HOMEWORK 6154

The Board recognizes that homework is a learning activity and an important adjunct to regular class work at all grade levels. It should increase in complexity commensurate with the maturity of the student.

Homework should be an application or adaptation of a classroom experience; it should not be assigned for disciplinary purposes.

Suggestions for homework shall be established for all grade levels in accordance with guidelines developed by the administration. Teachers shall use these guidelines, except in those specific situations where educational needs dictate otherwise. Homework assignments are to be promptly corrected by the teacher and returned to the student with appropriate notations.

Approved April 28, 1981

Amended:  December 6, 2016

Previous Policy Number: HK3

Administrative Procedures for Homework (Grades K-12) 6154.1 (R)

RATIONALE FOR HOMEWORK

1. Homework keeps parents in touch with the school program and their child’s progress, thus creating a closer bond between home and school.
2. Homework teaches the student to follow directions and to organize time.
3. Homework teaches the student to accept responsibility and develop self-reliance in school work. It improves study skills and work habits.
4. Homework reinforces school learning and gives needed drill on work taken up in class.
5. The amount of knowledge required by the curriculum simply cannot be imparted during school hours alone.

WHAT PARENTS CAN EXPECT FROM TEACHERS REGARDING HOMEWORK

1. Parents can expect that the assignment given will be specific and will have been explained in class. Preferably, the student will have started it while in class under the guidance of the teacher to be sure it is understood.
2. Parents can expect that teachers will not give homework for disciplinary reasons.
3. When homework is completed and turned in, parents should know that it will be carefully evaluated by the teacher and returned to the student in a timely fashion.
4. Parents can expect that assignments will not require the use of books or other materials which are not available in the home unless arrangements have been made to provide these items.

5 Homework should be assigned only when it clearly serves a purpose. When assigned reading, for example, students need to be told whether they are to learn specific facts, whether they are to look for the main ideas in the material, etc. Thus, parents have a right to expect that teachers will plan homework carefully in terms of the outcomes desired and the time needed to do the work.

6. Parents can expect homework to be within the student's ability.

WHAT TEACHERS CAN EXPECT FROM PARENTS REGARDING HOMEWORK

1. Teachers can expect that parents will arrange a quiet, suitable place, with adequate work space, for the student to work.
2. Teachers can expect that the parents will cooperate by encouraging their child to complete homework assignments.
3. Teachers also can expect parents to understand the value of various types of homework, since the value differs under different circumstances.

CHARACTERISTICS OF GOOD HOMEWORK ASSIGNMENTS

1. Homework should be carefully planned, the students motivated to complete the assignments. Assignments should be definite, interesting, meaningful, and geared to individual abilities.
2. The teacher should take shared responsibility with the parent for helping the student to form efficient study habits.
3. Homework assignments should be made only after the student understands the process and has had enough preparation in class to do homework on the subject unaided.
4. Homework assignments should be of a type which can be better done away from school. This includes collecting information, sharing ideas with parents, and situations in which students are involved in activities like creative writing or preparing reports.

A SUGGESTED HOMEWORK PROCEDURE AND TIME SCHEDULE

Sound homework procedures will ensure that students are not overburdened with homework assignments. From what we know, there is no single time schedule that will be effective over a long period of time. Even so, in developing homework procedures, we can consider what many authorities believe to be time allotments suitable for the majority of students, assuming the other criteria for sound homework assignments have been met. With these points in mind, the following time schedule for the various levels will serve as a guide for staff in assigning homework.

Grade Level - Time Schedule

Grade 1  - A daily average of 15 minutes

Grade 2  - A daily average of 20 minutes

Grade 3 - A daily average of 30 minutes

Grades 4-5 - A daily average of 40 minutes

Grades 6-8 - A daily average of 50 minutes

Grades 9-12:

Academic/Accelerated - A daily average of 60 minutes

AP/ECE - A daily average of 90 minutes

Individual schools are to establish procedures to be sure that teachers coordinate homework assignments. In this way, students will not be inadvertently assigned an unrealistic amount of work. Homework assignments are to be kept to a minimum during holidays and vacations.

Approved April 28, 1981

Amended December 6, 2016

Previous Policy Number: HK3-R