Fulton County Schools practice 'Ten-minute Rule' For Homework

Classes are back in full swing and along with all the reading, writing and arithmetic comes an often dreaded part of the school year – homework.

So exactly what is enough when it comes to the time students spend working on schoolwork outside of the school day?

While Fulton County Schools does not have an official policy regarding the appropriate amount of homework teachers should require, many teachers adhere to a ten minutes per grade level formula. The format is commonly used by school systems across the country to manage expectations when it comes to work outside the classroom.

Teachers at Mountain Park Elementary in Roswell have practiced the “ten minute rule” for many years, according to Principal Stacy Perlman.

Perlman said that at Mountain Park, first grade students are assigned an average of ten minutes of homework per night total, while fifth graders can expect to spend 50 minutes to an hour every evening. In addition to assigned work, all students are expected to complete 20 minutes of reading nightly, either alone or with a parent.

“If it’s taking a child a long time to complete the homework, parents should write a note to the teacher and let them know,” Perlman said.

She added that the increased length could have two causes – either the student is having trouble with the work and needs extra help or the teacher may not have realized how long the assignment might take.

Abbotts Hill Elementary School students in Johns Creek can go online to the school's website for plenty of links and resources to help students get through their homework assignments. Birmingham Falls Elementary School utilizes the system's service to allow students to call up certain textbooks online, which can be a major help with homework.

Most elementary students students throughout the county are only assigned homework Monday-Thursday, other than ongoing projects, allowing students to full rest and recharge over the weekend.

For extra help with assignments, Fulton County students can access the Homework Hotline by calling 404-843-7700. Fulton County School certified teachers are available to assist with homework questions Monday - Thursday from 5 p.m.-8 p.m.

Though not affiliated with Fulton County Schools, online homework resources are available through websites like www.homeworkhelp.com, http://www.discoveryeducation.com/students/ and http://www.math.com/.