Remember report card day? It was such a big deal, almost like picture day. There was a different feeling at the breakfast table. Sometimes it was excitement, sometimes anxiety, and sometimes just plain fear! You kind of had an idea but there were always some surprises- “What do you mean I got a C in history?” Oh wait, how about forgetting to bring back the empty envelope with your parents’ signature so the teacher can insert your next quarter’s report card in it? You might as well have been lynched!
Fast forward to 2011- my childrens’ district moved the grading system (and other features) completely online! Power School- during the summer parents were emailed a log-in and password for each child. There, we were able to access the homeroom information, daily schedule and even the bus stop details. It was great! No more running home to the mailbox to find out the school year’s fate. Access your phone and bam! There it is-
Power School is an online system that tracks assignments, absences, grades, progress reports and even report cards. It also houses our contact and emergency information. We have 24/7 access to our children’s work. Is this good? Is it detrimental? In alignment with Schrum (2009), this type of technology enhances our children’s learning process. In line with our vision of a 21st century learner, Power School gives the kids power and a sense of accountability. Personally speaking, my children are very aware of its existence, coming home from school to log in to view a grade from a previously taken test or completed assignment. There is a sense of responsibility to perform well with the results being more “public.”
From a parents’ perspective, I can see, on a continuous basis, how my children are performing. From an accountability perspective, I feel a responsibility to keep up with their grades with the accessibility staring me in the face. It was much easier, in my parent’s day, to have this sense of “unawareness” regarding my grades, only focusing on the end result (the report card). At that point, isn’t it a little too late? Incorporating technology into this aspect of education, I feel, is key. As educators, we all want the learning process to be a collaborative effort, including students, teachers and parents in the process. If/when parents are proactive, this is a recipe for success!
Some videos about Power School:
*Some seem to like it…
Mollie (10 year old- 5th grade)- “I like it because you can constantly see how your grades are going and you can see all of your participation and homework grades.”
Greg (parent and financial planner)- “The children should be motivated to improve based on the fact they can see their cumulative grade.”
*While others , not so much!
Griffin (12 years old, 7th grader) “Grades, my parents checking it- If I get a bad grade, I automatically know my parents will find out about it, when I get home from the bus, my parents will ask me why I got it.”
We have been using powerschool for a few years now and the same problems and comments you wrote about I can attest too. We too, have students and parents who go on daily to check on grades - but on the flip side, we also have people who have never been on and have no idea how their student is doing in school.
ReplyDeleteWhile I can understand that gripes that some students have, I think the technology is great. It allows use to give instant grades and updates to how people are doing in our classes. We can now also put out digital report cards to help cut back on the environmental paper damage that schools do.
This product, while public, is private enough to work for the masses. There is even an app out for the product to check your grades on the go.
Great post!
Michelle,
ReplyDeleteI was first exposed to Powerschool in my sophomore year of high school. When first learning about the characteristics that the program included, I was completely freaked out. I thought, "great, now my mother is going to monitor my every move." I had thought that my freedom was gone and that she would know everything about me- teachers at my school would write comments about things that had happened in class, some would even say concerns about certain kids who hung out with kids who were a 'negative influence", etc. However, now I feel as though it is a great way to promote school attendance, and it also allows parents to monitor their children's grades so that they can step in during any time they feel their child's grades need improvement, etc. Crazy what 6 or 7 years of experience can do to one's opinion, huh? haha
-Sammi
Michelle,
ReplyDeleteWe finally moved to a paperless system last year but parents can still request a paper copy of grades, etc. Of the 846 students at my school, only 36 parents still request paper. I can tell you that I still hear grumblings from students who know their parents will see their performance by the time they get home. I do have one concern and I wonder what you think. Do you think that teachers rely on parents’ accessibility to grades to replace a communication that may have taken place otherwise? I have had a couple of experiences (it’s the exception and not the norm) where teachers should have reached out to a parent and the response was parents can see it in on “parent portal.” My only fear is that this will replace the personal interaction that many students need to be successful. That being said, accountability is powerful!
Michelle:
ReplyDeleteI love the topic of your post! My district recently moved to an online parent communication system, and just like your school, there are mixed reviews. Overall, I personally like the system as I feel that it puts more responsibility on the child’s shoulders than on the teacher’s and parents’. Also, I think you bring up a great point that it serves as a motivator for students to consistently perform their best.
However, it seems to be a little more flawed in my district. Here, the parents needed to sign-up for the system, upon which they were given a username and password. This means that some parents do not see their student’s grades at all, as report cards and interims are no longer mailed home! While teachers still make phone calls and send emails to parents, it is obviously a very big problem that some parents don’t see report cards! Hopefully my district will solve this problem, as it seems yours has, or else we are likely to have significant issues to address at the end of the school year.
Great post and topic!
Kate
Michelle- It's nice to hear from school teachers since I have been so out of touch with lower education being in higher ed. It is natural that we have our grades online and parents do not see them (FERPA), but I'm not sure why this would be ill-received since parents get it in the mail anyway! These children should be thankful their parents are focused on their success! Although, sometimes it can be too much...
ReplyDelete