School district completes homework survey

Are local kids getting too much homework? Almost every student and many parents at one time or another complain about excessive homework.

Las Virgenes Unified School District (LVUSD) officials recently completed two sections of a threepart homework survey to determine if local schools require too much, too little or just the right amount of extra work to bolster student achievement.

LVUSD’s current homework policy is over 20 years old, said Joseph Nardo, assistant superintendent of education,

“There definitely has been an increase in homework over the past couple of years with the increase in the state standards, especially at the elementary level,” Nardo said.

The Homework Policy Study Committee was formed last year to explore the issue. The committee surveyed students in grades six through 12 last year and parents just completed a separate survey. Teachers will be surveyed at the beginning of the school year, Nardo said.

In all, over 600 parents completed the homework survey. Nardo said many parents commented on the need to use e-mail and websites to enhance communication between parents, teachers and students. Other parents noted that teachers in different departments sometimes give tests and make projects due on the same day.

The survey showed that most parents feel the amount of homework has increased. They don’t think the work should be required over the weekend.

“Many students are involved with many other activities after school, yet homework takes the highest priority which draws them away from family or other activities or obligations,” said Nardo, paraphrasing the survey results.

Terilyn Finders, LVUSD board member, said teachers are sending more work home to make sure students meet the mandated curriculum standards.

“Homework needs to be meaningful,” said Finders, who recommends that “busy work” be eliminated.

But what, exactly, is too much homework?

“You can’t measure it purely in time,” Finders said.

Sometimes, teachers assign homework to reinforce work ethics rather than to educate.

According to one LVUSD student, there was a teacher who counted homework as 30 percent of his final grade regardless of whether he had mastered the subject matter or not.

But developing a strong work ethic in students is necessary, Finders said.

Studies show a correlation between students who do their homework and those who later perform well at their job.

The homework policy committee also is investigating whether there should be separate homework guidelines for elementary, middle and high schools, and whether consistency between departments regarding extra credit is warranted. Detailed findings of the surveys will be released in the fall.

“For the most part, teachers do a really good job making sure that homework reinforces important lessons,” Finders said.