beginning second semester, Blair students will be required to sign a school-wide honor code, agreeing a series of academic and non-academic violations as part of an administrative effort to encourage honorable behavior.

Science resource teacher Glenda Torrence whole-heartedly agrees with the honor code. "If you can't have anything else—fame, wealth or beauty—you can still have honor," she says.

Many, however, don't think the code will be effective. Ninety-two percent of Blazers polled believe it will not prevent acts of academic dishonesty. Furthermore, 87 percent of those who said they have cheated before say signing the code would not affect their cheating habits.

McGinn cites charges of academic dishonesty at Silver Spring International Middle School and an increased emphasis on testing by MCPS and the state as reasons installing the code. However, she also believes the honor code is necessary to reverse students' increasing apathy toward integrity. "Teachers have realized over the last ten years that students have begun to accept the idea that copying others' work is not necessarily a bad thing," she says. "We have the responsibility to make sure students realize that copying and cheating are not acceptable and that there are consequences."

Freshman Idara Aquaowo says the honor code won't work because it's nothing more than a sheet of paper. "It's not likely that if people cheat, writing their name somewhere will make them change," she says.

To cheat or not to cheat... on this question

Though nearly half of surveyed students believe cheating is wrong, many still do it. "It's wrong, but I've done it and still do. I don't cheat just to see if I'm able to, but because it's a necessity if I don't have the time to do homework or study," says senior Assfau Ali.

Some common means of cheating include glancing around during assessments, sharing quiz material between classes that meet different periods, copying homework, bringing notes to tests and changing grades in a grade book, according to several Blazers.

For some, refusing to cheat poses an image problem. "Being honest in one's work can be hard sometimes because people often look down on people who don't cheat. They think [non-cheaters are] stuck up," says senior Adam Ernst.

While many students agree that cheating is widespread, freshman Sayda Cruz-Abreu doesn't subscribe to the norm. "Being loyal to myself is important to me not only because of the honor code but also because if I'm not loyal to myself with the small things, then how am I going to be loyal with greater things in life?" she asks.

Students value the trust of their teachers, according to Cruz-Abreu. She says if a teacher trusts her, she'd feel guiltier about cheating. "Trust puts students on a level with the teacher that makes it easier to actually communicate—academically and socially," she says.

Modern art

Ernst says that when teachers discover cheating schemes, many students take on the challenge of devising new, more creative techniques to prevent getting caught again. "Cheating has become something of an art form," he says. "Kids fear getting caught. That's why methods of cheating have gotten to be so developed."

One habitually dishonest senior has carefully thought up and executed schemes to cheat on "pretty much every math test this year." Before revealing one of his latest methods he says, "All the magicians are going to hate me for telling all the tricks." According to the senior, teachers often catch students cheating when they pull out notes during a test. To avoid this James quickly copies notes to the top of his paper at the beginning of the test because "you can't get nailed for looking at the top of your page."

Other students write notes on pencils, erasers or the bottoms of their shoes. Ali admits to making small cheat sheets to tape to the back of his ID. Some girls even write notes on their thighs and then hike up their skirts to take a look, according to one senior.

Since so many students cheat, inevitably some are caught. Senior Thomas Kaufman recalls a cheating ring involving over 20 students who copied off of each other during his sophomore year in science teacher Michael Kravitz's class, resulting in a set of zeros.

One senior reflects on his cheating habits, looking particularly at when he does and does not cheat. "It's all about the situation and the circumstances," he says. "It's also about the drive of the student. How desperate are you?"