Homework Grading Still Up In The Air In Merrimack

MERRIMACK, NH — Whether homework should be graded is a decision that the Merrimack School Board has yet to make. Voters on April 9 had approved changing the School District policy in favor of grading homework and having it count toward students' overall grades. But because the proposal was on the ballot through a petition, it is seen as an advisory warrant article and the School Board still has the final say, said School Board Chairwoman Shannon Barnes in a meeting Monday night.

The School District's current policy states that homework is an extension of the classroom and "should be evaluated and returned to students in a timely manner. Teachers may give homework to students to aid in the students' educational development... and should not be assigned for disciplinary purposes. A teacher shall carefully explain to his/her students how homework assignments relate to the grading system."
Before the April 9 town vote, the School Board had unanimously decided to not recommend approving the proposed change in the policy. But Merrimack residents voted 1,770-1,473 in favor of the petitioned warrant article to change the policy in favor of homework counting toward students' overall grades.
The amended policy would state that at the discretion of the teacher, homework is to be collected, reviewed and graded, and that "the accumulative average of the semester's homework grade will be counted towards the student's total cumulative semester grade."
A petition warrant article requires signatures of at least 25 registered voters to make it onto the ballot. During the School Board meeting on Monday, one person spoke in favor of keeping the policy as it is, saying homework should be used as a learning tool to prepare for a test, and should not be used as punishment.
The School Board had the opportunity to change the homework policy so that it takes immediate effect, but Barnes said that with only a few weeks left in the school year, it would be irresponsible to change the grading system so late in the year. She said the board will address the issue at a future meeting, and she encouraged her fellow board members to take into account the 297-vote margin vote in favor of homework grading.
Barnes added that it had been the School Board's intention to review the homework policy annually, ever since the policy was implemented. According to School District documents, the current homework policy was adopted in June 2008.