BCPS HOMEWORK GUIDELINES
Contributor: Sue Battle-McDonald, ABCSchools
Attention Parents: Did
you know that BCPS has homework guidelines? They appear at this URL:
http://www.bcps.org/parents/homework_guide.htm
The guidelines say that students should not have more than three hours of homework per night, five nights per week, and that homework should not be assigned over holidays. These guidelines apply to all students, including those taking AP classes. Unfortunately, most BCPS schools do little to ensure compliance with these guidelines, and many students have homework assignments that, in total, far exceed these levels. This year, parents are also concerned that teaching eight subjects, with fewer time for each subject, will result in even more excessive homework for many high school students.
Beyond the issue of compliance with county homework guidelines, many parents and education advocates question the value of homework generally. ABCSchools supports better compliance with the County guidelines, but has not taken a position on the larger issue of homework. Parents who are interested may wish to check out two recent books: Alfie Kohn's The Homework Myth and Sara Bennett's The Case Against Homework.
The guidelines say that students should not have more than three hours of homework per night, five nights per week, and that homework should not be assigned over holidays. These guidelines apply to all students, including those taking AP classes. Unfortunately, most BCPS schools do little to ensure compliance with these guidelines, and many students have homework assignments that, in total, far exceed these levels. This year, parents are also concerned that teaching eight subjects, with fewer time for each subject, will result in even more excessive homework for many high school students.
Beyond the issue of compliance with county homework guidelines, many parents and education advocates question the value of homework generally. ABCSchools supports better compliance with the County guidelines, but has not taken a position on the larger issue of homework. Parents who are interested may wish to check out two recent books: Alfie Kohn's The Homework Myth and Sara Bennett's The Case Against Homework.