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Added: I found an interesting review (available here):

Page 4:

�Research and case studies in the UK and US suggest there be no more than 10 minutes of homework per school day in Year 1, increasing by up to 10 minutes a day with each year level to a maximum of two hours per day in Year 12. This maximum time allocation for each year level is generally consistent with national and international policies.

Overall it seems that some homework is better than too much or none at all, however the time on homework needs to be responsive to the student�s age and development. The research indicates that a �more homework the better� view is misleading and should not be the basis for policy and practice.�

From pages 6-7:

Researchers in the past decade have not conclusively agreed on whether homework is effective in improving student achievement. Cooper and Valentine (2001) [found] that students who did homework generally outperformed students who did not. The authors found a low association between the amount of homework young students complete and their subsequent achievement and that the relationship between homework and achievement was moderated by the students� age and grade level (Cooper
and Valentine, 2001).


The evidence also suggests that although homework has a positive impact on student achievement, too much homework or homework not completed properly appears to reduce this positive effect.

Further evidence includes:

� The relationship between homework and achievement appears to be curvilinear, so that moderate amounts of time spent on homework are related to higher subject test scores, while a lot or very little time spent on homework is less productive (Keys et al., 1997).

Val- there is other research that refutes the above data too- it's really all over the place. I have read "Rethinking Homework" and also "The Case Against Homework", as well as a bunch of Kohn works. The general data seems to suggest that for middle class, parent involved students, homework has absolutely no affection on retention, standardized test scores or long-term memory until you reach the end of high school years. Homework in math in particular does show a pretty useful jump in the post-Algebra I period.

We're homeschooling this year in large part due to homework. My DS's school's philosophy was that 10 minutes per grade, per night PLUS 30 minutes of logged silent reading was a good idea. In addition, the kids all had long-term projects once a month. In third grade, on a good night, he had an hour of homework, on a bad one- it was more like 2.

All of the homework sheets were repetition of what had been done in class. In addition, the homework was not differentiated (to fill in "Gaps") so he would be doing 6th grade math in class and 3rd grade homework. I finally just gave up and stopped fighting. In a standards based report card system, it doesn't actually matter if you do the homework LOL! So he got a "U" for turns in homework on time and got an E+ "exceeds the standard" in everything else.

OK, putting stats geek cap on top of my teacher hat...

NCLB requires the use of criterion referenced tests, not standardized tests. Yes, there are percentiles printed with the test scores. The theory goes that these scores are based on whether students have demonstrated they can do the stuff in the state content standards and benchmarks, so all students might potentially score as proficient.

The theory also goes that my state can somehow leap from having 44% of its students scoring as proficient in math to having 82% of its students scoring as proficient by 2014, but I do not see that happening.

By standardized, I mean each student is taking the same test at the same time. Differentiation of the test is not allowed (unless you have a very complex 504/IEP or in my state, a 1st language waiver).

Regardless of the test, if a teacher were to commit to raising their entire class above proficient, they will not be able to do it with homework. If you have a group of students that is scoring at basic or below and aren't on the cusp of breaking up to proficient, you also likely have a group of parents that are unable to help with the math at home. Those students need more time at school, more hands on math, a differentiated program and small group time to master basic concepts they likely didn't catch the first time around a few years ago.

Two years ago, I had a group of 120 6th graders enter my school with 36 of them testing at 3rd grade math. Many couldn't multiply two digit numbers. It took two years of intensive math instruction, summer school and tutoring and we were still only able to get 20 of those kids up to grade level math (prepared to take Algebra in 8th).

DD does not have any time during class to do homework, except on very rare occasions. I actually think this is a sign that the curriculum is working for her--if she had plenty of time to do this, I'd wonder what was going on.

This I believe. I don't know why it's the case, but I'm going to hypothesize that homework helps with higher-level subjects because succeeding in them requires the development abstract thinking skills (assuming that the course hasn't been watered down).

Also, I'm thinking that these classes move frequently to ideas that are conceptually very different compared to math courses in primary school, which tend to focus on ideas that are the same or conceptually related. Lower-grade math classes also seem to go over last year's stuff until November-ish, as well (at least around here).

I think in the higher level math classes there is a lot less in class practice work, and more discussion/explanation. So the homework really provides some necessary practice at that point.

We are in half day kindergarten, though she educationally should be in first, the homework the teacher sends home, and doesnt grade, is so easy my 5 year old (just had a birthday) completes with a little work at. We have to turn in homework on Friday and it gets given to us on Monday. I make my dd's homework that she turns in and grade it myself. She turns in first grade work and her little sister who is in preschool and gets homework on Thursday and turns it in on Monday. We spend between 30 mins and an hour on homework for each girl everyday, Monday through Friday and Saturday and Sunday are completely off.

I asked the teachers for permission to change what my kids do for homework. I will add that my 3 year old has started doing 15 min. of homework that I make a day too. School is important but according to thier age and what they like I make sure they have more stuff they like than the other. For my oldest it is more math that is way harder than kindergarten, for my 5 year old it is art that describes a book (she can read but wont read for me), my 3 year old has preschool workbooks but he doesnt do much. He likes to scribble instead.

My DS is accelerated 5 years. Because of this, his homework is at times insane. I sat down with all of his teachers and made a deal. 30 minutes a class for a total possible 2.5 hours. Anything that doesn't get done gets pushed to the next day or to the weekend. He only has core classes 4 days a week, none on friday and it is very rare to have assigned homework that is meant for the weekend.

His teachers are clear that I monitor his homework time as he tends to screw off. So if something doesn't get turned in on time, they know it's because there was too much. He is not allowed to "spill" into the following week. So far it has worked although there are days that I wonder at the choices i've made.

Which DS is that, Shari? Just curious.

We had another homewowrk meltdown yesterday. I am at my wits' end with this some days. It's only going to get worse. The rote work, like math problems and language arts fill-ins, is fine. But the writing and sometimes the logic/math enrichment she gets, which are more open-ended, seem to sometimes be too much for her at the end of the day. I think she's just exhausted. As I have mentioned elsewhere, she is a model 100% student with perfect behavior while at school and then tends to explode at home.