Hmm we go to a Center school and there is almost zero homework, at least through 3-5th grade. A small weekly math assignment that takes 15 minutes max, and that's it. It's actually annoying because I want my child to learn how to focus and study at home, and it's not helping her at all. I'm appreciative of the low-pressure environment, but concerned about the impact on her development of study habits.

Yes, there’s homework at our FCPS AAP Level IV Center School. I’ve heard from friends of ours and transfer parents to our Center school that non-Center school’s AAP program is watered down because they put AAP students with non-AAP students when they can’t make a 100% FT Level IV class of 20+ kids.

After one year they end up transferring their kids out of their neighborhood assigned school to the Center school. There are some transportation offered at points where there’s other transfer students or you’ll end up having to provide transportation for your child. Something else to think about, if you care, your child won’t be attending the same school as the other neighborhood kids. But that’s life. One must make their own choices and take their own path. We shouldn’t base our life decisions on our friends. And I digress… back to your original question…

Yes, there’s homework. This is our experience at our FCPS LEVEL IV Center School.

3rd grade approx 15 min 2-3x a week.
4th grade 15-30 min everyday.
5th grade 15-60 min everyday.

Yes.
3rd grade approx 15 min 2-3x a week.
4th grade 15-30 min everyday.
5th grade 15-60 min everyday.

Anonymous wrote:The short answer is "no". FCPS elementary schools have implemented a "no homework" policy and homework usually means reading time at home. It's not like our past where writing, penmanship or other such things are sent home for kids to do. Even in 6th grade at Haycock Elementary Level 4 AAP, there is actually very little work coming home to complete. It's usually some PBL-type assignment. Currently the big focus for my 6th grader at Haycock is the National History Day project, which if I understand correctly, is all 6th graders in the school who are participating. These are the types of things coming home for work assignments.

This is inaccurate. FCPS has a clear policy on homework. It sounds like your particular school has a no-homework policy. From the FCPS policy:

“Teachers should estimate the amount of time the average student would require to complete an assignment. In general, homework across disciplines should not exceed 0.5 hour in kindergarten through grade three, 1 hour in grades four through six, 1.5 hours at the middle school level, and 2 hours at the high school level.”

https://www.fcps.edu/academics/grading-and-reporting/secondary/homework-and-makeup-work#:~:text=To%20ensure%20that%20student%20homework,part%20of%20the%20homework%20load.

Homework was a nightmare at my kid’s Elem AAP center school. There were teachers who simply assigned loads of homework (volume). They weren’t certified in teaching gifted children and had no clue what was appropriate homework or not.

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Anonymous wrote:The short answer is "no". FCPS elementary schools have implemented a "no homework" policy and homework usually means reading time at home. It's not like our past where writing, penmanship or other such things are sent home for kids to do. Even in 6th grade at Haycock Elementary Level 4 AAP, there is actually very little work coming home to complete. It's usually some PBL-type assignment. Currently the big focus for my 6th grader at Haycock is the National History Day project, which if I understand correctly, is all 6th graders in the school who are participating. These are the types of things coming home for work assignments.

There is no FCPS "no homework" implementation. That may be your school's approach. My 6th grade AAP typically has math and either social studies or a writing project.

At our Center, 5th and 6th grade AAP have homework almost every single night--and in 5th grade it was not infrequently more than an hour for my really conscientious (almost perfectionist) kid. Math homework every night, reading and often writing most nights, and science, social studies, vocab added in the mix, too.

You and your conscientious kid should be grateful. My DC is now dealing with the impacts of not having homework 4th and up - no drill and kill on math means it takes her too long to do problems in some timed tests, even though she knows the concepts perfect.

I'm not sure that you can claim she knows something perfectly if she cannot do it on a timed test. Usually school tests have ample time to do the problems, unlike say, math competitions. I agree with your general point about homework, particularly meaningful homework.

6th grade teacher has been giving them tests with a tight timeline - DC is not the only one not finishing. IOWA is timed. Private school admissions tests are timed.

And this is why we go to places like RSM. DS has had homework at school most years but RSM has always given him homework and timed tests. And the math is far more challenging then what is taught at school, even in Advanced Math.

I'm sitting in the AoPS parking lot right now and agree with that.

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Anonymous wrote:The short answer is "no". FCPS elementary schools have implemented a "no homework" policy and homework usually means reading time at home. It's not like our past where writing, penmanship or other such things are sent home for kids to do. Even in 6th grade at Haycock Elementary Level 4 AAP, there is actually very little work coming home to complete. It's usually some PBL-type assignment. Currently the big focus for my 6th grader at Haycock is the National History Day project, which if I understand correctly, is all 6th graders in the school who are participating. These are the types of things coming home for work assignments.

There is no FCPS "no homework" implementation. That may be your school's approach. My 6th grade AAP typically has math and either social studies or a writing project.

At our Center, 5th and 6th grade AAP have homework almost every single night--and in 5th grade it was not infrequently more than an hour for my really conscientious (almost perfectionist) kid. Math homework every night, reading and often writing most nights, and science, social studies, vocab added in the mix, too.

You and your conscientious kid should be grateful. My DC is now dealing with the impacts of not having homework 4th and up - no drill and kill on math means it takes her too long to do problems in some timed tests, even though she knows the concepts perfect.

I'm not sure that you can claim she knows something perfectly if she cannot do it on a timed test. Usually school tests have ample time to do the problems, unlike say, math competitions. I agree with your general point about homework, particularly meaningful homework.

6th grade teacher has been giving them tests with a tight timeline - DC is not the only one not finishing. IOWA is timed. Private school admissions tests are timed.

And this is why we go to places like RSM. DS has had homework at school most years but RSM has always given him homework and timed tests. And the math is far more challenging then what is taught at school, even in Advanced Math.