Case Studies

Motivating Students with ID Reward Cards

Learn What a Kentucky Middle School Can Teach You About Motivating Students with ID Cards

ID badges aren’t just for identification; they can be so much more! A Kentucky Middle School has proven that with an ID card program that motivates students.

Royal Spring Middle School in Georgetown, Kentucky created a unique tool to reward good grades and behavior: an ID badge that doubles as a coupon card to area businesses. The Middle School Principal created the reward program in 2006. With the help of the PTA and participating local businesses, it has been thriving ever since.

Background

How the Program Works

The program concept is simple, yet effective. Every nine weeks, after grades are posted, students who meet set standards are issued one of three reward cards. In addition to good grades, students must also have no unexcused absences or behavior issues. The front of the card contains the student’s information and is also color coded as follows:


Gold Card
All A’s, no unexcused absences, tardiness, or discipline referrals.

Silver Card
A’s and B’s, no unexcused absences, tardiness, or discipline referrals.

Blue Card
All passing grades, no unexcused absences, tardiness, or discipline referrals.


The back of the card has a list of coupons and offerings from local businesses. The coupon may vary depending on the color of the card. For example, a gold card may include a $1.00 off coupon, while the silver card may have a $0.50 coupon. A local bank is also taking part in the program by depositing $1 for every A into the student’s savings account.

“The students work hard to receive the cards,” says Carmen Wallin at Royal Spring Middle School. “Many students don’t even use the coupons. It’s more about the recognition for a job well done.”

Wallin reports that at least half of the kids receive a reward card. And because the program restarts every quarter, students are given a fresh start toward earning the card every nine weeks.

Challenge

A Unique Way to Motivate Students

Early on, running the reward card program was somewhat cumbersome. The first cards were created in Microsoft Excel, printed on cardstock, and individually laminated. To save time and make the program easier to manage, in 2008 the PTA looked into purchasing an ID card printer. After researching online, they found IDWholesaler.com, an internet-based photo ID printer and supplies retailer. To learn more about the products, Wallin called ID Wholesaler and reached Mary Keogh, an account representative.

“I made an immediate connection with Mary. After explaining the reward card program to her, she made a printer recommendation and explained how easy it would be to use,” says Wallin.

Solution

A Thriving Program

With Keogh’s help, the school chose a Zebra P120i ID card printer. Their investment has paid off. The school has owned their printer for about a year now and the program is running strong. Plus, the printer has made their jobs much easier.

“We save so much time with our printer,” says Wallin. “And the quality of the cards is far better than the laminated cardstock cards we had been using.”

Wallin says they continue to trust ID Wholesaler to keep their printer running in top condition: “We haven’t even looked anywhere else for supplies. ID Wholesaler has a wonderful team so why go anywhere else?”

Results

Motivated Students

Royal Spring Middle School’s reward card program is a concept that can easily be implemented in other schools across the country. In fact schools that already own an ID card printer for their student IDs can start right away! The program is an example of how a simple investment in an ID card printer system can be a huge investment in students’ academic success.

Motivated students, an involved community, and creative PTA and teachers: this reward card program deserves an A+… or, that is, a Gold Card!

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