XCS Homework Policy

Xenos Christian Schools (XCS) teaches children to evaluate themselves and all their experiences according to God's word. We help them integrate all aspects of their life into a lifestyle of faith: school learning, family activities, social experiences, hobbies, sports, service activities, and church experiences.

Consequently, our students and their families often have a full schedule of important activities. Even though schedules can become very busy, XCS believes homework is one of the important activities of the week. Our homework policy is divided into the following sections.

At XCS, homework promotes three important keys for student success: academic learning, character development, and family involvement.

Teachers assign different types of homework to accomplish specific purposes. Practice homework helps students master specific knowledge and skills that have been presented in class. This type of homework includes completing worksheets, playing learning games, writing short papers or sentences, reading together, and studying for tests.

Sometimes students need to communicate their mastery of knowledge and skills by using different media. To provide such opportunities, teachers assign extension homework such as writing compositions, preparing a demonstration, and making dioramas, maps, models, or other visual displays.

Other times teachers want students to complete projects that combine many skills and require a depth of knowledge. They assign projects, called integrative homework, such as preparing oral reports, written reports, science projects, class newspapers, or artistic productions.

Preparation homework, on the other hand, is designed to motivate or prepare students for knowledge and skills which they have not yet mastered. Teachers may assign students to read text, take notes on reading, work on solving a problem that will illustrate the need to learn upcoming material, or gather information from resources outside of class.

Parents can help their children by supervising schedules. Although students work at different rates, they should have approximately the following amounts of time for doing homework throughout the week, including weekends.

Grade	Time/Week
Kindergarten	1 Hour
First	1 - 2 Hours
Second & Third	2 - 3 Hours
Fourth	3 - 4 Hours
Fifth	4 - 5 Hours
Sixth-Eighth	5 - 7 Hours

These time allotments include some assignments that require a parent's active participation. For example, teachers may ask parents to read to a young child or allow an older child to interview them. Research shows that parents' active participation in such activities increases the learning of their children, regardless of their age. These assignments also make learning a family activity.

Children in Kindergarten will receive only these type of assignments. In other grades, they may account to up to 1 hour per week of a student's homework. Of course, these assignments do not represent the complete involvement of parents in a child's education. Many parents provide several hours a week of informal learning in family activities such as nature walks. But school assignments provide a structured way for all parents to enrich their child's learning.

Homework refers to assignments relating to school work that students do at home. This type of assignment is different from a class assignment or activity that the teacher expects most students to finish at school. Since the goals of an individual class assignment are frequently repeated in other assignments or experiences, teachers usually will not assign unfinished class assignments as homework.

They will, however, discuss with parents any consistent problems in completing assignments to determine the best course of action for a particular student struggling with work skills.

Teachers may allow students to begin homework at school, but most students will need to take the work home to finish it. Each middle school student receives approximately 4-5 hours of study hall time per week. During this time many students are able to finish the days assignments.

Occasionally a family circumstance may prevent a child from completing an assignment. In such a case, a parent can send a note to the teacher explaining the circumstances and requesting that the student have an extra day to complete the assignment.

Teachers will assess if kindergartners have completed their homework assignments by having the student return a note signed by parents or a paper that records the results of the activity.

In all other grades, the teacher or classmates will correct problems on practice homework.

The teacher will record the work in a grade book. On preparation homework, teachers may choose to not formally assess the work. For extension and integrative assignments, teachers will provide a criteria that forms the basis of an overall grade.

If a kindergarten student repetitively does not return notes signed by a parent to show completion of assignments, the teacher will inform the parent in writing.

Students in grades 1-5 who have not completed practice homework will stay in for recess to do the work unless they have a note from home. After recess, students will turn in the work completed during that time and receive a grade without any deduction. Middle school students will receive a zero for the assignments.

Students who have not completed preparation homework will receive a zero. The teacher has the option of requiring the student to also complete the assignment if it was essential.

If students do not have an extension or integrative assignment, the teacher will send a note home to the parents. In addition, the student may submit the assignment at a later date but with a reduction in grade for each day past the due date.

Teachers will write a note to parents when students repetitively do not complete practice or preparation homework. In addition, middle school students with less than 50% of the practice and preparation homework for a given grading period will receive a F.

Absent students will receive make-up assignments for all essential practice assignments, including both homework and class assignments.

Students absent for 1 or 2 days will receive an extension of 1 to 2 days for work that was due during the absences. This work will be assessed without any deduction in grade. Students who are absent for more than 2 days will have one week to complete the work unless the teacher sets up special arrangements.

Teachers will determine the requirements for making up preparation, extension, and integrative assignments on a case by case situation.

If parents know that a student will be absent for more than a week, they should contact the office 2 weeks in advance. If the student is able to complete some work, teachers will prepare a school work package that parents can pick up during the absence. These assignments are due upon the students return to school. If the office does not receive notice 2 weeks before the absence, no assignments will be collected. Students who have an unexcused absence will not receive any make-up assignments.