IKB - Homework
HOMEWORK
The School Committee recognizes that education research has shown a positive correlation between meaningful and purposeful homework and student achievement. Homework offers an opportunity to deepen understanding of material, practice new skills, prepare for classroom discussion, and to promote critical thinking and creativity, positive study habits and the taking of responsibility for academic growth. Homework helps inform parents of their child’s educational progress and encourages communication between school and home. The School Committee believes that reasonable, educationally sound, relevant and regular outside-of-class homework assignments are an important part of the total educational program.
The School Committee expects that homework will be assigned accordance with the following principles:
Homework should be viewed as a means of extending learning opportunities beyond the school day.
Meaningful, purposeful homework that is directly related to the curriculum produces the strongest achievement gains.
Meaningful homework helps students develop goal setting, self-discipline, time management and organizational skills.
Homework offers an opportunity for parent involvement and monitoring their child’s educational progress.
Homework provides teachers with additional opportunities for assessing student progress and determining instructional needs.
Immediate, specific feedback must be given to students in order for homework to be effective in enhancing student learning.
Homework must be realistic in length and difficulty given the students’ abilities to work independently.
Homework should emphasize quality rather than quantity.
The amount of homework assigned should be gradually increased from grade to grade. As a student advances through school, it is reasonable to expect that the amount of homework can be increased.
The School Committee encourages professional staff at each grade level and/or across academic departments to work together to achieve consistency in assignment and assessment of homework. The building principal, in consultation with professional staff, may develop homework guidelines to achieve this goal.
The School Committee expects that any homework that is assigned will support identifiable skills, the content standards of Maine’s system of Learning Results and the cross-curricular Guiding Principles of the Learning Results.
The School Committee encourages professional staff at each grade level and/or academic department to work together to achieve consistency in assignment and assessment of homework. The building principal, in consultation with professional staff, may develop homework guidelines to achieve this goal.
Adopted: November 12, 1991
Revised: October 12th, 2023