Homework Policy

Homework is an expected part of every child’s educational experience.  Children need to practice what has been learned during the school day.  At Harold S. Winograd K-8 School, homework expectations begin in Kindergarten and continue through eighth Grade.  While researchers have stated that homework at the elementary school level should not be expected to improve test scores, homework for young children should help them develop good study habits, foster positive attitudes toward school, and communicate to students the idea that learning takes work at home as well as at school.

At Harold S. Winograd K-8 School, the following statements guide our homework policy for teachers.

• Assigned homework from Kindergarten through eighth grades will look different in terms of the amount, complexity, time and number of days needed to complete an assignment.
  • When homework is assigned in Kindergarten through third grade, homework will usually take between fifteen (15) and thirty (30) minutes per night.

• When homework is assigned in fourth through eighth grades, homework will usually take between forty (40) and eighty (80) minutes per night.

• Provide opportunity for homework: (1) practice, and (2) preparation.  Homework as “practice” should be structured around content with which students have a high degree of familiarity.  Homework as “preparation” might look like teachers having students think about or gathering data for an upcoming topic before studying or using it in class.
• Distinguish between effort and completion.  Students sometimes get stuck in the course of doing homework because they do not understand something critical. While perseverance and resourcefulness are important, we do not want students and parents to be frustrated.
• Feedback will be provided to students on a timely basis.
• Teachers will contact parents when homework is repeatedly not turned in by students.

At Harold S. Winograd K-8 School, the following statements guide our homework policy for parents.

• Help set up a consistent organized place for homework to be done.
• Help your child establish either a consistent schedule for completing homework or help him create a schedule each weekend that reflects a particular week’s after school activities.
• Keep your involvement to a minimum.  While parents may help to “facilitate” homework, they should be careful not to do homework for the child.
• Encourage, motivate, and prompt your child, but do not sit with her and do the homework for her.  The purpose of homework is for your child to practice and use what she has learned.  If your child is consistently not able to do the homework by herself, please contact the teacher.
• Stop your child’s homework session if your child has been working on a homework assignment for an hour or more and is stuck or frustrated.

At Harold S. Winograd K-8 School, the following statements guide our homework policy for students.

• Be aware of assignments.
• Take home and return all assignments.
• Discuss problems or concerns about homework with your teacher if you are not able to complete it.
• Plan your time wisely.
• Follow all homework directions and explanations.
• Do your best.

At Harold S. Winograd K-8 School, the following statements guide our use of student planners.

• Check the planner daily for assignments and/or communication from the teacher.
• Sign the planner daily.
• Write communication to the student’s teacher as needed.

Homework Practices and Guidelines

This document was collaboratively constructed by teachers and administrators through District Curriculum Council.

• The goal of homework is to assist with student learning that is relevant to instruction.  
• Homework should be formative in nature and can be differentiated when appropriate for students.  
  • Provide students with strategies for completion
  • Develop a homework plan to complete homework successfully if needed (chronic non-completion of homework)
  • Could include tasks, amount, products
• Homework should be tied to standards-based instructional objective(s), purposeful and relevant for:
  • Pre-learning
  • Checking for Understanding
  • Practice 
  • Processing
• When assigning homework, consider access to resources for all students. (Resources can include paper, pencils, space to complete homework, computer, printer, internet access, transportation, etc.)
• Systematic and timely feedback (from teacher or other students) provided for homework 
• Students have the right to homework they can complete on their own.  If they cannot complete homework without help, students should feel free to approach the teacher to arrange for reteaching and/or instructional support.
• A student will not fail a course due to incomplete homework. Students shall be provided with opportunities for homework support if they are unable to complete homework at home. Examples may include but are not limited to:
  • In-school homework support
  • After-school homework support 
  • Online resources
  • Community resources (public library)
  • Access teacher before and after school-hours
• Suggested time guideline = approximately 10 minutes total homework per grade level for all classes combined (reading a book may be additional) (ie: 3rd graders should expect to have 30 minutes total of homework a day) except that students who self-select higher-level courses may have an increased number of minutes.
• Consideration should be given to families to have weekends and holidays free from homework.
• Discussion with building content/grade level teams to determine the weight of the homework on the overall class grade.  All above considerations should be in place.