Bill Text: CA AB2999 | 2023-2024 | Regular Session | Amended

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Bill Title: Pupil instruction: homework policy.

Spectrum: Partisan Bill (Democrat 5-0)

Status: (Introduced) 2024-04-30 - Re-referred to Com. on APPR. [AB2999 Detail]

Download: California-2023-AB2999-Amended.html

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Amended  IN  Assembly  April 29, 2024

Amended  IN  Assembly  March 21, 2024

CALIFORNIA LEGISLATURE— 2023–2024 REGULAR SESSION

Assembly Bill

No. 2999

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Introduced by Assembly Member Schiavo Members Schiavo, Lowenthal, and Pellerin
(Coauthors: Assembly Members Jackson and Blanca Rubio)

February 16, 2024

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An act to add Chapter 6 (commencing with Section 52000) to Part 28 of Division 4 of Title 2 of the Education Code, relating to pupil instruction.

LEGISLATIVE COUNSEL'S DIGEST

AB 2999, as amended, Schiavo. Pupil instruction: homework policy.

Existing law grants pupils, parents, and guardians certain rights regarding the delivery of educational services, including, among others, rights regarding primary supplemental instruction materials. Existing law provides that none of these rights shall be construed as restricting teachers in the assignment of homework.

This bill would require each school district, county office of education, and charter school, on or before January 1, 2026, by the start of the 2027–28 school year, to develop and adopt, across at least 2 public meetings, a homework policy to create guidelines for clearer practices on assigning homework in transitional kindergarten, kindergarten, and any of grades 1 to 12, inclusive, for all grades maintained by the local educational agency, as specified. The bill would, among other things, require the adopted homework policy to be annually distributed at the beginning of the school year to all certificated staff and administrators, to all pupils and parents or legal guardians, as specified, and by publication on the local educational agency’s internet website and on the internet websites of the individual schools operated by the local educational agency. The bill would require the adopted policy to be updated at least once every 5 years. By imposing additional duties on local educational agencies, the bill would impose a state-mandated local program. The bill also would encourage private schools to adopt homework policies with guidelines consistent with these provisions. require the State Department of Education, by January 1, 2026, to develop and post on its internet website, guidelines for local educational agencies to use in developing the homework policy, as provided.

The California Constitution requires the state to reimburse local agencies and school districts for certain costs mandated by the state. Statutory provisions establish procedures for making that reimbursement.

This bill would provide that, if the Commission on State Mandates determines that the bill contains costs mandated by the state, reimbursement for those costs shall be made pursuant to the statutory provisions noted above.

Digest Key

Vote: MAJORITY   Appropriation: NO   Fiscal Committee: YES   Local Program: YES  

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Bill Text

The people of the State of California do enact as follows:

SECTION 1.

 The Legislature finds and declares all of the following:

(a)In light of the current mental health crisis, it is critical that local educational agencies, while in keeping with local control, act with intention regarding homework, which, studies show, is the highest cause of stress for pupils.

(b)Additionally, homework has a heavier burden on low-income pupils, influencing equity in education.

(c)In the Challenge Success-Stanford Survey of School Experiences, administered to over 11,500 high school pupils in the 2022–23 school year, 45 percent selected “overall workload and homework” as a major sources of stress in their lives right now, and of the more than 11,500 pupils that answered this question, 56 percent indicated grades, tests, and other assessments as a major source of stress, 45 percent indicated workload and homework as a major source of stress, 42 percent indicated procrastination or time management as a major source of stress, 40 percent indicated lack of sleep as a major source of stress, 33 percent indicated a specific class as a major source of stress, 33 percent indicated a lack of time to spend with friends or as downtime as a major source of stress, and 32 percent indicated getting into college/university as a major source of stress.

(d)Lack of access to a computer and internet may further tax pupils from lower income families, especially as the homework load increases. A 2018 analysis of United States Census Bureau data, in combination with research from authors from the Pew Research Center, found that one in five teens cannot regularly complete their homework due to a lack of necessary technology, and that these pupils are disproportionately Black and Latinx.

(a) Research has established that effective homework assignments state clear objectives, are relevant to pupils, and are age appropriate in difficulty and time required for completion.

(b) Research has also found that the quality of homework assignments is more important than the quantity of work assigned, and that when pupils find homework interesting, relevant, and valuable, they are more likely to complete it.

(e)

(c) For elementary school pupils, research has found no correlation between the amount of time spent on homework and achievement; that is, pupils who completed more homework were no more likely than their peers to earn higher grades and scores in school. For middle and high school pupils, research has found an increase in academic performance when middle school pupils did up to one hour of homework and high school pupils did up to two hours daily. But, significantly, these effects began to fade as pupils did more work, and more time spent on homework did not necessarily equate to higher academic achievement. Other studies have further challenged the assumption that more time spent doing homework leads to higher achievement, including research that investigated whether time spent on math homework in particular would lead to higher scores on a standardized math achievement test. In a study of nearly 5,000 15-year-old pupils, researchers found that, after controlling for prior math achievement, pupils who did more math homework on average earned worse scores on the standardized test, as more time spent on homework in this case correlated with lower achievement.

(f)

(d) Other research has found that too much homework is associated with:

(1) Greater stress, where 56 45 percent of the pupils considered homework a primary source of stress, according to the survey data, and 43 56 percent viewed tests as a primary stressor, while 33 percent put the pressure to get good grades in that category. Fewer than 1 percent of the pupils said homework was not a stressor.

(2) Reductions in health, as many pupils, in their open-ended answers, said their homework load led to sleep deprivation and other health problems, and researchers asked pupils whether they experienced is associated with less sleep, and said stress, which is heavily impacted by homework load, was associated with physical health issues such as headaches, exhaustion, sleep deprivation, weight loss, and stomach problems.

(3) Less time for friends, family, and extracurricular pursuits, as both the survey data and pupils’ responses indicate that spending too much time on homework meant that pupils were “not meeting their developmental needs or cultivating other critical life skills,” according to the researchers, and pupils were more likely to drop activities, not see friends or family, and not pursue hobbies they enjoy.

(e) Well-designed homework may support learning in different ways. Reading assigned as homework may help pupils master this critical skill. Some activities cannot be done effectively or efficiently in class. There are also many instructional programs and settings that may require pupil work outside of school hours, including project-based learning, dual enrollment, independent study, career technical education, and other applied forms of learning. Pupils may also have unique needs, such as those needing intervention, which require work outside of school hours.

(f) When completion of homework depends on parental involvement or access to technology, it has the potential to exacerbate inequities and achievement gaps. Lack of access to technology to complete homework is sometimes known as the “homework gap.” A 2018 analysis of United States Census Bureau data by the Pew Research Center found that 17 percent of all teens, and 25 percent of black teens, report that they are often or sometimes unable to complete homework assignments because they do not have reliable access to a computer or internet connection.

(g) To promote effective homework practices which support pupil learning and well-being, as well as consistency and clarity in homework practices, there is a need for each local educational agency to adopt an evidence-based homework policy which is responsive to the needs and desires of pupils, parents, and educators in each community.

SEC. 2.

 Chapter 6 (commencing with Section 52000) is added to Part 28 of Division 4 of Title 2 of the Education Code, to read:

CHAPTER  6. Homework Policies

52000.

 (a) On or before January 1, 2026, By the start of the 2027–28 school year, each local educational agency shall develop, adopt, and update at least once every five years, a homework policy to create guidelines for clearer practices on assigning homework in transitional kindergarten, kindergarten, and any of grades 1 to 12, inclusive, for all grades maintained by the local educational agency. The goal of the policy shall be to promote evidence-based homework practices to support pupil learning and well-being, and to ensure consistency and clarity in assigning of homework. The development of the policy shall involve significant stakeholder participation in order to ensure that the policies are responsive to the unique needs and desires of pupils, parents, and educators in each community.

(b) In developing the homework policy, the governing board or body of the local educational agency shall convene stakeholders, including, but not limited to, pupils, parents, teachers, administrators, and other school staff, to do all of the following:

(1) Examine and collect data on the current homework practices of schools in the local educational agency, including the nature of assignments and the time required at each grade level.

(2) Reflect on the effectiveness of these practices and identify strengths and weakness of current practices.

(3) Solicit stakeholder feedback.

(c) (1) The homework policy shall be publicly discussed, with public comment, and considered for adoption at a minimum of two separate regularly scheduled public meetings conducted pursuant to the Ralph M. Brown Act (Chapter 9 (commencing with Section 54950) of Part 1 of Division 2 of Title 5 of the Government Code).

(2) Notwithstanding paragraph (1), a local educational agency may first pilot the homework policy and collect stakeholder feedback before adopting a final policy.

(b)

(d) In developing the homework policy, the governing board or body of the local educational agency shall do consider all of the following:

(1)Consider recent research on homework’s impact on each of the following:

(A)Pupil mental health.

(B)Pupil physical health.

(C)Equity in education.

(D)Appropriate uses of homework at each grade level that allow for experimentation or preparation, along with being beneficial to pupils and that enhance the educational program.

(2)Consider all of the following:

(A)The meaningful input with shared leadership of teachers, educators, administrators, parents, school counselors and social workers, and pupils.

(B)The reasonable amount of time spent on homework per pupil that should not be exceeded.

(C)The lack of universal access to the internet, computers, and learning tools.

(D)Language barriers.

(E)Pupils with learning disabilities.

(F)The significant investment of staff time on homework.

(G)Using homework strategically when it is most impactful.

(H)Whether homework should be assigned or required in transitional kindergarten, kindergarten, or in any elementary school grade, inclusive, with appropriate exceptions.

(I)Whether homework should be optional and not graded.

(J)Appropriate accommodations, if needed, to address the mental health impacts of homework.

(c)The homework policy shall be publicly discussed, with public comment, and considered for adoption at a minimum of two separate regularly scheduled public meetings conducted pursuant to the Ralph M. Brown Act (Chapter 9 (commencing with Section 54950) of Part 1 of Division 2 of Title 5 of the Government Code).

(1) Research on effective homework practices, including the quality of assignments and quantity of work assigned, which support pupil learning and well-being, including, but not limited to, mental and physical health.

(2) Elements of a homework policy that ensure the use of effective homework practices to support pupil learning and well-being, including the quality of assignments, quantity of work assigned at each grade level, and days on which homework is assigned.

(3) Equity in homework practices, including, but not limited to, the availability of supports needed to successfully complete homework, such as parental support and access to technology.

(4) Different types of homework, including for practice, completion of in-class work, preparation, and extension.

(5) Different educational placements and programs in which pupils are enrolled, including, but not limited to, independent study, honors courses, advanced placement courses, international baccalaureate courses, dual enrollment courses, accelerated pathways, music programs, credit recovery programs, continuation schools, block scheduling, and project-based learning.

(6) Individual pupil needs, including, but not limited to, pupils with individualized education programs adopted pursuant to the federal Individuals with Disabilities Education Act (20 U.S.C. Sec. 1400 et seq.), pupils with a plan adopted pursuant to Section 504 of the federal Rehabilitation Act of 1973 (29 U.S.C. Sec. 794(a)), and English learners.

(7) Developmental appropriateness of homework assigned in primary, intermediate, and secondary grades.

(8) Grading practices for homework, including whether homework should be optional and whether it should be graded, and opportunities to complete makeup work for missed assignments.

(9) The need for professional development and collaboration time for teachers to coordinate and implement effective homework practices.

(10) The roles and responsibilities of all pupils, parents, teachers, and administrators in implementing the homework policy.

(d)

(e) Local educational agencies shall annually distribute the adopted homework policy at the beginning of the school year to all certificated staff and administrators, to all pupils and parents or legal guardians as part of the notification pursuant to Section 48980 or upon enrollment, and by publication on the local educational agency’s internet website and on the internet websites of the individual schools operated by the local educational agency.

(e)Each private school is encouraged to adopt a homework policy with guidelines consistent with this section.

(f) The department shall, by January 1, 2026, develop and post on its internet website guidelines for local educational agencies to use in developing a local homework policy, as described in subdivision (a), which includes the processes described in subdivisions (b), (c), and (e), and the considerations listed in subdivision (d).

(f)

(g) For purposes of this section, “local educational agency” means a school district, county office of education, or charter school.

SEC. 3.

 If the Commission on State Mandates determines that this act contains costs mandated by the state, reimbursement to local agencies and school districts for those costs shall be made pursuant to Part 7 (commencing with Section 17500) of Division 4 of Title 2 of the Government Code.