New Homework Policy Passes First Reading

Students expecting a free pass from having homework on the weekend this fall may be disappointed.

"Nothing in this policy says (teachers) have  to (only) give homework Monday through Thursday," Superintendent of Schools Annette Giaquinto said Monday night. "It's up to the teachers' discretion."

The misconception that teachers would not be assigning weekend homework spread last month when an article ran with the headline suggesting that was the case.

It escalated further when other media outlets picked up the story.

Board member John Knorr noted during Monday night's meeting that he heard the policy being discussed on NJ 101.5. Giaquinto said she received a call from ABC Nightly News. The network wants to run a segment on the new policy for one of its episodes next month.

A second reading and final adoption of the policy is scheduled for the school board's Aug. 15 meeting. That meeting is scheduled to start at 7 p.m. with the auditorium.

"This issue has really gotten out of hand," board President Ernest Huggard said.

Giaquinto said a part of the misconception stems from headline that accompanied the news article last month. It did not give an accurate picture of the policy.

In all reality, the new policy does the following:

It establishes approximately how much homework teachers are to assign per day, with the weekend focusing on studying, reading and long-term projects. The amount is based on time allotments and grade level of the student.

In middle and high school, it's being handled slightly different, but for elementary students, the time in which a student should be able to complete a homework assignment is based on his or her grade level and increments of 10 minutes.

For example, if a child is in first grade, it is recommended that they be given approximately 10 minutes of homework per subject. If they are in second grade, the length of time for which it should take a child to complete the assignment is 20 minutes.

This isn't to say that teachers are to strictly adhere to these time allotments. If the amount of work takes a child more or less time, teachers will not be penalized, Giaquinto said.

Homework  is also to reinforce what wad been instructed, not to introduce new materials, she explained, though board member Kathy Styles-Landgraf questioned that.

As a teacher, Styles-Landgraf said, "sometimes you want children to have something to discuss when they come into class the next day."

Giaquinto said there is a difference between introducing a new vocabulary word and having a child open up a book and expecting them to comprehend an entirely new subject.