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At least now they can't use "the dog ate my homework" excuse for not being prepared for class. :
http://ca.news.yahoo.com/s/cbc/091118/canada/canada_calgary_calgary_homework_school_students
CALGARY (CBC) - A Calgary family concerned about their children's homework load has signed a contract with their school to eliminate the problem altogether.
Tom Milley and his wife have signed a formal "no homework" contract with their children's school.
"With two children in school there was just an inordinate amount of homework coming home and a lot of it was busy work," said Milley.
The family has signed what is called a differentiated homework plan with their children's Catholic school. Their daughter and son now in Grades 5 and 7 won't have to bring work home. Instead they'll be marked only on work they do in the classroom.
The homework load kept his children from improving their weak areas, said Milley. He also questions the value of homework.
"The way they do grades is by marking certain assignments and homework," he said. "If you're going to mark homework, whose work are you actually marking? Because if you send it home, you don't know who's doing it. It could be their older brothers or sisters or their parents."
When Milley's children return home from school, they still study for tests and practice what they have learned in the classroom, but they concentrate on the subjects where they're weak, he said.
More than 40 per cent of Alberta nine-year-olds bring homework home every day, according to Statistics Canada.
The decision to sign a differentiated homework plan is up to each school, which tries to support the needs of the student, said Tania Younker, a spokeswoman for Calgary's Catholic School District.
"It's certainly something we encourage them to discuss with their teacher and their school administrator. Depending on circumstance, we will ensure what is being done is in the best interests of the child."
Vera Goodman, a retired teacher in Calgary, has written a book about too much homework. She expects the idea will catch on with other parents.
"I know there's people who like homework and people who don't want to do it. And this gives people choice to do whatever they want with their own time."
The Calgary Catholic School District has a committee examining the value of homework and will have new regulations next fall