As the manager of the coaching team at Crescendo Education Group, I’ve had the privilege of being a part of, and witness to, so many conversations between educators over the years about the value of homework, both as a pedagogical tool and as a literal point-value to students’ grades.
The Traditional Role of Homework in Education
As classroom teachers considering the value of homework, we may first think of its value as part of our teaching strategy: that we would like to know how much of the day’s lesson each individual student retained. Just as we make adjustments to the lessons we teach throughout the day based on the real-time feedback we get from our students, we use homework as our formative assessments of our students’ learning to make adjustments to our lessons. Traditionally, homework has served as a good formative check because the majority of students completed homework by themselves, at times potentially with help from a family member. Homework, whether produced by the student alone or with another person’s assistance, adds a lot of value to the lessons we hope to teach to our students.
Homework in the Age of AI: New Challenges
Situating ourselves in the 21st century, and the nascent technological revolution of Artificial Intelligence, it’s imperative to reconsider our purpose for the assignment of homework. There may in fact still be good pedagogical reasons to assign homework to our students; however, if students are motivated to complete their homework with the assistance of AI in order to receive points for the quality or completeness of their work, then our purpose has been thwarted. It’s likely that neither teachers nor parents hope to assess how well students can make use of AI to complete their homework. While this does show some serious tech-literacy chops, and kudos to those students who are developing those skills, it’s likely not the purpose of an assignment given by a teacher outside of a computer science course.
Moving Beyond Homework for Grades
So the question remains: How can we as educators get an authentic formative check on our students’ learning through homework and discourage the use of AI at the same time, without putting ourselves through the laborious task of determining whether or not the work produced at home is coming from the student’s brain? The answer that I offer: Don’t grade it. Do not give any point valuation to homework on a student’s grade. Certainly, when applicable, we should provide meaningful feedback to students on their work; this is a formative learning assessment after all. But when we stop valuing homework through the fiat currency of teaching and learning (points), students are disincentivized to get it done by any means necessary.
Teachers often express in coaching sessions that they’re concerned that students will stop doing homework altogether if teachers do not value it through points. Interestingly, the brave few who implement a “No Grade for HW” policy find that the students who were doing the homework before are still doing it and the students who weren’t doing the homework before are still not doing it. However, the most interesting students are those who were only completing homework for the points: Initially, they stop engaging with the homework, but over time, those students in the “middle” tend to re-engage with the homework when the teachers use it as a formative assessment and feedback tool. If it is “busy work” from the student’s perspective (i.e., holds little learning value), then they opt to use their time and energy elsewhere. Some educators choose to discontinue the use of homework and instead opt for “exit tickets” as a formative check for students’ retention of the day’s lesson. Other educators continue to assign homework because the majority of students find it has real value for their learning. The beautiful thing about it is that when teachers remove the point-based carrot and stick from homework, they are able to return to the core purpose homework is meant to serve. And, if a teacher ultimately decides that a homework assignment isn’t that useful pedagogically, then they can drop it altogether. Because these decisions come down to the expert opinions of the teachers considering them, as a former educator, I know that decision is in good hands.
Rethinking Homework for Student Well-being
The “No Grade for HW” remedy offers additional benefits. Beyond the immediate reduction in teacher and student workload, eliminating excessive homework can have a profound impact on students’ overall well-being. While some may argue that reducing homework will lead to lower academic standards, the quality of engagement with homework, rather than the quantity, is key.
As if these weren’t reasons enough to stop applying point values to homework, think of Pilar Schiavo’s reasoning behind her proposed bill: Parents may not want to battle with their children about homework in the few precious moments they have together outside of busy work and school schedules. Removing the points from homework releases all parties at home and at school from many of the harmful aspects of homework, and instead creates opportunities for more authentic engagement, empowering students and families to use their precious little time outside of school in ways that best support their mental and physical well-being.
Further Reading: Deepening the Conversation on Grading and Homework
If you want to delve even deeper into the issues of homework and grading, check out the book Grading for Equity by Joe Feldman. Fair warning, once you pick it up, you might not be able to put it down!
