Do Your Homework Arizona.org
Elliott Davis
Teachers have various feelings about homework. Some teachers have the mindset that students should have some percentage of homework that correlates with how much school work they have. Some teachers feel that students have worked hard enough all day and do not need any more work at home. Some districts or schools have homework policies in place that teachers have no input about.
I have worked at schools with various requirements. I taught younger grades, and we were told at one of my schools that students in kindergarten should have about 15 minutes of homework and 15 minutes for reading for a total of 30 minutes. These time frames increased as the grades went up until they got to 6th grade and have an hour of homework and 30 minutes for reading. Some sites I worked at just had kids complete the classwork they did not finish in class. Some schools said the homework had to be able to be completed independently by the student. Other policies came into play at that point. Could we require homework? Could it be graded? Who is actually doing the homework? Should we just grade for completion or participation? How does that hold value if some kids are doing it and some parents are just signing off that they are doing it? What if a student has an IEP or a 504? What value does homework have?
Other factors need to be considered when making homework policies. Do the students have access to the materials at home they need to be successful? Internet access, books to read, access to a quiet workspace, people they can ask for help, and supplies to do the homework, are all factors that need to be considered when deciding if homework is going to be a benefit to students.
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Many teachers and parents believe that homework helps students build study skills and review concepts learned in class. Others see homework as disruptive and unnecessary, leading to burnout and turning kids off to school. Decades of research show that the issue is more nuanced and complex than most people think: Homework is beneficial, but only to a degree. Students in high school gain the most, while younger kids benefit much less.
While there are different views on the use of homework, late homework may be an inevitable part of your teaching experience. If you choose to use homework, you also have to decide how you will address tardy assignments. Here, we offer ways to handle late homework.
While there are different views on the use of homework, late homework may be an inevitable part of your teaching experience. If you choose to use homework, you also have to decide how you will address tardy assignments.
Explore reading basics as well as the key role of background knowledge and motivation in becoming a lifelong reader and learner. Watch our PBS Launching Young Readers series and try our self-paced Reading 101 course to deepen your understanding.
Generally, when students with disabilities participate in the general education curriculum, they are expected to complete homework along with their peers. But, just as students with disabilities may need instructional accommodations in the classroom, they may also need homework accommodations.
Many students with disabilities find homework challenging, and teachers are frequently called upon to make accommodations for these students. What research supports this practice? This article describes five strategies that researchers have identified that help students with disabilities get the most from their homework. They include:
Teachers need to take special care when assigning homework. If the homework assignment is too hard, is perceived as busy work, or takes too long to complete, students might tune out and resist doing it. Never send home any assignment that students cannot do. Homework should be an extension of what students have learned in class. To ensure that homework is clear and appropriate, consider the following tips from teachers for assigning homework:
Make any necessary modifications to the homework assignment before sending it home. Identify practices that will be most helpful to individual students and have the potential to increase their involvement, understanding, and motivation to learn. The most common homework accommodations are to:
It is important to check out all accommodations with other teachers, students, and their families. If teachers, students, or families do not find homework accommodations palatable, they may not use them.
Both general and special education teachers consistently report that homework problems seem to be exacerbated by deficient basic study skills. Many students, particularly students with disabilities, need instruction in study and organizational skills. Here is a list of organizational strategies basic to homework:
Teachers can enhance homework completion and accuracy by providing classroom instruction in organizational skills. They should talk with parents about how to support the application of organizational skills at home.
Students with disabilities often need additional organizational support. Just as adults use calendars, schedulers, lists, and other devices to self-monitor activities, students can benefit from these tools as well. Students with disabilities can monitor their own homework using a planning calendar to keep track of homework assignments. Homework planners also can double as home-school communication tools if they include a space next to each assignment for messages from teachers and parents.
Students developed their own homework calendars. Each page in the calendar reflected one week. There was a space for students to write their homework assignments and a column for parent-teacher notes. The cover was a heavy card stock that children decorated. Students were expected to take their homework planners home each day and return them the next day to class.
In conjunction with the homework planner, students graphed their homework return and completion rates. Another strategy that is linked to homework completion and improved performance on classroom assessments. The teacher built a reward system for returning homework and the planners. On a self-monitoring chart in their planner, students recorded each time they completed and returned their homework assignment by:
Homework accounts for one-fifth of the time that successful students invest in academic tasks, yet students complete homework in environments over which teachers have no control. Given the fact that many students experience learning difficulties, this creates a major dilemma. Teachers and parents of students with disabilities must communicate clearly and effectively with one another about homework policies, required practices, mutual expectations, student performance on homework, homework completion difficulties, and other homework-related concerns.
Epstein, M., Munk, D., Bursuck, W., Polloway, E., & Jayanthi, M. (1999). Strategies for improving home-school communication about homework for students with disabilities. The Journal of Special Education, 33(3), 166-176.
Jayanthi, M., Sawyer, V., Nelson, J., Bursuck, W., & Epstein, M. (1995). Recommendations for homework-communication problems: From parents, classroom teachers, and special education teachers. Remedial and Special Education, 16(4), 212-225.
Students in the Tucson/Pima County area can access homework help at local branches and online, through Brainfuse, which is accessed using their library card. Glendale Public Libraries also offer homework help and tutoring from certified tutors via the Brainfuse program, though accessed from a different internal link.
Many complaints about unlicensed entities are received where the home or business owner believed they had contracted with a Licensed, Bonded and Insured contractor, but they had not. The ads that appear in the yellow pages are not regulated by the publisher, and should be considered accurate only about the name of the company or individual and the phone number to call. The only sure way of knowing that your contractor is licensed is to call the Registrar of Contractors to confirm it or by checking, here.
Also, you must keep in mind that you are still subject to compliance with local permit and building code requirements. Homeowner Associations may also place restrictions on what you may build, and how it can be constructed in accordance with your Covenants, Conditions & Restrictions, (CC&R's).
Under certain conditions, you may also be eligible to apply to the Registrar's Residential Contractors' Recovery Fund and depending on the cost of damages receive up to $30,000 to have the work corrected or completed. Each residential contracting license is covered for up to $200,000.00 to a maximum of $30,000.00 per residential property owner, on a pro rata basis upon filing a complete claim. Keeping detailed records of your contract, checks or other forms of payment will speed the processing of your claim, should the need arise. For more detailed information, contact the Residential Contractors' Recovery Fund Monday through Friday during regular business hours at (602) 542-1525 or from elsewhere in the state at 877-MY AZROC (877-692-9762), toll free. These protections are in addition to other remedies available through the courts.
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