For many students, the first quarter of the school year can be the hardest. It often takes time to transition from a work-free summer to a heavy workload at school. As a result, some kids can lose focus, resulting in lower Quarter 1 performance.

“After the summer I was not completely focused and let some key grades get away from me. In the second quarter I plan to focus and plan my time better, allowing myself enough time to study, finish my homework, and get the best grades that I am capable of,” said sophomore Brent Katz.

Now that the first quarter and the transition period from the summer is over, you can take a few steps to improve your academic performance and become more disciplined.

“The first quarter is always an adjustment period to new classes and the new school year. I always look at first quarter as a baseline for my grades, and use that to set my goals for the rest of the year,” said sophomore A.J. Galassi.

The first step is to organize all of your work. It is extremely helpful to keep a planner of all your class assignments and any upcoming projects and essays. This helps you to stay on top of your work and prevents you from forgetting about important assignments. Additionally, creating a daily schedule can help you manage short-term tasks.

Second, don’t save your work for the last minute. If your teacher assigns a project or essay that is due more than a week in advance, it may be tempting to put it off until the night before it’s due. Procrastination often causes unnecessary stress, so budgeting your time wisely will allow you to create higher-quality work.

“Before a test and after a test, I like to go to my teachers. Before I have a test, I go to my teachers in order to figure out what I need to study more before the test,” said sophomore Rachel Rosenbaum. “After I receive a grade, I always like to meet with my teacher in order to see what I did wrong and what I can do in order to improve.”

If you are struggling with any material, don’t hesitate to ask your teachers for help. Although each teacher’s schedule is different, they all have free periods during when they are available for extra help. It’s always better to ask for help instead of struggling on your own.

Finally, don’t over-schedule yourself. If you are taking multiple challenging classes, participating in many clubs and also playing sports, it can be difficult to balance everything at once. If you’re feeling overwhelmed, you may wish to consider dropping an activity so you have more time to focus on your grades. Following these few steps can help you improve your Quarter 2 grades as well as grades for the rest of the year.