Assessment Matters!

It is back-to-school time, an opportunity for many parents, teachers, and students to broach the delicate issue of homework. What good does homework do? Should we push students to do it? How much is enough? These questions have become somewhat controversial in the world of education. Indeed, the relationship between homework and student performance is far from clear. Some research demonstrates positive effects of homework (Cooper, 1989; Marzano, Pickering, & Pollock, 2001), some points to negative effects (Kohn, 2006), and still other studies suggest minimal effects (Eren & Henderson, 2011). Moreover, these effects can vary according to subject and grade level, as well as the amount and type of homework assigned (Herrig, 2011). This issue of Assessment Matters! looks at evidence from different large-scale assessments in order to explore the relationship between homework and student achievement. Data were collected at three different grade levels: early, middle, and high school. First, Canadian data from the Progress in International Reading Literacy Study (PIRLS) are used to see how homework is linked to reading achievement in Grade 4 (early-grade level). Then, results from the Pan-Canadian Assessment Program (PCAP) help us consider the impact of homework on mathematics achievement in Grade 8/Secondary II (middle-grade level). Finally, data from the Programme for International Student Assessment (PISA) are analyzed to determine the link between homework and performance in mathematical literacy at age 15 (high-school level). In the early grades, more time spent on homework does not mean higher performance… For the PIRLS 2011 assessment, over 18,000 parents and primary caregivers of Grade 4 students across the countr