Use an Incentive Program to Motivate Students
Candice Harris in Mississippi created an incentive program on the wall of her classroom for her students. Students who meet their i-Ready goals for the week have a chance to stick their name on the tree. She also uses a sticker chart to encourage students to do well on their i-Ready quizzes. The chart gives a visual representation for students to see how they are doing individually and in comparison to their classmates. “When I first started using i-Ready, I was hesitant to just post i-Ready results in the grade book. So I decided to use i-Ready as an incentive. For every 10 i-Ready lessons (we call them “Blue button lessons”) that students pass (70 or higher), I curve their lowest test grade. For each Extra Lesson (“Red button lessons”) that students pass (70 or higher), I give them one bonus test point. I do all the curving and bonus points at the end of the nine weeks.”