Ashley Falls Homework Policy

Rationale

The purpose of homework is to strengthen academic skills, reinforce concepts taught by teachers, develop student responsibility and accountability, and promote parent awareness.  Positive results of homework include better retention of factual knowledge, increased understanding of material, better critical thinking, concept formation and information processing skills as well as enrichment of the core curriculum.  Our goal is to create assignments that promote one or more of these outcomes.  We recognize that homework is not the only circumstance under which after school learning takes place.  Many leisure-time activities teach important academic and life skills.  We believe in the importance of balancing leisure, learning and family time.

Definition

Homework may be an independent activity, or may require parental help, to be accomplished outside of the school day and without benefit of teacher assistance, to reinforce previously learned ideas.  Unfinished class work or work missed due to absences, although accomplished outside of the school day, is not included in the school’s definition of homework.  Homework will generally fall into one or more of these different categories and may include, but is not limited to, the following examples:

1. Practice – This includes activities to reinforce skills such as studying spelling words and practicing math facts.
2. Preparation – these are assignments designed to provide background information and focus on future class activities.  Studying for test and reading supplementary materials are examples of such homework assignments.
3. Extension/Creative – Activities such as book reports, science projects, and research for social studies reports are examples of such homework.
4. Leisure reading expands vocabulary, improves writing quality, and promotes life-long learning.

Be advised that students may spend more than one hour daily completing schoolwork, as time at home may be spent doing assigned homework, long-term projects, and the amount of time spent on homework varies from one child to another.  If homework seems excessive contact the teacher.

Student’s Responsibility

It is the responsibility of the student to note and understand the homework assignment, complete it, and return it to school on the required day.  Teachers may use homework assignments to help determine a student’s grade.

Parent’s Responsibility

It is the responsibility of the parent to set a specific time and place for doing homework and to monitor the student’s homework.  Parents who have concerns about homework should contact their child’s teacher.

Teacher’s Responsibility

Teachers will be responsible for assigning homework to students and for providing the necessary explanation and direction required to ensure that the students can accomplish the work with reasonable success.  The teacher will also monitor, assess, and acknowledge homework results for parents and students.  Specific classroom homework guidelines will be established by each teacher as well as this school policy and may differ from room to room depending upon the needs and abilities of the students.  Teachers will share their homework guidelines with parents at Back-to-School Night.

• The length and frequency of homework assignments will take into account the developmental level of students in the class as well as the resources available at home.
• Topics will appear in assignments before and after they are covered in class, not just on the day they are discussed.  Students can expect assignments that help them practice skills already learned, prepare them to learn new skills in class, and require them to apply learned skills to new situations outside of school.
• Homework will not be used to teach complex skills.  It will generally focus on skills and material already learned, on extending these skills, or on the integration of skills already possessed by the student.
• Parents will rarely be asked to play a formal instructional role in homework.  Instead, they will be asked to create a home environment that facilitates student self-study.
• Not all homework assignments will be formally evaluated.  They will be used to locate problems in student progress and to individualize instruction.