The Fort Zumwalt Board of Education has a new "to do" list of its own for the 2011-12 school year.

The board agreed on Aug. 15 to a list of "priorities" for the school year that range from reviewing how much homework students should have, to educating parents on serious issues such as teen suicide.

Superintendent Bernard DuBray developed the draft list with input from board members.

"What I have here is nine priorities that will give direction to the staff about what's important to the Board of Education," DuBray told the board.

The priorities include:

• Reviewing and revising the curriculum for business for grades eight through high school and for high school foreign language. Teachers would serve on curriculum committees to revise the curriculums.

• "Fine tune" the elementary science curriculum for elementary school students that was implemented last year.

• Reviewing the current policy on homework for students, which dates back to the 1980s. A committee of board members, teachers and community members will review the district's policies by grade level.

"I think it needs to be looked at," DuBray said.

• Looking at the need for alternative education programs to help at-risk middle school students. DuBray said the district has been successful with Hope High School, which works with high school students who haven't done well academically and face other challenges.

"Alternative programs are very, very expensive, and now is not the time to implement new programs, but I think we need to look at it," he said.

• Continuing to look at a long-range plan to help students with autism. The district is expanding its Transition Center, which provides instruction for some students. The district has been looking at a permanent facility to work with students with autistic behaviors that limit their ability to be in a regular classroom setting. Programs outside the district are expensive.

• Improving student respect and behavior in schools. DuBray said a district Courtesy and Respect Committee will review progress toward this goal, which was first established in 1994.

• Reviewing the need for high school students to wear their student picture identification badges in school. Principals and staff are expected to look at ways to get more students to comply. The board agreed to extend the policy this year after some debate about the need for the badges and whether getting students to wear the badges is worth the effort involved in enforcing the policy.

• Completing a revision of the district's long-range plan that looks at enrollment projections, assessed valuation projections for real estate within the district, building needs and curriculum reviews.

• Continuing parent and student education on the devastating effects of teen suicide.

Board members had little disagreement with the nine priorities. Board member Renee Porter, however, asked if improving student performance, particularly on standardized tests, should be added to the list.

DuBray said test performance is involved in many of the nine priorities and already is the focus of much effort.

Porter said that may be true. "But I don't see it articulated," she said.

Board member Laure Schmidt disagreed. "I would not like that to be added as a priority, because I think we're already doing that," Schmidt said. "It's more important to have enthusiastic teachers. There is too much focus on test scores."