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Here in Austin, there are about eight weeks left in the school year. We’re into the last marking period, and the window is closing for students to bring up their grades and turn their year around if it’s headed in the wrong direction. However, eight weeks is still a lot of time, and with the right plan, most students can still find success by the end of the school year. This blog post outlines the week by week steps to follow to turn the school year around and end it on a high note!
The most important place to start when trying to turn your year around is to reflect on the year. Be honest with yourself about what went well and what did not. Consider any strategies that helped you be successful, and what habits or conditions created barriers. In addition to self-reflection, look at your grades from each of your classes to get a clear sense of how you’ve been doing and what is necessary to end the year where you want to. Looking at your grades will also help you be realistic when setting your end of year goals, as there might be certain grades that are out of reach at this point.
Once you’ve really reflected on your performance this year, you should set some goals for the end of the year. These goals should be achievable, but ambitious enough to be motivating. You might set goals around passing each class, or perhaps bringing certain grades up to A’s or B’s. Once you’ve set these goals, it’s time to make a plan.
To create this plan, you should first make a list of all of your missing assignments in each class. Part of your plan should include completing all missing assignments. You should also make a list of any low grades on specific assignments, in order to later ask your teachers if you can complete makeup assignments or extra credit to improve those grades. Once you have that information, your next step is to talk to each of your teachers and ask them how to improve your grade. Show them the list you’ve created, and ask them if there’s anything you can skip and what you can make up. Write down everything they say to help you make your final plan.
The final step of creating this plan, once you have a good idea of what you need to do to be successful, is to plan out your work time. If you are falling behind in your courses, you will need to do extra work outside of class, whether it’s at home, in a study hall, or staying after school for help. Determine how much time you will need to spend each week, both catching up and getting the help you need to stay caught up. Once you determine that time, choose which days and times work best for your schedule and plan to start tackling the work in week 2.
Once you have taken the time to make your comprehensive plan, it’s time to start executing it. During week 2, you should start working through any backlogged work. An extremely important tip to remember during this week is to prioritize your current work. If you run out of time to work on your backlogged work, it’s better to stay caught up on current work than to fall even farther behind. This week is all about building habits, so do your best to stick to the plan you’ve made around the days and times you will put in extra work. At the end of this week, it’s important to reflect on how your week went and determine whether the work time you set aside was sufficient. If you found that it was too much work time and you felt burnt out, adjust your schedule with more breaks. If you found that you had extra time and energy to devote to schoolwork, add another session where it makes sense.
The most important thing to do during weeks 3 and 4 is to maintain your work schedule and get through your work backlog. At the end of each week, reflect on your progress and your work time, adjusting your plans as necessary. By the end of week 4, you will ideally have finished any backlogged work and will be able to focus the rest of the semester on completing extra credit assignments and staying up to date on current work.
By this time, you will ideally move from completing old missing assignments to completing additional assignments to bring up your grades. This might mean redoing assignments to get a better score, or it might mean completing additional assignments that are designed to boost your grade. Stick to your same work schedule during this week and try to submit as much extra credit as possible. This week is also a great time to check on the status of your grades and celebrate the progress you’ve made thus far.
At this point in the year, it will be time to start completing final projects and studying for final exams. Make a list of everything you need to complete, including every part of a project, any research required for essays, and studying for each exam. Then, create a study schedule for the rest of the year that allows for enough time to complete all of these tasks without stress. Write down this schedule and post it somewhere visible so that you can be reminded of what you need to do each day. You might also consider setting reminders in your phone to prompt you to stick to your schedule during this time.
During this week, you are likely to begin handing in your final projects and taking exams. This week is all about maintaining your stamina, so don’t forget to take breaks when you need to. Stick to your study schedule, remember your goals, and continue to work hard. During this week, it’s a great idea to post your goals somewhere you can see them to remind you what you’re working towards and to stay motivated.
During this final week, don’t take your foot off of the gas until you’re completely done with everything. At the end of this week, your hard work will have paid off and you will likely have achieved your goals. Even if you fall a bit short in some areas, it’s essential to celebrate your progress and your hard work, as putting in extra work outside of school is not an easy thing to do. Be sure to take some time to reflect on any strategies that you found helpful that you might continue in the future.
Some students can benefit from a little extra support when it comes to bringing up their grades. For students who could use some help getting organized, making a grade recovery plan, and sticking to that plan, success coaching can help! YA Success Coach emphasizes getting to know each student as an individual and developing strategies that will work for your unique needs. We help you find the things that motivate you to succeed and give you the tools you need to find that success. For more information on how success coaching can help you end the school year on the right foot, contact us today.
Having a conversation is the first step to helping your child realize their full potential and set them up for success!