Homework

Blind Brook Public Schools
District Homework Policy
Approved by K-12 Curriculum Council 11/22/04

The Blind Brook School District recognizes the importance of assigning meaningful and quality homework to students. The purpose of homework is to promote mastery of skills and concepts taught during classroom instruction. Homework provides excellent opportunities for developing good study habits, teaching students to budget time, providing for individual differences and abilities, and encouraging self-initiative on the part of the student. All students should be in the habit of doing some homework every school evening. Research indicates that schools in which homework is routinely assigned and assessed tend to have higher achieving students. Homework fosters student achievement, independence and responsibility, and serves as a vital link between school and home.

Each school will establish homework expectations organized by grade level, course level, or department and follow the parameters established by district policy. Within each school, long-term assignments and tests should be coordinated among departments, whenever possible. The assignment and coordination of homework for each course shall be the responsibility of the teacher. Teachers are encouraged to assign homework that adapts to the maturity and learning needs of individual students, and to provide a balance between long-range and short-term assignments. Homework should be a properly planned part of the curriculum extending and reinforcing the learning experiences of the school. Homework shall include but not be limited to activities or tasks that reinforce concepts taught in class, provide an opportunity to remediate learning problems, involve the research of information and the experience of data-gathering, promote preparation for tests and quizzes, require the completion of tasks begun in class or the making-up of assignments. Homework may also serve as a way to bring parents and the family into the educational process through specific assignments that seek participation of family members. Homework should be clearly assigned and its product carefully and promptly evaluated. Homework, when assigned, is not an option but a requirement which is reflected in a student's progress report. Homework should not be assigned as punishment.

Homework assignments, given at all grade levels, reflect the increased instructional demands students encounter as they proceed through elementary school. The district’s goals, consistent with New York State Regents Standards for Education, require students to assume increased responsibility for their assignments as they progress in school. Homework may be assigned every school night. The time allotted will increase gradually from grade to grade. The following is a list of average daily maximums by grade level:

In addition to these homework times, all children in the district are urged to read at home for 20 minutes daily. Research has shown that children who read for 20 minutes daily outperform those who do not. Experience has shown us that this amount of daily reading practice allows all of our students to become the best readers and writers they can be. Children should read to or with their parents/guardians, as well as independently.

The guidelines do not include minutes provided for school-wide academic interventions, nor are they absolutes for every child since different children will address homework assignments at different rates. These minutes do not include daily independent reading, which is expected and encouraged. Homework times may vary occasionally. Certain classes/programs, such as Advanced Placement (AP) classes, may have additional homework requirements.

Special Education Pupils

Classified pupils in special education or mainstreamed classes will receive homework based upon the modifications noted within their Individualized Education Plan (IEP). The special and individual needs of these pupils will dictate the amount and structure of their homework assignments. The special education instructional staff is available to assist mainstream teachers regarding individual pupils' assignments.

Parental Support

Parents are expected to encourage and monitor assignments and provide conditions that are conducive to their successful completion. As homework is an integral part of a child's educational success, parents are important in establishing positive attitudes, good study habits, and supporting students' success with homework. Parents are encouraged to:

show interest in the schoolwork their children bring home;
provide a suitable place to study, free from disturbances;
supply needed materials for completing homework;
offer to clarify instructions and answer questions;
check to see that work is completed;
encourage their children to do their best work and praise them for a job well done;
assist children with their management of time;
monitor the television programs and Internet use of their children;
stay in close communication with teachers;
assist and acknowledge errors but refrain from doing the work for the child;
notify the teacher immediately if

1. the child experiences extreme difficulty with the homework;
2. materials are unavailable;
3. the family’s personal life conflicts with homework;
4. the child’s uninterrupted time spent on homework regularly exceeds the
    policy guidelines;
5. he/she sees a continued absence of homework;
6. the student is participating in non-school sponsored academic intervention.

Teachers and parents must recognize that students work and learn at different rates. In situations where the time it takes a student to complete expected homework assignments regularly exceeds the recommended amount of time listed in this policy, teachers and parents should confer to determine if adjustments are needed to fit within the following recommendations.

It is the student's responsibility to see that homework assignments are handed in or are ready to be checked on the due date assigned. When students are absent from school, it is their responsibility to make up assignments upon their return. Students are expected to:

record the directions for homework and their assignments beginning in grade 3;
ask questions when necessary to clarify the assignment;
hand in, on time, neat, accurate, and meaningful products;
plan time for completion of long-term assignments;
request and hand in homework which was assigned while absent;
make arrangements with a “homework buddy” to obtain missed assignments;
adhere to the guidelines of uninterrupted study time;
be responsible for completion of homework and making up missed assignments;
submit homework in a timely fashion at a quality level that reflects their best efforts;
communicate with the teacher regarding any problems encountered with the homework assignments;
have materials required for the completion of homework (i.e., textbooks, worksheets, workbooks, etc.).

Religious Observances, Extended Absences and Vacation

The Blind Brook School District recognizes the diversity of families in the community and honors family experiences outside school. The frequency and appropriateness of homework shall be planned carefully and evaluated periodically by site administration and leadership teams. In addition, considerations shall be given to homework assignments with respect to the occurrence of religious holidays, extended absences and school vacations as noted in the school calendar.

Parents or students may request that assigned work be sent home after a student’s absence of two or more days.

Long-term assignments occurring over the course of school vacations shall be assigned no later than one week prior to the vacation or due no earlier than one week after the vacation. In the case of short-term assignments, the assignment shall provide the number of days before or after the vacation equal to the length of days expected to be needed to complete the assignment. Long term assignments and tests should be coordinated among departments, whenever possible.

Students with long-term or extended excused absences shall be given the same number of
days to make up the work. In extenuating circumstances, additional time may
be granted. Parents who anticipate an extended excused absence* are expected to communicate with their child's teacher about the assignments that may be required during the absence. Excused absences are those absences attributable to:

All other absences are unexcused. Teachers are not obligated to provide make-up tests or accept homework or other assignments from students who have missed class due to an unexcused absence.