Homework has different purposes at different grade levels. For younger students, it fosters positive attitudes, habits, and character traits; and reinforces and helps students to practice basic skills. For older students, it facilitates knowledge acquisition in specific topics. The amount of homework a child may have on any given day will vary depending on the nature of the assignment (worksheets versus a project), the amount of work the child completed in school that day, and the speed in which the child completes his/her work.
Recognizing that the time required to complete homework will vary for each student, the following guidelines have been established by All Saints Catholic School.
Grades 1-3: 10 to 30 minutes daily
Grades 4-6: 30 to 60 minutes daily
Grades 7-8: 60 minutes to 2 hours daily
Assessment for Learning
Homework is assessment for learning (formative) and occurs while students are still in the process of acquiring new skills and concepts. As such, homework helps teachers better understand student needs, provides opportunities for meaningful feedback, and shows students how to improve. Homework is distinctly different from assessment of learning, when students are given the opportunity to demonstrate the skills and knowledge they have acquired through unit tests, projects, quizzes, etc. (Stiggins, Arter, Chappuis, and Chappuis, 2004)
Since homework is designed to provide students “practice” of new skills, no more than 10% of each student’s grade will be based upon homework completion.
Effective Homework Practices
- Students must be completely clear about what they are to do and how they are to accomplish their homework.
- Homework will be given within a reasonable time frame for completion.
(Educational Leadership, ASCD, Volume 58, No. 7, April 2001; Formation and Development for Catholic School Leaders, USCC, 1993; Elementary Principal’s Survival Guide, Knoll, Prentice Hall, 1984)
Communicating Expectations
- Each teacher will identify three sets of parents to provide on-going feedback throughout the year regarding time spent completing homework.
- Each teacher will update Homework Central postings by 4:00 PM. Once assignments are posted, no additional postings will be made that day.
- Faculty members will coordinate project timelines to ensure a manageable workload for students. Additionally, teachers will not schedule more than two tests on any given school day. Teachers will strive to integrate curriculum through projects, providing opportunities for students to complete aspects of research and design within the school setting, particularly the computer lab.
Home Strategies
- Parents are asked to provide a quiet space for their son/daughter to complete homework each day.
- Parents are encouraged to verify completion of homework, while at the same time allowing the child to assume responsibility for the quality of the work. All work and projects should be completed independently by the student.