Homework Policy

Homework Policy

IUSD Foundational Beliefs for Homework:

1) Homework must be purposeful and the purpose should be clearly communicated.

2) Homework should be completed independently unless otherwise indicated by the classroom teacher; students should be assuming responsibility for homework so that they can engage in self-reflection and assess their own needs.

3) Homework assignments should reflect differentiated classroom instruction.

4) If factored into the grade, homework shall remain a reasonable percentage of the class grade.

5) Homework assignments should be reasonable in scale.

6) Homework is not the sole means by which to enrich or extend learning, and teachers may elect to assign or not to assign homework based on the instructional objectives and the needs of their students.

7) Schools should facilitate articulation regarding homework between teachers that includes coordination between courses and grade levels.

8) Teachers should provide some form of feedback regarding the work assigned.

9) Schools should facilitate open communication between teachers and families regarding the work assigned.

Reminders for Students:

· Do your best.

· Share responsibility for communicating concerns and questions about homework.

· Utilize your teacher as a resource.

· Manage your time.

· Carve out uninterrupted homework time – no social media, TV, video games, phone use, or other distractions.

· Communicate with the teacher and your parent/guardian.

· Be mindful of extracurricular commitments.

· Reflect to understand, don’t just complete for the sake of completion.

· Try to value the objective/application.

· Take ownership of how you learn as a student.

Reminders for Parents:

· Help your child establish a time and place that enables them to focus solely on homework.

· Communicate concerns and/or questions directly to the teacher in a positive, proactive way to establish an effective home to school partnership.

· Monitor and support student homework time.

· Discuss with your child how to limit, during homework time, the use of social networking sites, games, and other technological distractions.

· Provide the support, but don’t do the work (direction, rationale, dialog, listening, checking for completion).

· Recognize that each student learns differently and at a different pace.

· Assist with time management.

· Consider and discuss with your student short and long-term goals.

Specific Department Homework Information at Sierra Vista:

	Humanities	Math	Science	PE	Electives	Special Ed.
Purposes for which homework is assigned:	To scaffold and reinforce ideas and skills. No homework over holiday breaks.	To practice targets learned in class and self-reflect on levels of mastery of those targets. No homework over holiday breaks.	To practice, reinforce, support, review, explore, and enrich.	Introduce them to a new activity and reinforce learning prior to participation. No homework over holiday breaks.	Communication, practice, listening, understanding music quality, memorization, projects, and finishing classwork. No homework over holiday breaks.	Reinforces independent practice, but is not the independent practice. Opportunity for students to embed and cement skills previously learned. Unfinished classwork will become homework unpenalized. No homework over holiday breaks.
Appropriate parent/ guardian involvement:	Parents should help with time management, providing a proper study environment, limiting distractions, checking planner and encouraging independent academic habits.	Parents should check for completion and correction, help with time management, reduce distractions, and encourage organization of their work and time to plan for Tutorial appropriately.	Parents should provide a quiet, distraction-free environment, assist with organization, check that directions are followed, and the assignment is completed.	Ensure parents/guardians know how to access homework on the PE website.	Parents should sign practice sheets for music, or communication sheets regarding projects in art. Oversee meaningful study time of Spanish material.	Parents should check student planner AND teacher canvas pages daily. Parents should provide a quiet, distraction-free environment, assist with organization, check that directions are followed and the assignment is completed with accommodations if necessary.
Parent/ guardians will be informed about homework expectations, grading, and demands in the following ways:	Syllabus Canvas Planner Google Classroom/ Google Sites Parent Portal Back to School Night	Dept. and Course Success Plan Canvas Planner Aeries/ Parent Portal Back To School Night	Syllabus Canvas Google Classroom (or teacher website), Planner Parent Portal Back to School Night	Syllabus Website Parent Portal Back to School Night	Syllabus Blackboard Planner Parent Portal Back to School Night	Syllabus Canvas Planner Aeries- IUSD Parent Portal Back to School Night
Teacher coordination information:	Units last about 3-4 weeks- plan accordingly for writing assignments and projects within that time. Daily review for test/quiz preparation.	The math department consistently assigns daily practice Monday - Thursday. Homework is not assigned over the weekend.	Grade level science teachers offer the same curricular content to help build student understanding and mastery of content.	Talk during PLC time on Friday’s to other departments to see how homework load could affect students.	Electives respect “core classes” homework load and assign minimum practices or no homework at all. Spread out assignments in class.	IEPs at a glance are provided to teachers informing them of unique student needs: including but not limited to- accommodations, modifications, educational supports, and best practices. Teachers will be available for collaboration and consultation regarding student progress monitoring.
Make-up Work:	Student responsibility -Amount of days student was missing from class, they have that many days to make-up the work.	Student responsibility to check Canvas to complete/ revise missing assignments, and attend Tutorial for assistance as needed. No penalty for revised or late work.	The student is responsible for coordinating with their classroom teacher to complete make up work.	Student responsibility -Amount of days student was missing from class, they have that many days to make-up the work.	Student responsibility -Amount of days student was missing from class, they have that many days to make-up the work.	The student is responsible for coordinating with their classroom teacher to complete make up work. Whenever a student misses an assignment or assessment due to an excused absence, he/she shall be given full credit for subsequent satisfactory completion of the assignment or assessment.
Resources or assistance that is offered:	Tutorial Contact teacher NJHS Tutor @ lunch NHD workshops with mentors	Online Textbook through Clever Khan Academy videos Tutorial Solutions posted on Canvas Contact teacher	Tutorial Canvas (or teacher website) Contact teacher NJHS Tutor during tutorial	Use school computer Tutorial Contact Teacher	Tutorial Contact Teacher Before/after school help	Tutorial Contact Teacher Before and after school help Directed Studies Lunchtime help Khan Academy Teacher Canvas websites Online Textbooks