So, several teachers and I had a conversation about just what an Honors or AP course was supposed to entail in terms of homework versus coursework. These types of classes are supposed to be more intense and are supposed to go into more depth and cover more material than regular courses. The payoff is that the course is weighted at a higher weight (4.5 for Honors and 5.0 for AP). In my opinion, it is my job to present, teach and discuss the course material for the class and then assign homework. The debate is about how much homework to assign.
On average, according to educational researchers (the National PTA and the National Education Association), students should take home 10 minutes per grade level of homework each night. So for a typical junior that means 110 minutes per day. Now if the average junior has a study hall or a homeroom or both, between 30-80 minutes of that homework could be done in school. GREAT!! That would leave 30 minutes of work which could be done in the hour before bedtime or the half hour between 7:50 and 8:20 because that is when a majority of the students in our school get here. That's the average junior.
Now what the about the juniors who carry Honors or AP courses. They should expect to increase that number by about 10% per Honors or AP course taken. A full load- 3 Honors classes and 1 AP class- would require about 154 minutes (about 3 hours) per night in homework. Is that workable for the students? Only for those with great time management skills. Add in work, extra curricular, family and church time, and there is not much time left for school work. So the issue I wonder about is should the school limit the number of Honors or AP courses that students can take or should they require a study hall for all students in Honors or AP courses?
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