a homework pass

• Grades 6-12
• School Leaders

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Free Printable Homework Pass Set for K-12 Teachers

Plus ideas for using them.

The homework pass just might be the most coveted of all school rewards. It’s easy for teachers too, since it doesn’t cost a thing. Make it even easier to hand out homework passes with our free printable set of two options, each in two styles. Just fill out the form on this page to grab them.

Homework can be a surprisingly controversial topic. While many assume it’s just a natural part of a child’s education, others feel that homework isn’t all it’s cracked up to be . As we seek to encourage a better work-life balance for adults, is it possible homework is sending the wrong message to kids ?

That being said, very few schools have banned homework altogether , and it does have its benefits. It’s especially useful in subjects like math and reading, where students profit from lots of skills practice. Sometimes, though, it’s nice to offer kids a break with no penalty, or at least the chance to postpone their assignment to a better night. That’s where the homework pass comes in.

Homework Pass Options

Our free printable homework passes come in two options, with styles for both elementary and middle/high school:

• No Homework: This pass allows kids to skip a homework assignment, with no penalty to their grade.
• One Day Late: This one gives them an extra day to turn in their work, which can be really helpful if they have a busy night of after-school activities or aren’t feeling well.

Most teachers put some limitations on their homework passes, specifying that they’re for certain assignments only. (You don’t want to give a student a free pass on a big project or paper.) Make sure you explain any restrictions when you hand yours out.

Some teachers give every student a certain number of passes to use each semester or year. Others use them as rewards or prizes for in-class competitions or quizzes.

Get Your Free Printable Homework Passes!

However you choose to use them, you can grab your free homework pass printable set by filling out this quick form.

Do you ever reward students with a homework pass? Come share your thoughts and ask for advice in the We Are Teachers HELPLINE group on Facebook .

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Homework Pass

Be everyone's favorite teacher with this No Homework pass!

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Printable Homework Passes | Free Homework Pass Template

Teachers, if you want to make a few homework passes to hand out to a few hardworking students, please take a look at the printable homework pass templates I have drawn.

For best results, print the homework passes on sturdy construction paper. Then carefully cut them out with scissors or an x-acto knife. If you want to reuse the same passes multiple times, simply leave the “for” and “date” lines blank and laminate the pass.

Homework Pass Template

Black & white version.

Please click the template image below to go its download page in the Printables Library.

Color Version

Thanks for visiting Tim’s Printables. If you want to easily browse all the printables on the site, please visit the Printables Library . There you’ll find a large collection of free educational resources for parents, teachers and students.

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The Magic of a Homework Pass for Classroom Management

I surprised all of them this morning with a HAPPY NEW YEAR homework pass. I rarely hand out paper homework passes because I am trying to cut down on my class’ paper consumption. This year students have received only three paper homework passes Welcome Back, Birthday and Happy New Year. 

Students get so excited when they get a homework pass. The majority of my students do not use them. They like to collect them throughout the year to see how many they can collect and not use. I taught some of my current students last year in my 7/8 split. They asked me on the first day of school if their homework passes carry over. 

Do you use homework passes in your classroom? What is your procedure? Please share your ideas in the comments section below.  Try reward passes in your classroom. Find this resource on Shopify CAD and Teachers Pay Teachers USD .

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1 thought on “The Magic of a Homework Pass for Classroom Management”

K-Hope you are feeling better soon! I love the idea for the passes! I don't do this because I expect homework to be done and I give students plenty of time to get it finished and handed in on time. I do use something similar to you though..I stopped having a prize box this year and I have a set of cards…I got the idea from PINTEREST..and I laminated them. Things like, Special Supply Box, Specialty Seating, Wear a Hat in Class, Wear your IPOD in class. The kids LOVE it. I keep track of them in a method similar to yours…but I do hand out the pass…the kids love picking one out and then they have to submit it when they want to redeem it. I guess I don't worry too much because I laminated them, so they will get used again and again. This has motivated my students much more than the regular "pull something out of the prize box" and it has cost me next to nothing! Get better soon!

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Printable No Homework Passes

Updated:  25 Apr 2024

Reward students with a No Homework Pass using our printable homework pass templates.

Editable:  Google Slides

Non-Editable:  PDF

Pages:  1 Page

Years:  2 - 6

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You Get a Homework Pass! And You Get a Homework Pass!

If you’ve been in the classroom awhile, you’ve seen it happen. The moment you mention the concept of ‘No Homework’, the student’s eyes light up with anticipation. There’s nothing they won’t do to get out of writing those spelling words or memorising those maths facts, so you may as well use that interest to your advantage and monopolise it as a classroom reward!

This year, the Teach Starter team is excited to help you prep for the year, manage your classroom, and feel like Oprah Winfrey on giveaway day with our brand new Homework Pass Printable Resource Pack!

You Can Even Edit Your Homework Pass Printable!

This printable resource pack contains six fun homework pass templates to use as part of your classroom reward system. Each sheet includes a group of nine bright and bold homework passes that your students are sure to love. All you have to do is click print, cut them apart, and they’re ready to use! We have included the following options in this Editable Slides file or Homework Pass PDF.

• Thumbs Up! No Homework Pass
• Have a DINO NIGHT! No Homework Pass
• Have a Llama Fun! No Homework Pass
• Have a Poppin’ Night No Homework Pass
• Thanks for Being Paw-Some No Homework Pass
• VIP No Homework Pass

We have included full-colour passes for reusable purposes (like adding them to your school store lineup) and black-and-white versions if you choose to go the disposable route. Just make sure you put your student’s names on them so they don’t end up in the wrong hands!

Download and Print Your No Homework Pass Templates!

This resource is available as an easy-to-use Google Slides or Printable PDF Resource file. To get your copy, click the dropdown arrow on the download button to select your preferred file format. Print, cut, and they’re ready to use!

This resource was created by Lindsey Phillips, a teacher and Teach Starter Collaborator.

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Looking for more ways to organise your classroom and manage your students’ behaviours? Try these out before you go!

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Free Homework Pass: A No Homework Pass is the perfect Reward Card

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Students will LOVE these Free Homework Passes! Free Homework Cards come in both 3 or 6 to a page. Choose the size you prefer and print in color or black. You can even laminate these free homework passes so you can continue to use them every year! A great addition to your classroom management plan. Everyone loves no homework!

Free Homework Passes includes:

- PDF file of Free Homework Passes in color and black & white.

- 2 Size options, either 3 or 6 to a page

**Click the following link to download six sample Reward Cards for FREE! Reward Card Sample Pack Sample cards are NOT editable.

Look in my store for a complete set of 24 cards, plus blank and editable cards!

24 EDITABLE Reward Cards

Read my recent blog post to learn more about how I use reward cards in my classroom.

Looking for more Classroom Forms?

- Beginning of Year Parent and Student Survey

- Free Homework Pass

- Test Retake Request

- Student Reading Log

- Missing Homework Note

- Behavior Alert and Behavior Praise

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- Absent Student Form

- Weekly Homework Agenda

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Why I stopped giving homework passes & my students loved it!

For years (literally, like 7 of them), homework passes were my go-to reward. Had a birthday, I gave you a Birthday Pass. Did something above and beyond? I rewarded you with a pass. Get the picture? It was pretty bad…or good, depending on your viewpoint. About a year ago, I had an epiphany.

As I am sure you know, there is a plethora of research on homework.

There are those in the Alfie Kohn camp , who argue homework has no educational purpose. Then there are those who suggest that without it, there just isn’t enough time in the day to build all the necessary academic skills.

However, neither of these camps actually swayed my decision. Keep reading to find out why I no longer give homework passes & what I do instead.

Why I stopped giving homework passes

So why did I give up on passes?

While they weren’t causing any major issues, they also weren’t serving any purpose. In fact, they were working against my goals.

I stopped giving these passes because it gave the impression that I didn’t see the homework as purposeful or valuable.

Why am I giving it if I am willing to let you skip it?

A homework pass tells students that homework doesn’t matter. They can skip it on a whim just by trading in a ticket. Some students used these appropriately – when they forgot an assignment or had a busy night and couldn’t quite finish. However, most did not.

Homework passes tell students that the assignment itself is a punishment.

Instead, I want my students to be getting value from their assignments…perhaps even (GASP!!) enjoying it.

How do I handle things now that I quit giving homework passes?

At my campus, homework is required for all students starting in first grade so eliminating homework wasn’t an option. While I may have wanted to, it just wasn’t a choice for me. Instead, I decided to take a different route.

I decided to incorporate choice . I believe that choice is one of the biggest transformational factors we can incorporate into our classrooms. So the first thing I did was change the assignments to give students options.

For me, this came in the form of homework choice boards, which we called Homework BINGO .

Homework choice boards offer me the opportunity to differentiate while being sure students were practicing the essential skills required by my school – like math facts and consistently reading at home.

When I introduced the new homework format, the students LOVED it! It was the first time they felt like they had any control over their school assignments.

How do Homework Choice Boards work?

I knew homework should focus on practicing skills that students have already learned. Many students don’t have a parent to help them with homework, and they don’t need to be trying to master new skills without support.

I also don’t want to set families up for added stress because they aren’t available to help as much as they would like. It just isn’t great for building home-school relationships , you know?

That’s why I set up the assignments in each square of the choice board to be something they should already know how to do independently.

Reading, writing, math – the basics. I knew if my students continued to build on the basics at home they could do the more challenging tasks at school more easily.

I created the options on the Homework BINGO boards to be familiar but to push students slightly out of their comfort zone. For example, about half of the squares on the board were reading and writing activities, but each square is different.

The option in one square might be 15 minutes of reading about a famous person.

Another square is reading a book of your own choice. They are both reading, but now the students have options and parents can be in control of differentiating based on what works for their lifestyle.

I did the same thing for writing, math, and spelling (all our required homework components).

So what are the rules of Homework BINGO?

I urge the students to make a variety of choices in order to earn BINGO each week. However, I do not make this a requirement. Instead, each student must finish 10 of the 25 squares.

I offer an incentive for those earning BINGO – a chance to earn line leader the following week. Since this is a pretty hot commodity in my classroom, I get many students trying to enter the competition.

Regardless of whether they get BINGO, students have their choice board signed by an adult and return it on Friday. That’s it! I pass out a new board on Monday, and students glue it into their take-home journal and we start the process again.

And what do your students and parents think about it?

You wouldn’t believe how many students describe their homework as fun!

And the parents?

Let’s just say I get a LOT less parent communication about homework now.

Over the years, I’ve heard it all.

“You give too much homework.”

“Can you give us some extra assignments? We need more homework.”

With the Homework BINGO boards, parents can differentiate for their children. The ball is in their court with how much homework to give beyond the minimum expectations.

I even get comments during parent conferences about how much they like the homework and how they see their children challenging themselves to try something new.

Definitely not something I ever imagined happening.

My replacement for homework passes – Choice Boards

Of course, I still have rewards in my room. I’ve adjusted them so they don’t undermine the joy of learning as the passes did.

Popular choices these days include:

• Shoes off math – a carry-over from my own 2nd-grade teacher, Mr. Hammer, who was WAY ahead of his time
• Use markers or crayons instead of pencils on an assignment
• Flashlight reading

Basically, I have decided to give other choices that are exciting to the students. The funny thing is, I don’t miss homework passes…and neither do my students. My homework process is smoother, and my students are interested in participating.

Want to try the BINGO choice boards in your classroom?

Want to give this differentiated homework option a try? It is currently available in my Teachers Pay Teachers store.

You can get Homework BINGO here .

It contains weekly homework sheets aligned with a September to May school year. Each week has a slightly different set of options that go with monthly themes and holidays.

Homework BINGO is also editable to allow you to align tasks to your unit plans and practice your students need to be successful. This means you can provide differentiated homework menus to fit your classroom each year.

I’d love to hear more about homework in your classroom. Do you still use homework passes?

Looking for more articles on how to differentiate for your students?

Check out the links below:

• 5 simple strategies to support struggling learners in science & social studies
• How to differentiate reading for struggling learners

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