Pasco County may soon grade homework again, superintendent says

Nearly three years after Pasco County schools eliminated homework grading, the new superintendent is proposing a return to the old policy, which would allow homework to count toward a student’s final grade.

Pasco Schools Superintendent Dr. John Legg is advocating for a shift in the district’s approach, explaining in a video sent to parents that "homework fosters time management and accountability... higher education and careers." 

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The backstory:

This policy change is in response to a decision made in 2022 by the previous school board, which stated that homework would not be graded, and it was simply "practice" and a tool for teachers to identify areas needing improvement.

What He's Saying:

Now, Superintendent Legg is taking a different stance. 

"I want to be very clear that we're not saying teachers must give homework. We're not saying teachers even should give homework," said Legg. "What we're saying is that if teachers want to give homework, and they want to weight it and have a grading system by which they want to get meaningful feedback from students, we want to empower teachers to run their classrooms and give them those tools that they need to get that assessment back to them."

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The other side:

Many parents are supportive of this shift. Sanya Garrison, a local parent, shared back in 2022 that while her daughter struggles with testing, homework has been an essential part of her academic success. 

"If you don't have a homework grade to incentivize your student to do the homework at home, it's hard," Garrison said.

"What I hear from the community at large is that they want meaningful work. They don't want pointless [busy work]... but they are fully supportive of meaningful work that translates to academic gains," said Legg.

Pasco County's proposal would align it with most other districts, including Pinellas and Hillsborough counties, which have consistently included homework as part of grading.

The Source: The information in this story came from a school board meeting as well as an interview with the news Pasco Schools superintendent. 

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