Homework at York Middle School

One of the most common misconceptions around proficiency-based learning is that teachers are expected to assign less homework or no homework at all.  Nothing could be further from the truth. Although the way we think about homework may change, working at home will remain an integral part of our students educational experience.

Once teachers have identified learning targets, any work they assign should be intended to help students hit those targets.  In some classrooms, the notion of "homework" may change.  It's just work. Some of the work will be done at school and some will be done at home.  The reality is that if students are off task in school, they will likely have more work to do at home.

Likewise, if students are struggling to meet a learning target, they may have alternative or additional assignments that they need to complete to help them get there.  Again, some of this work will be done at school, and some will be done at home.  Students who are working towards exceeding standards will also likely have a significant amount of work to complete at home.

The key is the quality and purpose of the assignments.  The value of homework should never be measured by volume.  Just like any other assignment, work done at home must be directly connected to desired learning outcomes.  Students should know exactly what they are expected to learn and the criteria for success should be clear to them.  Homework should never be busy work.  At York Middle School, teachers working in teams meet regularly to discuss and plan assignments and to ensure that students are not overwhelmed with their work.

In the following short article, Rick Wormeli writes about various ways teachers can make homework more meaningful for students.  It's a great little article and he is spot on.  The practices he presents are universal, and they ring true in any classroom: proficiency-based or traditional.

It's interesting to note;  I've observed teachers use many of these strategies in their classrooms. In the classrooms in which teachers use them most frequently, we always see high rates of homework completion.  In classrooms where these types of practices are absent, we find relatively lower rates of homework completion.  It's no accident.

Click below to read the article:

13 Ways to Make Homework More Meaningful