Although grades serve as one measure of our progress, they should NOT be the only measure! Students with executive functioning deficits (and even those without) benefit when we shift our focus from the outcome to the effort they are making. Not only does this decrease anxiety, it helps develop key EF skills like planning, prioritizing, self-monitoring, and flexible thinking.
Building these skills matter more than achieving a perfect score on any one test or class. When we overemphasize grades, it can actually make it more difficult for students to develop the executive functioning skills they need!