How to Develop Homework Policies
Homework policies are a key component to a successfully run classroom. Students need to be aware of the teacher's expectations in terms of completing work, turning in work, and the effect homework will have on the final average. In the first few weeks of the school year, the teacher should take some time to explain and practice homework policies. Homework policies should be consistent, easy to follow, and posted on the classroom wall for easy access.
- Difficulty:
- Moderate
Instructions
-
Instructions
-
1
Consider the age and independence level of the students. Young students should be able to handle a homework folder that is handed out on Mondays and returned on Fridays, while middle school and high school students can usually handle daily homework and long-term projects. Also, consider the abilities of the students. While some 6th grade students will return daily homework, some students may not be ready for this responsibility and may need to be eased into it by being allowed to return the assignment within a window of a few days.
-
2
Clearly explain any requirements for completed homework and explain how you will evaluate homework. For example, math teachers may require pencil, whereas language arts and social studies teachers may require that some assignments be typed. Lottie Sims of teachersnetwork.org suggests using rubrics to evaluate homework, and advises that incomplete homework should be detrimental to a child's grade.
-
3
Decide the weight of homework in the final average. For younger students, participation and effort is a larger part of the grade, and this includes completed homework. For high school students, homework may only be worth between 10 and 15 percent of the final grade. Tell the students what will happen if a homework receives a zero percent and explain how many completed assignments are needed to make up for the missing one.
-
4
Create a plan for incomplete, late, or missing work. For example, the teacher may dock points for late work and may not accept the assignment at all after a certain day. Incomplete work may be handed back to the student for a re-do. Depending on the age of the student, the teacher may or may not allow a student to make up missing work for some credit.
-
1
Tips & Warnings
Give your students two copies of your policies on the first day of school and ask the parent to sign the paper as well as the student. Ask the students to return one copy and keep the other at home to refer to throughout the year.
Be flexible in your policies for students who are absent due to sickness or have IEPs (Individualized Education Programs).
Be careful not to overburden students with constant difficult assignments across the curriculum. In her article "Developing Homework Policies," Yvonne Eddy advises that teachers coordinate with other teachers to make sure students are not overburdened.
- "Homework should focus on study skills and concept development," says the Intermountain Center for Education Effectiveness. Do not assign busy work.
