Online programs let parents view kids' grades
In a recent NY Times article we were introduced to online programs that allow parents to track their children's grades. Many parents are choosing products like ParentConnect, Edline and PowerSchool to assist them in conversing with their children about their grades.
As the Times article points out, it cuts out the middle portion of the conversation. The parents know what the grade is, good or bad. There can be no hiding of the grades or pretending they're something other than what they are. ParentConnect allows the parent access to the grade, and lets the child know that information is out there, and that discussion is sure to follow (especially if the grade is less than desirable).
Such programs are currently being utilized by 10,000 schools in all but one of the states. Studies have shown that parental involvement can have an effect on grades, and with test scores being more important than ever these days, many are turning to such sites to assist them in their quest for kids with good grades, even though several of these sites have been around for ten years.
And, perhaps to the dismay of their children--especially older ones--parents can check more than grades. They can see how someone did on a math test as well as whether or not the kid was late to class and if any discipline occurred during the class. As kids grow up they want to be more in control of their own lives; these tools allow their parents to keep control.
Additionally, the systems are fail-proof. A child can receive a failing grade for not being in attendance (say, due to illness) or due to an inputting error. The terror, however, has already been placed in both the parent and the child, making for some harrowing discussions and confrontations that can be, well, stressful--especially for teenagers, who are already stressed out as it is. One teen professed frustration over being grounded twice for the same grade--once when it was read about by his parents online and again the following week when the grade was actually received.
On the plus side, parents who are not in close contact with their children--one mother was stationed in Iraq--can still have interaction and communicate via these programs, and, in one school at least, parent/teacher conferences were canceled and the time given back to classes after parents expressed they felt sufficiently aware of their children's progress after using PowerSchool.
Not all parents have access to computers, however, so not all can take advantage (or, as some teens might put it, disadvantage) of such programs.
Computers pic by Kevin Zollman.
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Reader Comments (Page 1 of 1)
Karen 5-07-2008 @ 9:00AM
The last school I worked for had an on-line program. We kept all grades on line, and each parent and child could log on to their account at any time. They could see grades, homework, notes to parents, lunches, etc.
Some of the teachers complained when they first implemented it and thought they had to do everything twice. I just used the system for all my planning (and I had 4 preps) plus all of my grades. The system was backed up and if it crashed, we didn't lose a thing. I thought it was great.
The biggest problem I found was that the parents that should be checking it regularly didn't, but the ones that obsessed over every point when their child was a straight A student used it to complain about a 94!
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Michael 5-07-2008 @ 9:24AM
I work IT in one of the largest school districts in the country and we have used Edline and InTouch before, but are implementing ParentLink now. It can tell parents about attendance and grades online, but also has a phone piece that can call out to tell parents about absences and other announcements. It's pretty cool. Our integrates to the state mandated student database, so getting the teachers to use it wasn't a problem, it uses the information they already inputted.
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Monica 5-07-2008 @ 10:12AM
As a parent I love this. Both my kids high schools used a similar system and it was great being able to not only see their grades, but major assignment due dates.
What I found was that I used it less than my kids did however. There can't be any miscommunication about due dates when it's posted online, and it gave my daughter time before report cards were printed to talk to her teacher about a grade that was different online than on the assignment that was returned to her. She was able to have it corrected in time for it to be right on the printed report card.
It's just one more tool in communication, but I really liked it.
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Rina 5-07-2008 @ 6:55PM
As a high school student, I have varying feelings about this new system. My school implemented this online grade tracking program this year. On one hand, I enjoy the fact that I may access my grades quickly instead of going through the trouble of asking teachers or waiting until interims. Being able to see what grade I received after a test I took a couple days ago is a major plus in my book.
Like many other students, I frown upon the fact that my parents are able to access my grades. On report card day in the past, it was about the whole grade: that you received a B in math, for example. What they don't see with that is that your grade dipped for a little while when you got a D on one test. With Edline (or other online programs) it really isn't about the overall grade. It's about every single grade standing alone. So, when you get that D on that math test, parents see that D and freak out even if you are in the process of bringing it up. One or two dips is normal, and will not usually kill your grade. It really gets stressful sometimes trying to make every single grade an A or high B.
At the start of this school year, my mom found it necessary to print out the pages from Edline and show them to me, saying I got a 0 on the highlighted assignments. This annoyed me very much because those teachers put zeros in the slots before they put in the actual grade. Like, if I turned in the assignment today (on time too) there would still be a zero on Edline because the teacher hadn't graded it and put the grade onto the site. She kept highlighting until one day I blew up over it. Mind you, I am an A/B+ student. There are no longer any "good jobs" for a good report card because my parents have been standing over my shoulder looking at my grades for the entire year.
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