Memo from Superintendent Morris regarding Homework during Thanksgiving and Winter Breaks

November 3, 2017

Dear Amherst, Pelham, and Amherst-Pelham Regional Families and Staff:

As you know, students are expected to complete a significant amount of work outside of the school day and throughout the school year. We are committed to maintaining high expectations for our students, and we celebrate the many ways they achieve and succeed. However, we also recognize that there are times during the school year that students should be able to rest and recharge.

After deep consideration of the issue and consultation with our principals, as well as feedback from last year’s similar decision and from other districts that have taken similar measures, I have decided that no homework or professional work will be given, completed, or required by students and teachers over the Thanksgiving or the Winter Break. Long range projects will not have a due date of November 27th or January 2, respectively. Moreover, while daily reading is always recommended, it should be based on the choice of the student or family, not based on an assigned reading or text.

For our students' benefit, it is important that we recognize that these two breaks are used for not only religious or cultural observances and holiday celebrations, but also as a brief reprieve from the continuous academic assignments of the school year.

Sincerely,

Dr. Michael Morris
Superintendent of Schools

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Estimadas Familias y Personal de Amherst, Pelham y Regionales Amherst-Pelham:

Como saben, se espera que los estudiantes completen una cantidad significativa de trabajo fuera del día escolar y durante el año escolar. Estamos comprometidos en mantener altas expectativas para nuestros estudiantes, y celebramos las muchas formas en que logran y tienen éxito. Sin embargo, también reconocemos que hay momentos durante el año escolar en que los estudiantes deberían poder descansar y recargar energías.

Después de una profunda consideración del tema y consulta con nuestros directores, así como los comentarios de la decisión similar del año pasado y de otros distritos que han tomado medidas similares, he decidido que a los estudiantes y maestros no se le dará, ni se le requerirá completar tarea o trabajo profesional durante el receso de Día de Acción de Gracias o en las vacaciones de invierno. Los proyectos de largo alcance no tendrán una fecha de vencimiento del 27 de noviembre o el 2 de enero, respectivamente. Además, aunque siempre se recomienda la lectura diaria, debe basarse en la elección del alumno o de la familia, no en función de una lectura o texto asignado.

Para el beneficio de nuestros estudiantes, es importante que reconozcamos que estos dos
descansos se utilizan no solo para las celebraciones religiosas o culturales y las celebraciones festivas, sino también como un breve respiro de las tareas académicas continuas del año escolar.

Sinceramente,

Dr. Michael Morris
Superintendente de Escuelas

Homework Inquiry Group - Feedback Requested

In late June, a team of nine educators and three parent/guardians, representing all of the elementary schools in Amherst and Pelham, spent three mornings together drafting a document intended to ensure that homework is aligned with best practices and research and is consistent both across our schools and between grade levels. The work was contextualized with an ongoing conversation about the role of homework in our schools that began last winter. This Homework Inquiry Group reviewed research about elementary-level homework and shared their experiences to ensure that both scientific and experiential data sources contributed to the draft report, which can be viewed at https://goo.gl/wLkxfW (English) and https://goo.gl/aHWca3 (Spanish).

The resulting report identifies the purposes of homework, the grade-level expectations, and the responsibilities of different stakeholders. This draft report will undergo a few rounds of feedback from different stakeholder groups. To offer feedback, please click on this link. We also plan to have a feedback session next month. Once feedback has been collected and considered, the homework policy will be finalized and an implementation date will be set to begin by January 2018. 

ARPS Homework Inquiry Group Volunteer Request

This year, the issue of homework has been discussed multiple times at School Committee meetings, in the weekly ARPS Update, and other venues.   As a next step, I will be forming and facilitating an Inquiry Group made up of educators and parents/guardians to discuss homework at the elementary level.* This group (of roughly 10 members) will review research, share perspectives, and develop homework guidelines to propose to staff, families, and the School Committee for feedback and input.  The group will meet three times from 9:00 a.m. to 12:00 p.m. on Tuesday, June 27; Wednesday, June 28; and Thursday, June 29, 2017.  All participants need to be able to attend all three sessions.  If you are interested in participating in this work, please email your name, which school(s) your child or children attend, and their grade level(s) to Debbie Westmoreland at westmorelandd@arps.org.

* After additional training for several secondary administrators and staff members occurs next fall, a similar process will take place next year for the discussion of homework at the secondary level.

Este año, el tema de la tarea ha sido discutido varias veces en las reuniones del Comité Escolar, en la actualización semanal de ARPS, y en otros lugares. Como siguiente paso, estaré formando y facilitando un Grupo de Investigación compuesto por educadores y padres / guardianes para discutir la tarea en el nivel elemental. * Este grupo (de aproximadamente 10 miembros) revisarán la investigación, compartirán perspectivas y desarrollarán las pautas sobre las tareas, que serán propuestas al personal, las familias y al Comité Escolar para retroalimentación y sugerencias. El grupo se reunirá en tres ocasiones de 9:00 a.m. a las 12:00 p.m. el martes, 27 de junio; miércoles 28 de junio; Y jueves, 29 de junio de 2017. Todos los participantes deben poder asistir a las tres sesiones. Si está interesado en participar en este trabajo, por favor envíe un correo electrónico con su nombre, la (s) escuela (es) a la que su hijo/s o hija/s asisten, y el grado a Debbie Westmoreland en westmorelandd@arps.org.

* Después del entrenamiento adicional que tendrán varios administradores de intermedia y superior y miembros del personal el próximo otoño, un proceso similar tendrá lugar el próximo año para la discusión de la tarea a nivel intermedia y superior.

Homework Survey - Please Complete by Noon TODAY

This is a reminder that the Homework Survey will close on Tuesday, January 17th at noon. You can visit the survey here. Please complete this short 5 minute survey and provide the district with your feedback on your experience with not having homework assigned during the winter break. 

Esto es un recordatorio de que la Encuesta de Tareas se cerrará el martes, 17 de enero al mediodía. Puede visitar la encuesta aquí. Complete esta breve encuesta de 5 minutos y proporcione al distrito su opinión sobre su experiencia al no tener tarea asignada durante las vacaciones de invierno.

No Homework over Winter Break

Interim Superintendent Dr. Michael Morris sent a letter home to families last week announcing that there will be NO HOMEWORK over Winter Break. You can read the letter here.