Last Updated On: January 6th, 2026
After months of classes, homework, quizzes, and tests, your child’s first semester report card arrives. If it’s all good news, then it’s time to celebrate and enjoy a much-needed vacation. But what if there are unpleasant surprises? You see a B- in math, where there used to be an A, or a C or D where there used to be a B. You’re still allowed to take a vacation, but after that, it’s time to make an academic improvement plan.
Many parents’ first instinct is to see if their child can pull up their grade(s) on their own. After all, shouldn’t students learn the skills of independence and self-sufficiency? In reality, waiting to seek help usually makes things worse. Parents should be particularly alert if they see any of these “academic red flags”: a grade drop of more than one letter from the previous year, consistent low quiz/test scores despite homework completion, many missing assignments, “just passing” in a foundational subject, or struggles in multiple subjects simultaneously.
The second semester, with its fresh start after break, is an excellent time to intervene and ensure a better performance for the next academic term. While report card grades reset for the new term, the skills and concepts learned during class usually build on each other—especially in math and foreign languages. If a student has substantial gaps in understanding from the fall term, it can make the spring term nearly impossible unless these learning gaps are remediated. While early struggles often predict year-end outcomes, intervention can reverse this trend and help students turn their performance around. Many students need guidance to figure out how to study and address their own weaknesses, even as the goal is to eventually be able to master skills on their own.
The first step to effective intervention is to determine the reasons for poor grades. Students who didn’t complete their homework and assignments will benefit from more accountability, better time management, and fewer distractions in their study environment. Students with good work completion but poor test scores likely have fundamental gaps in their comprehension of core skills and concepts and would benefit from small group or one-on-one support. Often, a student who is struggling with a concept will also be hesitant to sit down and do their homework and study their most difficult subject, so work completion and comprehension challenges can compound each other. If the reason for the poor grade isn’t obvious or isn’t stated in report card comments, it might be helpful to request additional information or a conference with the teacher. (Please don’t try to do this during vacation, as teachers need a well-deserved break!)
The next step is to decide on an appropriate intervention. Some parents choose to take a more hands-on approach in managing their child’s coursework. This can be helpful, with two big pitfalls: parents must avoid doing the work for their child, and conflicts over learning can strain the parent-child relationship. Even though I’m a professional tutor, I’ve sought another tutor for my own child because I realize that I’m less patient with my child than I am with my unrelated students, and she’s more argumentative with me than she is with her unrelated teachers.
As an alternative, one-on-one tutoring is the “gold standard” for intervention, as it can offer a personalized pace and approach to address significant gaps in understanding, along with flexible scheduling. Though this can be expensive, the benefits are often well worth the costs. With an effective tutor, most students see substantial improvements within 4-6 weeks. A good timeline is to take the first one or two weeks to assess needs, use weeks 3-6 to build foundational skills and strategies, and then focus on building more independence so that students can succeed without support. For families with the resources, a weekly or bi-weekly session can provide important ongoing support.
For families with limited resources, small group tutoring can also be an option. This can be more affordable than one-on-one tutoring, and some students benefit from the positive peer pressure of being with other students who are also working hard to do well. The downside of small group tutoring is that it is less personalized to a student’s needs, especially in a mixed-ability group. Another option might be to utilize any services or resources offered by the school, including teacher office hours, peer tutoring programs, and academic support centers. These services are often free, but their availability and individualization can be limited.
In our high-technology age, many students are increasingly turning to online resources and AI programs, such as Khan Academy and ChatGPT. Curated and vetted programs, like Khan Academy and IXL, can be helpful, but they are more effective as supplements to a personal tutor rather than replacements. Their biggest flaw is lack of accountability. In an online world flooded with YouTube videos and Instagram posts, few students will turn to these resources for additional practice not assigned by their teachers, unless a tutor or parent is holding them accountable. I know this from experience with my daughter—working through IXL exercises until she reaches a score of 90. It is very helpful when she is trying to master a new math concept, but she will quickly give up or get distracted if I’m not in the room making her do them.
Using ChatGPT for intervention comes with two giant downsides: it is sometimes wrong, and it’s hard to avoid the temptation of just having it do the work for the student. Personally, I’ve asked ChatGPT to write multiple-choice questions to help with test prep, and it has given me problems with no correct solutions! When I pointed this out, ChatGPT admitted its error, but if I didn’t have the expertise of being a test-prep tutor, I would have ended up more confused than when I started. In addition, ChatGPT has the capability of simply completing assignments for students without aiding in learning or comprehension. For a struggling student, the temptation to save time and effort—or sometimes the fear of disappointing parents with a poor grade—might lead students to take shortcuts and copy down an answer or solution without understanding it. If the student doesn’t get caught relying on AI to do the work (which could result in a 0), they will get a rude awakening when they sit down to take the test and realize they didn’t actually learn the material. Though it might seem like a great “free” option, the costs of using AI to replace a human tutor can be substantial.
First semester report cards are not final judgments—they’re important communication about a student’s progress. With effective intervention, students still have plenty of time in their academic year to master their weaker skills and ace future class content. Though it might seem like a big investment, early intervention is more effective and less expensive than later remediation. Call LA Tutors today to request a consultation for academic support. (It’s okay to contact us over vacation.) The best time to act is now. Your student’s academic success is worth the investment!
