Motivating Students to Improve Grades
These are strategies used by teachers of students on an academic track who are failing or falling behind. It gives the student an antecedent visual prompt and then offers concrete and motivating ways to help the student get back on track.
Example:
I have a bright student with autism who is falling behind in their grades. When I talk to them about it, they don’t seem to understand what they have to do to pull up their grade. The student doesn’t seem to care much about the work that is assigned.
Strategies for Helping Students Bring Up Their Grades
Here are a few strategies to help you work with your students to bring their grades up for classes or subjects with which they are struggling.
Use a visual prompt as an antecedent (prior) warning and make a contract with your student. Use the student’s special interests as a motivator.
- If you are able to get a facsimile report card a few weeks before progress reports are sent home, this can help you identify areas in which the student needs to improve.
- After reviewing the areas of difficulty, create a concrete, structured plan to help the student achieve success in these areas.
- Make an outline of tasks or assignments that need to be completed in order to bring the grade up. Include deadlines for completion of each task. You can include a visual calendar with deadlines written on the corresponding dates.
Quick Facts
- Child’s Age: 11-17
- Planning Effort: Low
- Difficulty Level: Easy
Steps to Improving Students’ Grades
- An Advance Warning System Strategy is used by the teacher: a few weeks before progress reports are sent home, the student is given a facsimile report card.
- If the student would like to improve the grade in the weeks remaining, alternatives or ways to bring the grade up to the desired level are arrived at by the teacher and the student. They must be concrete and specific with timelines and frequent progress checks by the teacher and parents.
- List the specifics in the form of a contract and have the student sign it.
- Extra Credit Opportunities could also be included. These could be opportunities that draw on the student’s strengths or particular area of interest, allowing them to turn in bonus work with those topics as a focus. This might also be used as a substitution for other work.
Resources
Bringing Up Grades sample chart (Word document)
If you have questions or concerns about the Watson Institute’s use of this information, please contact us.
This resource was authored by Watson Institute Special Education Consultant LeeAnn Lukcic, M.Ed.