PROPOSAL MANDATES HOMEWORK NEW RULE DRAWS FIRE.

Byline: Karen Maeshiro Staff Writer

LANCASTER - Students in the Lancaster School District will be cracking the books for 30 minutes to two hours after school each day if trustees approve new homework guidelines.

The new policy was developed by a committee of teachers, who say that homework is an important way to extend the learning day and a way to involve parents in their child's education.

But the teachers union president said the proposed homework guidelines are excessive - particularly for students in kindergarten through third grades - and that elementary school pupils need time after school to play and participate in extracurricular activities.

``Elementary school students have a short attention span ... This is why primary grade teachers change activities every 15 minutes or so,'' said Geri Hazelton, a Park View Intermediate School teacher who is president of the Teachers Association of Lancaster.

``It's ludicrous to ask them to be in school all day long and then spend another half-hour to an hour doing homework.

``These kids have to have time for after-school activities and time with their families,'' Hazelton said. ``And with a lot of our children, homework becomes a battle with their parents.''

The board last week approved the second reading of the revised policy on homework and makeup work. The policy will come up for a third reading and final approval at its May 15 meeting.

The proposed policy states that pupils in the primary grades should expect to complete 30-60 minutes of homework a night; those in the upper grades of elementary school, 60-90 minutes; and middle school students, 1 1/2 to 2 hours.

``The increasing time will assist in preparing students for the rigorous demands of high school,'' the policy says.

The current policy does not specify how much time students are expected to spend doing homework.

Trustees President Greg Tepe concurred that a lot of homework prepares for high school, citing the experience of his own daughter, a fourth-grader in the district.

``It's not appropriate for kids to not have homework, and then kids to go to high school and be overwhelmed,'' Tepe said. ``My daughter had a lot of homework, and I had no complaints.

``I think it's really helped her this year excel in her studies and in classwork,'' he said.

After Hazelton stated her concerns at the board's April 17 meeting, the Curriculum Advisory Council added a provision to the policy stating that a portion of homework time should encompass a variety of reading activities.

Hazelton called the modification a step forward but not a total solution. She thinks students in the primary grades should spend a maximum of 30 minutes on homework; fourth- through sixth-graders, 30-60 minutes; and middle schoolers, 1 to 1 1/2 hours.

``There have been studies made where they recommend that you do 10 minutes per grade level when you assign homework. In kindergarten, it's 10 minutes, first grade 20 minutes.

``By the time the child is in the eighth grade, it's up to 80 minutes of homework. That's a legitimate amount,'' Hazelton said.

Hazelton said studies also indicate homework is not beneficial until students reach high school.

``Homework should actually be a restatement of what was learned in school that day. If you have introduced a concept, give them an activity that would last 10, 15, 20 minutes that reinforces that concept. But you don't give them a page with 50 math problems on it,'' Hazelton said.

Hazelton's comments were taken back to the curriculum committee, whose members ``politely disagreed,'' said Howard Sundberg, assistant superintendent for educational services.

``She thought our time amounts were too stringent,'' he said. ``They felt these were typical of homework they expect as teachers.''

Sundberg added that teachers often assign reading, and the district has a number of reading programs that require anywhere from 20 to 30 minutes of reading at night by students.