Some students in Champaign will be pleased to know their homework doesn't count toward their grade.  It's part of a new grading system in Champaign that's designed to help students focus on understanding the material.  Central High School is using a new standards-based system for freshman.  That means the incoming students won't get a traditional letter grade for their day-to-day work.  Instead, they'll get a number one, two, three, or four.  The idea is to get students to master a concept before moving on to the next.  Students will have several chances during the semester to earn the highest score of four on a unit to demonstrate they've mastered it.  And as far as homework goes, there is at least one perk for students who choose to do it.  They get to retake tests when they feel that they can improve their score.  And yes, tests still do count toward their final grade.