Identifying Students Who Need Help

Recognizing Warning Signs

One of the most important things you can do as a teacher is identify students who need help before they fall too far behind. LifeSchoolers provides several visual indicators that make it easy to spot students who are struggling, even in a large class.

Red Average Grades

The most obvious warning sign is a red average grade on the class roster. Red indicates the student's overall average is in the D or F range (below 70%). When you see a red average, it means the student is consistently scoring low across multiple assignments and needs attention.

Expanding Rows for Assignment-Level Detail

A red average is a starting point, but it does not tell you the full story. Expand the student's row (click the expand arrow) to see their individual assignment scores. Look for patterns:

• Are all scores low, or did one or two particularly bad assignments drag the average down?
• Are scores declining over time, or have they always been low?
• Is the student scoring well on some topics but poorly on others?

Overdue Assignments

Watch for red dots indicating overdue assignments. When a student has multiple overdue assignments, it may signal disengagement rather than academic difficulty. A student who is not turning in work at all needs a different kind of intervention than one who is turning in work but scoring poorly.

Topic-Specific Struggles

Low scores concentrated on specific topics — such as fractions, algebra, or word problems — suggest gaps in understanding rather than a general inability. These students may be performing fine on topics they understand but consistently struggling when a particular concept appears. Identifying the specific gap lets you target your support more effectively.

Strategies for Supporting Struggling Students

Once you have identified a student who needs help, consider these approaches:

• Lower the difficulty level — Assign easier problems to help the student build confidence and master foundational concepts before moving on to harder material.
• Use "Unique per student" mode — Create targeted assignments that give the struggling student practice on their specific weak areas without affecting the rest of the class.
• Assign focused topic practice — If the student struggles with a specific topic like fractions, create assignments that focus exclusively on that topic at an easier difficulty level.
• Check in personally — Sometimes a private message, quick conversation, or word of encouragement helps more than additional assignments. A student who feels supported is more likely to engage with the material.
• Review their submission details — Look at exactly which problems they are getting wrong to understand the nature of their mistakes. Are they making calculation errors, or do they not understand the underlying concept?

Tip: A private message or brief check-in often helps more than piling on extra assignments. Students who are struggling may already feel overwhelmed, and adding more work without addressing the root cause can make things worse. Start with a conversation, then adjust your approach based on what you learn.