Updating the Homework Policy

As high school students, homework has become a daily staple in our lives. From the time we entered kindergarten, we learned to accept that extra bit of work that we are expected to complete on our own time at home. The older we got, the more time we spent doing the homework that gradually became harder and harder.

In your years of doing homework, how often have you thought, “This is just too much,” “This is too hard,” or even “This is wasting my time and I’m learning nothing?” Well, now the Martinsville School District is listening.

For the first time, the administration is taking steps to lighten the homework load for students. The initiative first began at the elementary level when Dr. Burns, the principal at Green Township Elementary School, wrote the policy which took effect on January 5th, 2017.

The new policy outlines the amount of time each grade should be spending on homework. It suggests that kindergartners should be spending 15 minutes on homework a night and first graders should be working for 20 minutes. This trend of five more minutes of homework added to every grade continues until sixth grade, when students are expected to work for 45 minutes a night on homework.

Along with decreasing the amount of time spent on homework, homework will no longer be graded.

The policy draft, which has been posted to the MSD of Martinsville website, states that it is more important to practice school subjects in school rather than at home. It also states that the goal of this is to increase reading levels and math scores through proper reinforcement at school, rather than at home. “This policy is one that changes the focus from homework at the elementary level to one focused on literacy and math facts,” says Dr. Moore.

One big question, the one most important to high school students, has yet to be answered. That is the question of whether or not this type of policy will be implemented in the high school to decrease homework.

According to Superintendent Dr. Michele Moore, the new policy aims to help prepare students for when they enter high school by focusing on math and literacy. As of now, homework at the high school level will not be changed by this new policy.

Regarding the effectiveness of the new policy, Dr. Moore said, “It’s too new for any evaluation results yet; it was just effective at the end of December.”