Homework can be an effective means of fostering academic growth and personal responsibility in students. Teachers make assignments that provide opportunities for students to practice and apply skills taught at school. Although teachers are not required to assign homework, when it is assigned, K-8 students shall participate in homework that reinforces and extends classroom learning

Meaningful and Appropriate Homework:

• Has a clear academic purpose focused on specific learning goals;
  Demonstrates student learning that is used to adjust instruction based on performance;
• Promotes ownership by offering choices and being personally relevant; and
• Instills a sense of competence as the student can successfully complete it without help.

 

Makeup Work When Absent

If a student is absent, they will be expected to make up any missed work, including homework and tests. The student will be given the same number of days as they were absent to complete the work. The student is responsible for obtaining assignments from teachers.

Homework Partnerships and Support

Students

Do your best, ask for help when you are unclear about what to do, and
take responsibility for completing assignments.

Parents

Help provide a time and place for your child with limited interruptions to
complete assignments, check in with your child - assisting when necessary.

The time it takes to complete assignments may vary with each child. If your child is consistently having difficulty completing assignments within the reasonably defined timeframe, please contact your child’s teacher for assistance.

Guiding Principles for Elementary Staff When Assigning Homework

• Provide prompt feedback on assignments to students.
  Coordinate as teams, when possible, the scheduling of daily assignments.
• Suggest a reasonable time allotment for daily assignments or indicate which tasks are the priority. Be sensitive and aware, when possible, of assessments and projects, all-school events, and holidays occurring simultaneously.
• Give advanced notice of due dates so students can plan around other evening/family commitments.
• Share resources with families (samples, answers) to help them assist their children as needed.
• A reasonably defined timeframe follows a 10-minute rule (10 multiplied by the student’s grade level) which is considered an appropriate amount of minutes of homework per night:
  • Grades K-2 – approximately 10-20 minutes
  • Grade 3 – approximately 30 minutes
  • Grade 4 – approximately 40 minutes
  • Grade 5 – approximately 50 minutes
• The number of minutes anticipated for homework should not be excessive.
  
  

Guiding Principles for Middle School Staff When Assigning Homework:

• Use in-class work and/or homework assignments to provide ongoing feedback that can be used to meet student needs.
• Ensure that feedback is discussed with students to help them identify their strengths and weaknesses and target areas for future growth.
• Deliver additional instruction on content that students do not fully understand yet.
• Provide students with opportunities for choice in extended learning projects, when appropriate.
• In general, when assigning homework, a reasonably defined timeframe is that the average number of minutes per night for students in Grades 6-8 should approximately be 20 minutes per content area per night.
• Communicate with students and families when there is concern regarding homework performance/completion.