I have had a few questions about homework over the past week from parents and students. So I thought it would be a good idea to talk about our homework guidelines. The first question about homework came from a group of students in Mrs. Ehtesham's class. They were studying how a bill becomes a law and the first law they proposed was to make homework optional. I think we all would have proposed this law when we were back in school! The students brought the law to me for final approval and I let them know about the actual process our school uses for making decisions about homework. The School Boards in our supervisory union have a policy that discusses the importance of having homework and the responsibility of school leaders to establish homework guidelines. You can see our current homework Guidelines by following
THIS LINK. The other questions I had about homework came from parents and centered on what they should expect for homework. Teachers at UID refer to the CESU Guidelines which state that "No formal homework will be assigned in kindergarten. In grades one and two, children are expected to read or to be read to on a regular basis. Additional assignments which foster positive attitudes about school and learning, parent-child interaction, and the development of good study habits are appropriate. The total time, including reading assignments, will not exceed twenty minutes four days per week. In grades three and four, the Guidelines state that "Homework assignments will be given three to four times a week; assignments will not exceed twenty to thirty minutes. In addition, students will be required to read fifteen to twenty minutes five times a week."
My expectation around homework is that our students will benefit from appropriate independent practice of concepts they are learning in school. The amount of time your child spends on homework should match the CESU Guidelines. It is important to let your child's teacher know if he or she spends a great deal of time on homework or if he or she does not understand a homework assignment. We all want school work to be helpful and successful.
