iPass Incentive Motivates Students to Demonstrate Positive Academic Behaviors
Students at GMSW have a new reason to think positively about their homework! The iPass is an incentive system that rewards students for doing their homework with attention to detail and for turning it in on time. Equally important, the iPass encourages kids who miss a homework to do what great learners do: ask questions and work to understand the material they have missed. There is a reward for this behavior, too.
The iPass rewards students on a monthly basis with experiences and incentives that they choose. The "i" stands for initiative. Here's how it works:
- Students are encouraged to do their homework on time - all of the time. That's the standard of excellence.
- However, we recognize that there will always be times when unexpected things pop up. Because of this, students receive an iOops opportunity once per month. It's basically one free pass if something unexpected happens.
- If a student misses any homeworks that month beyond the one iOops, he/she is marked with an iMiss. If a student receives more than two iMisses in any given month, he/she does not earn the initiative incentive.
- Encouraging students who make mistakes to work hard to improve is a primary tenet of the iPass system! Students keep their iPass sheets out as they learn and work in class. As teachers recognize good academic behaviors (asking good questions, being prepared to learn, being engaged in discussions, etc.) they reward students with iStamps on their sheets. When a student earns 10 iStamps, he/she gets one iMiss erased.
- Students learn responsibility and have short term goals to work toward. They must be responsible enough to keep their iPass and have it out in class to earn iStamps. Losing your iPass means you have taken yourself out of the running for that month's incentive.
Students who complete the month with two or fewer iMisses earn the incentive for that month. Our first month, September, was a great success! The students really embraced the idea, and 87% of students (that's 548 boys & girls!) earned the "Build Your Own Sundae" incentive. Further, there were close to 300 students in the building (almost half of our students) who didn't miss a single homework or even use one iOops pass! These students were entered into a drawing where two students from each grade level won iTunes cards. Students now have their new iPass sheets for October, so please talk with your children about their academic goals for this month. The incentive? A Gaming Party on November 2nd!
What's Up at West?
- October 5-12 is Book Fair Week! Feel free to stop by our library to check out lots of great books, posters, and other fun stuff!
- October 9th & 18th are Parent-Teacher Conferences. Please call 614-478-5570 to schedule a conference with your child's team of teachers.
- October 12th - NO SCHOOL
- October 26th is the GMSW-American Red Cross Blood Drive. The blood drive will be held in the GMSW Auditorium from 12-6pm. Your child will bring home information about the drive and how to give the gift of life. All West parents and friends who donate will be entered into a drawing sponsored by the GMSW PTO for $50 to California Pizza Kitchen!
