McLean High Phases in Program to Check for Plagiarism

McLEAN, Va. (AP) - Officials at McLean High School now say they will phase in a program to check student papers for plagiarism, rather than require the whole school to participate this year.

The northern Virginia school had planned to require students in all grades to submit essays and other assignments to a for-profit service called Turnitin. The service uses a worldwide database of more than 22 million student papers and other works to check for material that might be lifted.

A group of seniors circulated a petition against the plan, arguing that the service makes a profit by putting their work in its database without compensating them. They also contend that it presumes guilt.

Now the school says only ninth- and tenth-grade English and social studies classes will have to use Turnitin this school year. It will be phased in for juniors and seniors in coming years.

Information from: The Washington Post

(Copyright 2006 by The Associated Press. All Rights Reserved.)