Bringing Homework Into Focus. Eileen Depka

The Result of Quality Design

       Recognition and Design of Quality Work

       Assignment Evaluation

       Bloom’s Taxonomy

       Webb’s Depth of Knowledge

       A Menu of Options

       Evaluation of Student Work for Quality

       Final Thoughts

       Collaborative Team Discussion Questions

       Chapter Four

       Homework: To Give or Not to Give, That Is the Question!

       Awareness of Student Needs Inside and Outside of School

       Evaluation of Teacher Capacity

       Evaluation of Student Capacity

       The Impact on Class Time

       The Impact on Achievement

       Final Thoughts

       Collaborative Team Discussion Questions

       Chapter Five

       Grading and Homework: The Two Worlds Can Coexist

       Grading and the Type of Work

       Progress Assessment

       Does Late Matter?

       If I Don’t Grade It, They Won’t Do It!

       The Crucial Nature of Feedback

       The Essential Elements of Record Keeping

       Communication of Homework Expectations

       Final Thoughts

       Collaborative Team Discussion Questions

       Chapter Six

       Next Steps: Evaluating and Changing Practices

       Identify the Desired State

       Evaluate Current Practices

       Implement Practices to Close the Gap

       Evaluate the Effectiveness of New Practices

       Collaborative Team Discussion Questions

       Epilogue

       References and Resources

       Index

      About the Author

      Eileen Depka, PhD, is the director of continuous improvement and assessment in the School District of New Berlin, Wisconsin. Eileen supervises and coordinates curriculum, instruction, assessment, special education, education technology, and continuous improvement efforts. In addition, she provides professional development for K–12 administrators and teachers. Eileen has taught all subjects at the elementary and middle school levels, and she has also taught graduate-level courses. As a consultant, she has worked with schools and districts across the United States, focusing on topics such as assessment, grading and reporting, portfolio development, rubrics, continuous improvement, and data collection. Since 1998, Eileen has been presenting at the local, state, and national levels.

      Eileen has been featured in and consulted on educational videos and written online courses. She is the author of Designing Rubrics for Mathematics, Designing Assessment for Mathematics, and The Data Guidebook for Teachers and Leaders: Tools for Continuous Improvement. She is the coauthor of Using Formative Assessment in the RTI Framework and a contributing author to Data-Enhanced Leadership. Eileen is a board member for the Wisconsin Association for Supervision and Curriculum Development and a member of the Association for Supervision and Curriculum Development and Learning Forward.

      Eileen earned a bachelor’s degree in elementary education from the University of Wisconsin–Milwaukee, and she earned her master’s and doctorate degrees from Cardinal Stritch University.

      To book Eileen Depka for professional development, contact [email protected].

      Introduction

      Homework is an interesting topic. Students, parents, and educators often have opinions about the practice that are in direct opposition. There is research to support that homework has benefits. There is also research that indicates benefits are lacking. Harris Cooper (2007) states that much of the impact homework has on achievement is dependent on the age of students. Other factors include the amount of time spent doing homework, the content, and the feedback given. Even among educators, viewpoints are contradictory. Regardless of our feelings about homework, the practice is alive and kicking in most of our schools. As a result, it is advantageous to create the best possible approaches to homework design and implementation.

      This book will:

       Provide a global picture of the purpose of homework

       Create and evaluate quality assignments

       Evaluate considerations when assigning homework

       Relate grading practices to homework

       Promote collaborative team discussion and action

      Homework is a topic that we take for granted. It is often assigned out of habit rather than as a result of careful thought and consideration. That is not a criticism; rather, it is meant to build awareness that homework should be given with caution, care, and consideration.

Focus and Organization of the Book

      Quality homework design is the focus of this book. However, the purpose of homework, whether or not to assign homework, and the grading practices connected to homework are all addressed as well. Although the term homework is used throughout, the practices discussed are true of any work assigned to students.

      Each chapter is organized to incorporate new learning, provide tools to organize thought, evaluate practices, or demonstrate ideas. Following each chapter is a section devoted to collaborative team discussion.

      The topics and contents are as follows:

       Chapter 1 discusses the four types of student work and clarifies the purpose of each from an assessment perspective.

       Chapter 2 describes the four components important to designing quality homework.

       Chapter 3 concentrates on recognizing and designing quality work to ensure student understanding.