Homework grade policy in Harford schools left up to principals, school board seeks more consistency

Homework will continue to count toward final grades for Harford County Public Schools students for the foreseeable future, but it is unclear, based on a revised policy being considered by the school board, just how much it counts now, or will count in the future.The board decided Monday night to postpone voting on a revised policy that defines homework as &quot;tasks or activities a student is assigned to perform outside of class time&quot; and establishes parameters, such as that homework should not include fundraising activities and &quot;shall be reasonable in extent.&quot;Patrick Spicer, the school system's lawyer, noted &quot;the systemic importance of an overall policy regarding homework for the school system,&quot; as he presented the revised policy to board members.But the policy says nothing about where homework fits in determining a student's grades, if at all.Board member Robert Frisch questioned what percentage of a student's grade depends on homework performance and, from the discussion that followed, it became clear the school system's current position on homework and grading is not consistent.Principals have the authority to decide how much homework counts toward students' grades in each school, Superintendent Barbara Canavan told the board.&quot;It's part of the grade, but there is no stipulated percentage,&quot; Canavan said.Some principals have stated homework cannot count for more than 10 percent of grades, Susan Brown, executive director of curriculum, instruction and assessment, said.No principals, to her knowledge, have said homework will not be part of a student's grade, though, Brown said.&quot;I can assure you, it's with great discretion that principals do look at grading policies,&quot; Canavan said.&quot;This is something that we need to address in the policy itself,&quot; Frisch said.He noted discussions about homework that are happening in other jurisdictions, including in Baltimore County, where he formerly taught.Public school officials instituted a pilot program this year, in which homework is not graded, teachers cannot give grades lower than 50 percent and students can retake tests for a better grade, The Baltimore Sun reported recently.The Baltimore County Public Schools initiative comes from &quot;standards-based grading&quot; being used in other school districts in Maryland and around the country – teachers still measure class participation and behavior and whether students have completed homework, according to The Sun.&quot;It's a conversation that's happening across the country, and I think we as a school system need to make some decisions about whether homework is necessary - if it is necessary [decide] if it is a component of the overall grade,&quot; Frisch said.Canavan suggested the board postpone voting on the policy revision and send it back to the Board Policy Review Committee, which weighs in on policy changes before they are submitted to the school board.The superintendent said she and her top aides will talk with principals about how much homework counts toward grades in their schools.Frisch agreed and made a motion to send the policy back to the review committee. The board voted, 9-0, in favor of the motion. Board member Joseph Hau was absent Monday.

Homework grade policy in Harford schools left up to principals, school board seeks more consistency

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