Page 4 THE VILLADOM TIMES I • November 9, 2011 Franklin Lakes K-8 school district holds Fall School Forum by Frank J. McMahon The Franklin Lakes K-8 School District recently held its 2011 Fall School Forum, which drew 50 people to the morning session. Superintendent of Schools Frank Romano described the event as “candid and productive.” The superintendent said most of those who attended the forum found the session to be valuable based on the conversations and the feedback he received. Those in attendance included parents, guardians, administrators, and teachers. Romano framed the discussion as an update on the elementary school report card, a guided homework dialogue beginning with homework related questions and including some current research and literature, and responses to questions submitted in advance and questions from the floor. Romano provided an update on the work of the Report Card Committee and explained that the district’s elementary schools have had a 1-2-3-4 grading system but, as curricula evolve, report cards need to evolve also. He noted that the committee will continue its work throughout this year and new report cards will be implemented at the start of the 2012-13 school year. Romano said the work of the Report Card Committee has already begun to positively impact the way the district conducts its business, and teachers have begun to explore the practice of averaging grades, especially at the fourth and fifth grade levels, in preparation for the new reporting system. He explained that the committee’s new timeline and implementation plan will allow teachers to shift their practices over the remainder of this school year into next and the new report card might be a combination of letters, numbers, and simple indicators like asterisks, and checkmarks. Romano added that the use of letter grades in upper elementary school might serve as one way of effectively transitioning students to middle school. On homework, Romano pointed out that, in the spring of 2009, the board of education approved a sixpage document, “Homework Guidelines, Grades K8, Home and School Working Together.” That guide was created by a committee of teachers, parents, and administrators to offer a philosophy, define the types of assignments, set guidelines for the amount of homework time per day, and define teacher, student, and parent responsibilities. Romano offered attendees some texts to provide general information about homework and to provide structure and focus to the discussion. He directed people to the district’s website for access to all district policies concerning homework. He also distributed various articles and documents on the subject of homework, including “Homework Guidelines, Grades K-8, Home and School Working Together” and “Five Hallmarks of Good Homework” by Cathy Vatterott. From those articles, he drew the following beliefs to prompt and focus the discussion: The role of the school is to extend learning beyond the classroom; intellectual activity is intrinsically more valuable than nonintellectual activity; homework teaches responsibility; lots of homework is a sign of a rigorous curriculum; good teachers give homework; and good students do their homework. Asked if the amount of homework could be cut back, Romano responded, “We need to distinguish between quality and quantity of homework. Changes in the quantity of homework are achievable and can be implemented fairly quickly and easily.” He added that educators are looking for permission and support and the district will begin that conversation at the Nov. 8 teacher viewing of “Race to Nowhere” after which there will be a collegial discussion. The forum also provided an opportunity for those in attendance to ask questions which led to an overview by Cheryl Best, the district’s curriculum director, of the 2010-11 general trends for NJ ASK. Best presented two slides from her upcoming presentation to the board of education regarding state testing and data. A question was also asked about the district’s antibullying policies and it was pointed out that Franklin Lakes will be hosting parent nights at each school to cover the new law.