As teachers, we’ve all faced the challenge of aligning our grading practices with school policies and our colleagues’ approaches. In my own school, for instance, we’ve settled on a grading system that is 80% summative (quizzes, tests, labs) and 20% formative (everyday classwork and homework). Often, students think that just turning in all formative work should guarantee them an A, and they get confused when their summative scores tell a different story.
This is where my HELP system comes in. Inspired by a teacher I had who once gave us homework passes for perfect quiz scores, I wanted to create something more flexible… something to help students recover if their classwork engagement doesn’t match their test performance. Perhaps they have testing anxiety or are just having an off day; this system is designed to keep them motivated.
Here’s how it works: students can earn HELP points in a few ways. On summative assessments, I set a minimum score needed for 100%, but I include extra questions so they can earn above that. Any points above that minimum turn into HELP points, which they can later use to boost a low quiz score or make up for a missing assignment. For example, if a test has 30 possible points but only 21 are needed for a perfect score in the gradebook, those extra points become a kind of currency.
The same idea applies to classwork. If I assign only half of a worksheet’s questions, but a student does the whole thing, they earn a formative HELP point. Summative HELP points are worth a bit more, but both types give students a way to manage their own progress.
I let students keep track of their own HELP points—just like a life skill in managing their own “bank.” When they want to redeem them, they just show me or send me a quick note. It’s a system that puts the responsibility on them, helps them feel in control, and ultimately makes grading a bit more of a growth experience rather than just a final judgment.
And that’s the gist! For more details, I have another blog post that delves into how I utilize the HELP system in AP Chemistry, accompanied by a sample quiz. Thanks for reading!