Heritage Elementary School
 

Homework Policy

Homework Rule for:
Administrators, Teachers, Students, and Parents

Administrators:

• Ensure that homework policies and regulations are shared with staff, students, and parents.
• Promote coordination, consistency, and articulation among teachers within grades, teams, and departments.
• Monitor the implementation of homework policies and regulations.
• Monitor the relationship between curriculum standards and homework assignments.
• Support and/or develop programs and practices that assist students in completing homework.
• Make homework a topic of parent and faculty meetings.
• Limit homework assignments during state-mandated assessments.

 Teachers:

• Never give homework as punishment.
• Teach students the skills they need to study independently including organizing, outlining, note-taking, etc.
• Assure that students have concepts and skills necessary to do the assignment; insufficient preparation for homework may result in higher levels of student frustration.
• Make clear the homework expectations for students in completing assignments and turning them in on time.
• Be clear about how homework assignments are tied to grades.
• Review and complete the assignment before giving it to students and anticipate difficulties.  Feel confident that students at various levels of achievement have a reasonable chance of successfully completing the assignment, or differentiate it as needed.
• Design and assign homework that is meaningful, engaging, and supportive of the curriculum.
• Vary homework assignments: short-term and long-term; practice of new skills; written or oral reports; preparation for upcoming lessons; enrichment exercises; assignments to spur creativity, etc.
• Make sure students understand the reasons for the assignment and know how to complete it successfully.  Provide specific written explanation and rubrics to students and parents for long-term assignments and check progress periodically.
• Make sure students have access to any materials needed to complete an assignment.
• Direct students to write down assignments or hand out rubrics for long-term assignments.
• Daily assignments should not be overly long; research shows that teachers usually underestimate the amount of time necessary for students to complete homework.
• Coordinate homework assignments with other teachers whenever possible so that students do not receive excessive assignments on a single night.  Care should also be taken to prevent any one subject from dominating a student’s homework time.
• Give consideration to limiting assignments over holidays, vacation time, and weekends.
• Refer to homework content in class and use in classroom assignments to reinforce its value.
• Give prompt feedback on checking homework, correcting errors, and reviewing important concepts.

 Students:

• Write down all the day’s assignments in a specific place.
• Be sure all assignments are clear; don’t be afraid to ask questions before you leave class.
• Organize and take home all materials necessary to complete assignments.
• Set aside a regular time to study each evening.
• Have a quiet, well-lit place to study.
• Complete assignments carefully and thoughtfully with attention to detail and quality of work.
• Complete assignments on your own and to the best of your ability.
• Complete and turn in assignments by the specific due date.
• Talk to your teacher about problems with understanding of assignments, skills, content, volume of homework, or other circumstances that the teacher needs to know.
• Read nightly for pleasure.

 Parents:

• Set aside a regular study time that is not interrupted by family plans, school activities, television or computer time, and with a definite beginning and ending time.
• Establish a study area, away from household distractions, with good light and space for studying.
• Make sure your children have the materials they need to do assignments and a safe place to store them.
• Help your children organize school materials and keep their bookbags cleaned out.
• Be supportive when students get frustrated or discouraged with particularly difficult assignments, but do not complete assignments for them. Provide encouragement and reinforce the importance of doing the work.
• Emphasize the importance of reading by encouraging your children to read independently and read aloud to them.
• Be supportive of teachers and contact them whenever necessary to clear up any misunderstandings, troubleshoot problems, and be better informed about the teacher’s expectations.
• Impress the importance of turning in assignments by the specific due date.
• Provide educational activities that broaden your child’s interests, such as visits to museums, the zoo, the library, and places of historical significance.