Pasco schools plan return to graded homework

Yahoo

04-02-2025

Hey, kids. Do your homework.
That's the message the Pasco County school district delivered Tuesday, along with a plan to prod students into action.
Superintendent John Legg announced his intention to reverse the district's 2022 rules that homework assigned to practice what's learned in class could not be used toward student grades.
'I want our teachers to have the ability to feel they can assign homework and have grades attached to it in a meaningful way,' said Legg, who informed faculty and staff of his intention in a memo and YouTube video after revealing it to the school board.
That includes facing consequences for work submitted late.
The district in 2017 detached behavior from academics in grading. Officials at the time said whether a student turned in an assignment on time had little to do with whether they understood the material.
But the result has been less-than-stellar performance that has the district's new leader pressing for change.
The district's discussion has as a backdrop a decades-long, back-and-forth national debate about the value of homework. The arguments have ranged from noting the evils of homework impinging upon family time to the importance of targeted, planned homework in reinforcing children's classroom learning.
Legg said he takes a more old-fashioned approach to the topic.
'I live in a world where there are real deadlines,' Legg said. 'We've got to teach our children that things are hard and sometimes you have to put great effort into it.'
Legg mentioned recent scores on state progress monitoring assessments and on the Nation's Report Card for math and reading as rationale for his position.
Earlier this year, he raised concerns about preliminary results of the state's second round of progress monitoring, which showed that Pasco children scoring at lower levels than at the same time a year ago and also below the state average. Florida's performance on the National Assessment of Educational Progress, meanwhile, included some of the lowest proficiency rates statewide in two decades in math and reading.
'Our math scores are not where they could be, or even should be,' Legg said. 'I call it a problem of practice. ... Our current procedures don't allow us to have meaningful practice.'
Legg called for a thorough review of the district's math curriculum, with an eye toward replacing it with one that is better aligned to state standards.
School board members were unanimous in their support for the pending changes.
'If something is not giving you the results you need or expect, it's time to look for other alternatives,' chairperson Cynthia Armstrong said.
Board members Colleen Beaudoin and Megan Harding said they have heard from teachers over the years complaining about the existing homework procedures, which did not require a board vote. An overriding concern was that students knew they faced no consequences for doing the work, so many didn't do it.
That made it difficult for teachers to ensure their students were reviewing and understanding the material as it built throughout the year, Beaudoin said. The changes Legg is proposing would give educators the autonomy to do what they deem appropriate to prepare their students, she said.
'We are trying to create students who are college-, career- and life-ready,' Harding said, noting that missed deadlines carry consequences after high school. 'It's important that we establish those procedures.'
Legg has pulled together committees to pore through the math curriculum and revamp the homework rules. The goal is to have new guidelines in place for the fourth quarter.
While they are not yet written, Legg anticipated certain features he equated with best practices. They include not giving homework as punishment or to teach new material, and relying on the assignments to reinforce existing lessons and provide feedback on where students are doing well or needing help.
The move is not to suggest that more homework is necessary or required, he stressed. But everyone needs to understand the important role it plays in improving student learning.
'I believe in homework. I believe in deadlines,' Legg said. 'And I believe our kids are capable.'