The word "co-op" has a very broad definition within the homeschooling community and such groups can have vast differences in their design, such as their structure, style, expectations of membership, and academic intensity.  As such, the simple term "homeschool co-op" can mean many different things to many different people because of the wide variety that exists among these types of groups.  Some are more of a social gathering for families, some offer casual semester-based elective classes, and others still are designed more as hybrid-type "pod learning" programs that can meet multiple days a week.

That being said, we consider SALT a highly-academic homeschool co-op, designed to help families provide their children with a rich, wholesome, and well-rounded education.  As part of our intention to work together to lighten the burden of preparing and teaching multiple subjects and grade levels at home, one of the responsibilities of the teachers in the upper level classes is to create and assign homework that the students will complete throughout the week to build their academic skill set, reinforce their learning, and be able to participate meaningfully in class.  This eliminates the need for individual parents to be brainstorming or creating projects or assignments for their children at home.  Instead, they are able to simply follow through with what the teacher has assigned for the class and assist their student throughout the week, as needed.

We believe that being a part of SALT is a privilege for the self-motivated student with fully involved parents, and we expect students and families to take their educational studies seriously and wholeheartedly, fully committed to academic excellence.  Out of respect for the other students and the teacher's time, the overarching expectation and culture of our co-op is that if an assignment is requested to be handed in, then the student should be prepared to do so, barring any unforeseen circumstances.

As such, our Handbook policy states: "Any and all homework assignments are expected to be handed in on time, and in the format requested by the teacher.  In the same manner, any readings assigned as preparation for a class are required to be completed beforehand.  Students are to complete assignments to the best of their ability and with honesty, therefore only handing in or claiming work as their own if it is in fact their own work."

Upon enrollment, parents will receive online access to our "SALT Drive" where all necessary resources for the co-op are available to our members.

Specific documents that contain the weekly homework assignments for our upper grade levels will be available on the SALT Drive for parents, and can be easily printed out or captured as a screenshot on their phone each week.  The homework being assigned is also reviewed with the students briefly at the end of the class by their teachers.

Examples of a typical week of homework assignment, by class level, are detailed below.