Boulder Valley School District
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IKB-R

IKB-R

File: IKB-R (pdf)
Adopted:   May 8, 2001



HOMEWORK

Homework Guidelines at the Elementary Level

  1. For younger students, appropriate homework should foster positive attitudes toward school and better academic-related behaviors and character traits (such as time management and organizational skills).
  2. In addition to independent and/or family reading, general guidelines for homework, when assigned, at the elementary level are:
  • Grades K-3: an average of 10-30 minutes per night  
  • Grades 4-5: an average of 30-50 minutes per night  

Homework Guidelines at the Secondary Level (includes grades 6-8 in middle school and grades 9-12 in high school)

  1. An increasing amount of independent homework is considered necessary and is expected of secondary students.
  2. The general guidelines for homework when assigned at grades 6-8: an average of 45-90 minutes per night.  
  3. For students at the secondary level, homework loads will be affected by individual course selections.  
  4. Across different programs, it is the degree of difficulty and complexity that distinguishes assignments rather than amount of work given. Secondary building homework guidelines should address the issue of reasonable homework expectations in all programs.
  5. The purposes of homework at the secondary level include: practice/review; preparation for subsequent lessons; extension of previously learned material to new situations; and integration of separately learned skills into a single product.  

Reference: Cooper, Harris, The Battle Over Homework (Corwin Press, 1994).

End of File:  IKB-R