Section (6000) Instruction
Policy Name Homework/Make-Up Work
Policy Number 6154
Date Approved 10/10/1989
Date Revised 07/09/2001
Date Revised  
Date Revised  
Date Revised  
Policy

The Board of Education supports the intelligent and meaningful assignment of homework for students attending Plainville Community Schools. The Board recognizes that homework plays a valuable role in fostering initiative, independence, responsibility, and self-direction in our students. Used with discretion it enriches school experiences and reinforces school learning by providing opportunities for students to practice and apply their understandings. It enables students to connect what they learn in the classroom with their lives outside of the classroom.

The program of homework in Plainville Community Schools shall be geared closely to the developing maturity of children as they progress through the grades. Encouraging students to develop a lifelong love of reading and learning should be a guiding focus in the development of assignments. Homework assignments shall be carefully planned, effectively communicated, and valued by all parties (students, parents, teachers). Instruction shall prepare students sufficiently to enable them to have success in completing homework assignments independently. Whenever feasible, individual needs shall be considered in determining the type, frequency, and quantity of homework assigned.

Homework should grow out of instruction. Its purpose and relationship to what has been learned in the classroom must be clearly communicated by the teachers and understood by the students. Students should understand not only what to do, but why they are doing it, and how they should go about doing it.

Homework should be distributed across school subjects each night, and should increase in quantity and complexity with more opportunities for independent work and with the growing maturity of students. Assignments should be as individualized as possible, recognizing that students accomplish tasks at varying rates of speed and in varied situations.

Teachers should evaluate and return homework to students in a timely fashion. The method of evaluation will vary depending upon the instructional purposes for the assignment.

Sound homework procedures and coordination across the grade level will ensure that students are not overburdened with homework assignments. While it is difficult to set time allotments that are suitable for the pace of learning for each individual student, the following should be used as a guide for staff in assigning homework.

Kindergarten: Homework at this level should be assigned sparingly, if at all. Reading to parents or talking with them about school are appropriate homework activities.

Grades 1 and 2: 10 - 20 minutes daily. Short term assignments which are begun in school and completed at home are appropriate. Carefully structured long term projects may be appropriate provided that the skills necessary for successful independent work have been taught to the students. Reading should be the central focus of the homework program.

Grade 3: 30 minutes daily. In addition to short term assignments, long term projects should be introduced. It is essential that the skills necessary for successful independent work are taught before long term projects are begun. In addition, long term projects must be carefully structured to help students manage their time. Reading and math should be the central focus of the homework program.

Grades 4 and 5: 40 - 50 minutes daily. Class time should continue to be devoted to getting students started with their assignments. Projects and long term assignments may become more prevalent. Students begin to take more responsibility for planning and structuring their time with guidance from the teachers. Reading and math should be the central focus of the homework program.

Middle School Grades (6-8): 90 - 120 minutes daily. Departmentalization and specialization of instruction predominates at this level, so teachers have the responsibility for coordinating assignments to avoid overloading. Teams should devise methods of monitoring long-term projects. Interdisciplinary assignments are encouraged. Individual student difference become more pronounced at this level; student needs should be considered when giving homework. As assignments become more diverse and complex, organization and record keeping skills are needed. Continued emphasis on "how" to study and work independently is needed.

High School Grades (9-12): 120 - 180* minutes daily. Reading and outside preparation by students increases in high school. A primary emphasis should be given to insuring that students become increasingly more independent in their assignments. Budgeting and managing time, setting priorities, and learning to study efficiently are important skills that need to be developed and nurtured. Student initiative should be encouraged. Students should be provided with opportunities to engage in long term projects that they have been instrumental in developing. Teachers should seek to integrate assignments between subjects whenever feasible and should coordinate assignments to avoid overload. *It should also be understood that students choosing to assume the more rigorous demands of an honors or advanced placement course may need to spend additional time in the completion of assignments.

Make-Up Work

In general, students are given a week to makeup tests or quizzes missed because of an absence.

For absences of longer duration, the teacher will use her/his discretion in deciding a time limit in which to complete make-up work.

Legal Reference: Connecticut General Statutes

10-221 Board of Education to prescribe rules