4730
Homework
is recognized and encouraged as an extremely valuable activity and as an
appropriate extension of classroom instruction.
The purposes of homework shall be to reinforce and extend the
understanding of concepts and to enhance classroom activities. Homework provides excellent opportunities for
developing good study habits, providing for individual differences and
abilities, and encouraging self-initiative on the part of the student.
Teachers
are cautioned to avoid overloading students with excessively lengthy homework
assignments or with overly brief and empty assignments. Planning homework assignments should be given
as much care as the planning of any other aspect of a lesson. An assignment important enough to be done
must be considered worthy of teacher evaluation.
Homework
for students in elementary grades shall be limited to required assignments
which may be completed during the school day.
In fourth through sixth grades, students shall be introduced to homework
as preparation for their entry into junior high and to reinforce curricular
concepts. The decision of whether to
assign homework in these grades shall be based on an evaluation of the needs of
individual students. Teachers in these
grades shall utilize homework without destroying the worth of the experience or
creating negative attitudes toward school.
Homework
shall be assigned according to these guidelines:
1. Homework should be a
properly planned part of the curriculum extending and reinforcing the learning
experience of the school.
2. Homework should help
children learn by providing practice in the mastery of skills, experience in
data gathering and integration of knowledge, and an opportunity to remediate
learning problems.
3. Homework should help
develop the student's sense of responsibility by providing an opportunity for
the exercise of independent work and judgment.
4. The number, frequency,
and degree of difficulty of homework assignments should be based on the
abilities, activities, and needs of the student. However, the grade given for the homework is
dependent on the student's performance.
5. As a valid educational
tool, homework should be clearly assigned and its product carefully and
promptly evaluated. Homework should be collected,
marked and handed back to students in a timely manner in order to maximize
the benefit of the home assignment.
6. Homework as a
disciplinary measure has questionable educational merit.
4730
The
Board of Education believes that parental involvement in students' homework is
important to making homework an integral part of the educational program.
Parents are expected to encourage and monitor homework assignments and, to the
extent possible, provide conditions that are conducive to their successful
completion.
Adoption date: May 14, 1997