LAUSD reverses homework-factor grade policy

LOS ANGELES (KABC) -- The L.A. Unified School District reversed its controversial new homework policy. District leaders are changing their minds.

Los Angeles Unified School District officials previously said that they were trying to create a uniform policy across all schools when it comes to homework.

Some parents and teachers were upset when the policy was announced last month. They didn't want the district issuing a blanket policy. And just a few weeks later the district has backed down.

It was a bold and controversial move at the district level: homework at all LAUSD schools would only account for 10 percent of a student's overall grade. But that policy only lasted less than a month.

"I think what it was lacking was an opportunity to have parents, teachers and students provide some guidance on what they would like to see in a revised homework policy," said Jaime Aquino, the deputy superintendent of instruction with the LAUSD.

Aquino says implementation of the policy was probably premature.

"We heard from both parents, teachers, and I would have to say also some administrators that they wanted to make sure that they had been included in what was the rationale for the change," said Aquino.

As it stands, teachers are the ones who decide how much homework will factor into a student's final grade. The suspended policy would have created a district-wide policy limiting that amount to 10 percent.

Some students say homework should count for more than 10 percent.

"I think homework should really be up to the teacher, right?" said one student at Huntington Park High School.

"If you do your homework, you do your class work, you pay attention, it's not only going to help you get your grade up but it also helps you on tests because that what tests are basically about, preparing you," said another student at Huntington Park High School.

District officials say that they still want to come up with a uniform policy that will apply to all schools district-wide but they're first going to have several meetings with administrators, parents and teachers, and they hope to present a new plan to the board some time next spring.

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lausd, education, los angeles news, robert holguin

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