School Homework Plan

In the Wake County Public School System, we are committed to maintaining rigorous performance and
achievement standards for all students and to providing a fair and consistent process for evaluating and
reporting student progress that is understandable to students and their parents and relevant for instructional
purposes.
The information below shares specific information about grading at our school.

Homework

The following are school-wide expectations for homework:
Homework is intended to:

1. Reinforce, maintain, enrich, and extend the skills and concepts taught in class.
2. Provide practice and application
3. Establish good study habits.
4. Develop responsibility in students, independence, and self-direction.
5. Establish an awareness and involvement of the parents in the child’s educational experience.

Recommended time parameters for daily assignments will differ by grade level and should not exceed the
following:
Kindergarten     20 minutes           Grade 3     50 minutes
Grade 1               20 minutes          Grade 4     50 minutes
Grade 2              20 minutes           Grade 5     50 minutes
*This amount of times may not include nightly reading which is expected of all students.*
The following are grade/subject specific expectations for the completion and grading of homework:

• Each teacher should follow the WCPSS guidelines concerning the amount of homework assigned and the
  length of time required for completion.
• The teacher will introduce a concept or skill, thoroughly explain the concept or skill, and provide guided
  practice before making a related homework assignment.
• Homework should be meaningful.
• Homework assignments should be specific, within the student’s ability and have clearly defined
  expectations. Questions related to the completion of a homework assignment should be answered and
  clarified.
• Homework assignments are not to be graded but considered practice and considered in reporting a
  student’s work habit grade.
• Homework should not be given as busy work or as punishment.
• Homework should not be assigned on weekends, holidays, or track out.
• When planning homework the teacher will consider these questions:
  • How long will it take to complete this assignment?
  • What is the purpose of this homework assignment?
  • What will the student’s attitudes be about the learning after completing this assignment?
  • Can I give immediate feedback on this assignment?
  • Will the homework results give me a picture of what the student can and cannot do?

The Homework Plan for Sycamore Creek Elementary can be found in the Student Handbook found on our webpage. 

Classwork and Assessments

The following are school-wide expectations for classwork and assessments:

• Classwork should be aligned to the curriculum standards and will be meaningful practice that prepares
  students for common assessments.
• Learning targets are provided to students to hold them accountable for what they are learning.
• Grade level professional learning teams will create common assessments on essential standards.
• Assessments will be given once students have had ample time to practice and learn the objectives.
• Teachers will work together in their Professional Learning Teams to analyze assessment results to help
  guide further instruction.

The following are grade/subject specific expectations for the completion and grading of classwork and
assessments:

• Students should complete classwork in the provided time given. If classwork is not completed, students
  may be asked to complete their assignments at other various times throughout the instructional day.
• Teachers will follow the Standard Based Grading guidelines and will provide parents with assessment
  results.

Missed Work

The following are school-wide expectations for missed work:

• Students will be expected to make up missed work.
• Teachers will communicate with the students and parents about the missed assignments that need to
  be completed.
• Make-up work must be completed within a reasonable amount of time after the absence. Teachers
  should use discretion and may make exceptions in the case of students whose excused absences were
  not planned in advance, and/or were beyond the student's control.

Prevention-Intervention Plan

For students at risk of academic failure, our school seeks to provide a prevention/intervention system that
promotes successful completion and mastery of work. Details of our plan are included on our SIP Intervention
Matrix.
The following are school-wide expectations for how we support prevention-intervention efforts:

• When a student is not meeting the grade level benchmarks, parents will be notified and intervention
  strategies will be created to assist with meeting his/her needs. The classroom teacher will determine
  the interventions by engaging in the Team Initiated Problem Solving model with their Professional
  Learning Team (PLT).
• If classroom interventions are unsuccessful, the classroom teacher will share academic/behavior
  concerns with his/her Professional Learning Team (PLT) and they will continue with the data focused
  Team Initiated Problem Solving model to determine additional/alternative interventions. If necessary, a
  Tier Plan will be created and will be utilized for six weeks and then reviewed to determine its
  effectiveness.
• Students at risk of academic failure after the second nine weeks may be considered for possible
  retention. Parents will be notified by their classroom teacher if their child is at risk for retention. A
  promotion/retention team will meet to discuss any child at risk of retention in March and again in June.

Extra Credit

Sycamore Creek does not provide extra credit opportunities because of standards based grading.

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