Your child may be able to learn most of the material covered in class, but may still face barriers when it comes to the way that his work is assessed and grades are assigned. Traditionally, grades are assigned based on uniform criteria for all children in a class, often reflecting how a child measures up to his peers. It is a competitive process that may give little information about what the individual child has actually learned. It sets up children with learning difficulties for repeated failure, because no matter how hard they work, they are unlikely to be able to earn high marks. This system not only undermines your child's self-esteem, but also contributes to behavior problems.

Along with modifications to curriculum, suggest and encourage the teacher to use alternative forms of assessment. The best approaches will factor in your child's demonstrated effort and her level of improvement over time. The teacher can use records of past performance, such as with spelling or arithmetic, as a way of determining the level of performance that can reasonably be expected of your child. Improved performance should result in an improved grade — for example, if a child who usually gets seven correct answers out of twenty problems is able to increase performance to ten, the child's improvement should be recognized and rewarded.

Ask the teacher to mark your child's paper in a positive way, noting correct answers prominently. The teacher can score the papers by simply counting the number or percentage of right answers on homework assignments or quizzes, recording those in her gradebook. If a pattern of improvement is seen, the teacher can help your child chart his progress; at the end of the term, a grade can be assigned that is consistent with the level of improvement.

The teacher can also modify grading practices to specifically exempt certain considerations for your child. For example, the teacher can agree to disregard spelling mistakes in all subjects other than spelling. Thus, your child would be graded on the content of his written essays or answers to questions, not on the mechanics of producing them.

Once the teacher has agreed on modifications for your child, it is helpful if the teacher can create a specific rubric for grading his work. A rubric is a set of written requirements that sets forth requirements to earn each passing grade. Usually it can be set out on a grid, listing the specific criteria for an A, B, C, and so forth. If the teacher generally uses a rubric for the whole class, modifications can simply be noted on your child's copy.

In addition to guaranteeing that agreed-upon modifications will be considered in assigning a grade, a well-drafted rubric will also help improve your child's performance. For example, a rubric that indicates that writing two paragraphs will earn a C, but writing three or more paragraphs will earn a B, might provide your child with the incentive to work hard to complete an extra paragraph, as he can clearly connect his extra effort to the reward of a higher grade. It also gives your child a greater sense of control and enables him to better understand how the grade relates to the quality of his work.