Internet lets parents stay on top of kids' learning progress

By; Adam Wise
Wisconsin Rapids Tribune

October 18, 2009

Long gone are the days of parents relying on mid-term reports to find out how their children are doing in the classroom.

More and more, they are using the Internet to receive weekly, if not daily, updates on their child’s studies.

“We have Skyward Family Access, so parents are constantly, or have the ability, to monitor their children’s grades,” said Connie Negaard, principal of Ben Franklin Junior High School in Stevens Point.

Many districts offer online grade access to provide timely information they wouldn’t otherwise have, Negaard said.

“Parents wouldn’t be informed until mid-quarter, and that means you’re already four or five weeks into the school year,” Negaard said. “With Family Access, not only do they see how their child is doing, but (they) see the types of assignments and projects their students are being assessed on.”

Schools still send home occasional progress reports in the mail, documents students typically have to return with a signature from a parents or guardian.

Barb Luedke, a mother of two Wisconsin Rapids School District students, said she recently received a report for her fifth-grader that included the current academic grade, as well as grades for behavior and effort.

“We have had things we’ve realized we needed to focus on more – spelling and reading – and change times they are doing their homework, so they are learning to the best of their ability at home,” Luedke said. “It is very helpful for our family.”

Some parents don’t have Internet access at home, which means Gwen Van Asten will use a phone call if a student is struggling, the seventh-grade social studies teacher at East Junior High School in Wisconsin Rapids said.

But when parents do have online access, the day-to-day tracking of classroom achievement is invaluable, Van Asten said.

“It’s so nice that more parents can get involved at an earlier stage,” Van Asten said. “As soon as they see a pattern of lower grades or assignments not being handed in, they can help the child at home.

“We have an average of 120-some students, and it’s hard to keep up on it all by yourself. If the parents can help, it just makes it that much easier for us.”