THE REGULATIONS ON HOMEWORK AND PROJECT ASSIGNMENT COMPLETION

According to Article 41 and 57 paragraph 1 of The Law on the Foundations of the Education System (Official Gazette of the Republic of Serbia, no. 72/2009, 52/2011, 55/2013, 35/2015 - authentic interpretation and 68/2015) and Article 54 of the Statute of Savremena International School, at the assembly held on 22nd June 2016, the School Board agreed to issue the following:

THE REGULATIONS ON HOMEWORKAND PROJECT ASSIGNMENT COMPLETION

I GENERAL PROVISIONS

ARTICLE 1

The school teaching staff and administration consider the practice of homework and projects as one of the vital means by which students can better acquire the required material in each curriculum area. The prime responsibility of homework and project completion rests on the students themselves. The teachers, parents, and administrators also play an integral role in a successful homework experience. The need for active communication is essential throughout the homework process.

ARTICLE 2

At the secondary school level, the purpose of homework and project assignments includes:

  • practice/review – to reinforce the knowledge and skills taught in lessons;
  • preparation – to introduce the materials to be presented in future lessons;
  • extension – to provide students who have shown an interest in achieving more with opportunities to transfer specific skills or concepts to new situations;
  • development – to enable students to develop their critical thinking and creative skills; a
  • pplication – to encourage students to connect the things they learned within one or more subjects;
  • emendation – to enable students to write and correct articles on assigned topics (project assignments).

ARTICLE 3

Homework assignments can include, but are not limited to:

  • preparation for tests or other forms of written papers,
  • research projects,
  • assignments that require students to familiarise themselves with the content of a written paper and/or to write short or extended essays.

Project assignments include, but are not limited to:

  • projects – individual or group projects;
  • writing and editing articles on assigned topics;
  • translating and/or adapting articles on assigned topics.

ARTICLE 4

Students are expected to complete their homework and project assignments by the due date. If a student is absent from school due to a justified reason, they are expected to complete the assignment in accordance with the subject teacher’s instructions and guidelines. Homework and project assignments to be completed over weekends or extended holidays should not be greater in scope than the assignments given during weekdays. Assignments to be submitted over the DL platform should be completed in no less than two (2) days. Each student shall only submit their paper over their personal DL account in order to uphold the moral principles in accordance with the Regulation on Student Rights, Obligations and Responsibilities.

Project assignments shall be completed and submitted no sooner than two weeks and no later than four weeks after they are assigned.

Project assignments shall be given in every subject at least 1 (once) per term, or 2 (two) times per year at the most. The procedure of allotting project assignments includes the following steps: selecting a topic in compliance with the curriculum; dividing students into pairs or groups; allotting topics to students.

The procedure of submitting project assignments comprises the following steps:

  • informing the teacher - upon completing their assignment, students shall inform their teacher via email;
  • providing feedback - the teacher checks the assignment and provides feedback;
  • revising and submitting - students make the necessary changes and submit the final version of the assignment;
  • evaluating the assignment - the assignment is evaluated and marked in compliance with the marking scheme and the Guidelines on Marking Standards and Classing Conventions.

II Special provisions

1. Obligations and liabilities of teachers

ARTICLE 5

Teachers have autonomy to assign homework and project assignments of varying scope and type to their students based on their educational programme, keeping in mind the following guidelines:

  • at the beginning of the school year, each teacher shall inform each student both orally and via e-mail regarding: the types of homework and project assignments they shall be assigned, their due dates and their manner of completion and evaluation;
  • each teacher is obliged to adhere to the form of the homework and project assignments which is an integral part of these Regulations;
  • at the beginning of each school year and the at the first parent - teacher conference, all teachers shall highlight the importance of homework and project assignments and acquaint the parents with the procedures of their completion;
  • each teacher must evaluate and correct the homework assignment as well as provide feedback to the student or their parent/guardian no later than 5 (five) days from receiving it and seven (7) days in case of a project assignment;
  • should a teacher believe something needs to be corrected in the homework or project assignment, they can ask the student to make the necessary changes within the aforementioned evaluation period;
  • if a teacher is unable to evaluate the homework and project assignments within the given time frame, they shall inform the students about the delay in a timely manner;
  • should a teacher sustain a student’s objection to their evaluation, they shall provide two (2) more days for the completion of the very homework assignment and five (5) days for the project assignment;
  • teachers shall provide feedback regarding the quality of the work and provide guidelines for improvement in the comments to the work;
  • based on their personal judgement, teachers are allowed to adapt the difficulty level and type of homework or project assignment adhering to the principle of individualisation and differentiation;
  • each teacher involved in the evaluation process shall adhere to the Guidelines on Marking Standards and and Classing Conventions with the possibility of using descriptive or numerical assessment criteria;
  • at the end of each assessment period, teachers shall assign all the previously completed homework assignments with one mark, as well as keep records in their e-diary and pedagogical cards;
  • for all project assignments a mark should be given, at least one per subject;
  • every teacher can appoint a maximum of one (1) homework assignment per week, and a minimum of two (2) homework assignments per month. They can also assign a minimum of 1 (one) project assignment per month, and a maximum of 2 (two) per months.

2. Obligations and liabilities of students

ARTICLE 6

Students are expected to understand the importance of homework and project assignments, and to comply with all the guidelines regarding the completion and deadlines for the said assignment.

ARTICLE 7

The students shall:

  • go through the training on the procedures regarding project assignments;
  • get informed both orally and via e-mail about the type of homework or project assignments, deadlines, the manner of their completion and their submission deadlines;
  • confirm via e-mail that they are informed and agree with the aforementioned;
  • complete the homework or project assignment within the defined deadline;
  • inform the given teacher in case they are prevented from completing the homework or project assignment within the deadline;
  • make every effort to complete each homework or project assignment to the best of their ability;
  • seek help from the teacher if they need help or additional information regarding the assignment before its submission deadline;
  • stay after school upon the teacher’s request and/or when necessary to work on their homework or project assignments;
  • complete the assigned homework or project assignment by themselves as they are the responsibility of the student, not of the parent / guardian, siblings, or other family members or parties;
  • get informed and adhere to the rules of the homework and project assignment procedures, which they will receive at the beginning of the school year;
  • read and adhere to the policy against plagiarism as stated in the Cambridge Statement on plagiarism and good academic practice and the School’s Rulebook on Plagiarism and Copyright Violations;
  • Cooperate with members of their group, if the homework or project assignment require group work.

ARTICLE 8

Students have a right to:

  • receive quality feedback regarding their work, as well as guidelines for improvement;
  • seek a deadline extension in case they have been justifiably prevented from completing their obligations;
  • submit an appeal to their teacher if they are not satisfied with their evaluation.

3. Obligations and liabilities of parents

ARTICLE 9

Parents / guardians play a significant role in the homework or project assignment completion process. Following the information regarding the completed homework and project assignments of their child which they receive via email on a weekly basis is a responsibility of all parents / guardians.

ARTICLE 10

The parent / guardian should:

  • monitor the completion of homework assignments via the e-diary, DL platform and weekly email notifications;
  • encourage sound homework and project practice;
  • provide assistance in managing the time needed for homework and project assignment completion;
  • support the school in implementing the working principles that presuppose that all homework and project assignments are completed at school during the study time;
  • contact the teachers in case there are justifiable reasons for extending the submission deadline for homework and project assignments;
  • support seeking remedial help from teachers if the need to do so arises.

III Concluding remarks

ARTICLE 11

These Regulations shall enter into force on the eighth day following its publishing on the noticeboard and the School’s website.

President of the School Board: ________________________________________

Biljana Tadić Kuleto

Savremena gimnazija

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