This year, Roseville High School has introduced new incentives aimed at increasing student motivation and engagement during state testing. Among these incentives are grade bumps in several subjects, offering students an opportunity to improve their academic records.

Students have expressed enthusiasm about the changes. Junior Alec Kraft said the incentives could have a meaningful academic impact. “The grade bumps as well, I think personally that’s a great thing for me, because a few years ago I had a C in math, which was really bad for my grades. So if I could pass that bump so I could fix that on my transcript,” Kraft said.

The incentives are part of a pilot program within the district designed to encourage students to take state assessments more seriously. Teachers note that, in the past, some students have not fully engaged with the tests.

“What we are trying to do is to get students to be motivated to do their best with those incentives, and the grade bump—I think is a good one that will allow students to change an IM1, IM2, or IM3 grade if they didn’t get the grade they were hoping for,” math teacher Jessica McCartney said.

Teacher Joseph Bagley also expressed cautious support for the program, particularly in cases where students are close to meeting academic standards. “Talking about a kid with a—I don’t know—a D and getting to a C to be proficient to move on, I mean, I’m not opposed to that,” Bagley said.

With these new incentives in place, students report feeling more motivated to take the CAASPP testing seriously. Kraft noted a change in his own approach. “Usually it’s a lot more like I know a bunch of kids just skip through it, and I mean I have too, but this year since things are different it makes me want to try more. So like yesterday, I actually spent time reading and going over everything before answering,” he said.

If the pilot program proves successful, the district may consider continuing or expanding the incentives in future years.