Trustees press administrators to re-emphasize homework guidance after teacher survey and public comments

Trustees directed district administrators to re-emphasize existing guidance in Administrative Regulation 5.13 on homework and grading after a staff survey and a lengthy board discussion highlighted inconsistent practices across middle and high school classrooms.

District staff told the board they sent a Google Form to middle‑ and high‑school teachers and received 83 responses; 42 respondents said they assign homework. Of those teachers who assign homework, about 60% sometimes assign work over weekends, 26% said they assign work over breaks, and 21% assign work over the summer for advanced placement or honors work. Staff also reported that most teachers who assign homework graded it for completion rather than accuracy.

The presentation emphasized that AP and honors courses commonly require additional work tied to exam preparation, while general‑level classes rely on classwork and only use homework when students need additional practice. A student board representative said the context matters: "I don't think saying just completion or just accuracy would be beneficial to either the students or the teachers."

Trustees discussed whether the board should write a new policy or rely on the existing AR 5.13. Several trustees argued that teachers should be at the center of any policy writing; others asked for clearer administrative monitoring and more consistent implementation at school sites. Several trustees recommended emphasizing the AR and improving site-level implementation rather than creating a board-level mandate that would limit teacher discretion.

The board asked staff to relaunch implementation communication for administrators before the fall and to report back at the August board meeting with how administrators plan to communicate expectations to teachers and how monitoring will occur. Staff said AR 5.13 already includes guidance about timely feedback, grading of homework for learning rather than compliance, and the differentiation of elementary versus secondary grading.

Public commenters included parents and a student who said homework should support learning and not be busy work. A longtime teacher and administrators’ comments at the meeting also urged collaboration between grade levels so that middle school and high school expectations align.

The board did not take a formal vote on policy changes. Trustees asked staff to make implementation and monitoring the primary focus over the summer and to return with an update in August.