When Students Ask for Extra Credit - RETHINK Math Teacher

It’s the week report cards are due and suddenly your students want extra credit.

I used to always get frustrated. What lesson am I teaching him if he gets so to do nothing for 7 or 8 weeks and then make it up with extra credit?

I used to reply sharply to these students, reminding them of their short comings all quarter. “That’s not how it works in the real world!” I’d remind them.

The I realized something

I realized that there are things I want these students to learn, and they haven’t! Like times tables!

How can you be in middle or high school and not know your times tables? It’s the memorization of a few facts!

There are other foundational, prerequisite skills that my students needed to know and didn’t – and that was preventing them from doing the work we were doing in class.

The great compromise

One year I was teaching a middle school math class, and one student who did almost no work all year was looking at an F on his report card. The parents, who had not responded to emails or phone calls all year suddenly remembered how to get a hold me and began demanding extra credit.

I decided that instead of fighting the student and his parents on extra credit, I would give them what they wanted if they will give me what I wanted.

I wanted him be successful and they want extra credit.

I knew that much of the work we were doing in class he was unable to do because he still didn’t know his times tables. I also theorized that his inability to do the classwork was contributing to his constant misbehavior.

This was before Winter Break, so told the parents that he had the entire two week vacation to learn his 7’s, 8’s and 9’s times tables. Each one is would be extra credit and I would give him a timed quiz when we returned from break – so I recommended they study every day over break.

It’s funny how students won’t do homework or study for a quiz, but they’ll bust their butts for extra credit (should shrug emoji).

Another Example

It doesn’t have to be times tables, that’s just an example. When I taught PreAlgebra, it was usually a quiz on slope.

I try to use a foundational skill that they need to know to do the grade level work, and give them a week to learn it at home, for extra credit.

Sometimes I would give them a quiz, or sometimes it was just reteach work that I would give them extra credit for completing (this worked really well when it was an online assignment).

Beat Them to the Punch

Now, instead of waiting for them to come to ask me – because some won’t or some will wait until the very last day, negating their opportunity to study – I let them know a week out! And I email all the parents.

One week before the last day of the quarter, I let everyone know, “You want extra credit for your report card that’s coming out next week? Here it is…”

One Step Further

Once you start adopting this policy, you’ll be pleasantly surprised with how well your students do on it.

Magically, many of them will learn how to study and how to learn things they previously could not.

Suddenly parents are helping their children with their work and keeping them accountable.

… All in the name of extra credit.

So why not do it every week?

When this hit me, I tested it. Every week I gave my students extra credit on something they needed to know for class, or even on what we were working on. I tried to assign the work online, like Khan Academy or IXL.

Because many of my students don’t have internet (yet they have a smart phone) I give them a whole week to complete a one-day assignment for extra credit. This gives them the opportunity to use the school’s computer lab, the local library, or a friend’s house to complete the online work.

Added Benefit

Since so many of my students were learning the skills I was assigning them for extra credit, they did better the next quarter (and year) because they finally had mastered some of the skills they needed to do their grade-level work.

I’m the good guy

When parents reach out to me for more extra credit for their student during the last week of school, I reply, “Your student has had 8 different extra credit assignments this quarter – one each week. He will have one more this week. Please do this week’s extra credit to help him improve his grade. He will have the same opportunity next quarter. I recommend you encourage him to take advantage of it next nine weeks as well as this week.”

Then, I look like the good guy, there’s no fighting, and I’ve encouraged the parent to assist the student with their work.

And the parents now see that their student hasn’t taken advantage of the opportunity they were given, since I gave extra credit every week!

Finally, since I emailed the parent every week letting them know about the extra credit, it’s hard for them to argue with me about it. I know, some will say they never got the email, but that’s another discussion.

Conclusion

Students will often work harder for extra credit than for their regular assignments. So don’t fight this inclination, take advantage of it.

You want them to learn something and they want extra credit, so figure out a way for everyone to win.