Aliyya Swaby Photo
Ifill (left) and Ricker (right) check up on John Doe.
Jennifer Ricker said she has no idea what her second-grade daughter is learning in school, when she has tests or whether she is on track for her grade level — because her teachers don’t send any of that information home.
By next year, she will have access to an online program that allows her to communicate with teachers and administrators and track her daughter’s academic progress, day to day. The district is now in its third year working to unroll “PowerSchool” student-tracking program, first in high schools, then middle schools and now for K‑3 students.
Some parents say the process just isn’t fast enough.
Technology coordinator Stephanie Kilburn gave a presentation at this past Wednesday night’s Citywide Parent Leadership Team meeting to teach parents how to use PowerSchool, and encourage their peers and school administrators to get on board. Kilburn talked the group through checking up on imaginary student John Doe — the program showed he had a homework assignment on pages 2 to 10 of his workbook, and a test on the first two chapters of his textbook.
PowerSchool allows them to get email notifications on grades and attendance, as well as access to teacher comments and alerts for upcoming tests and quizzes. It is available online and as a smartphone app.
The number of parents who use PowerSchool has increased dramatically even since last year, Kilburn said. Last year, 1 percent of parents logged into the program and accessed 1,974 student records by February 2014; this year, 18.8 percent have logged in to access about 3,640 records.
Teachers should be entering quarterly and annual grades into PowerSchool, but don’t yet have to upload every assignment, Superintendent Garth Harries said. “We wanted them to get an opportunity to explore” the system, he said.
PowerSchool may work differently in lower grades, since students have fewer assignments than in middle or high school, Harries said. Instead the program could show where students are “on the progression to reading,” since early-child reading scores correlate with future academic success.
The district’s family coordinator, Daniel Diaz, said district staff has been working to teach parent liaisons how to train parents to use the program.
“We’re going to do a little work as parents to make sure teachers use” the online apps available, he said.
But parents said they worry that that wasn’t enough of a push. “What happens when you have a liaison that absolutely does not reach out to parents?” said Megan Ifill, parent of a student at New Haven Academy. “We don’t have a snowball’s chance in heck to get training there.” Ifill said New Haven Academy is now using PowerSchool for grades and attendance, and another program called Jupiter Ed for “everything else.” She said it would be ideal to have the programs streamlined.
Diaz promised to be “pushy” and demand training sessions at schools where administration is more reluctant to try something new.
Daniel Juarez, parent of a student at Columbus Academy, said his priority is getting information about his child, by whichever means possible: “In my opinion, I don’t care if my school uses PowerSchool or not. What I want is some communication.”
"Jennifer Ricker said she has no idea what her second-grade daughter is learning in school, when she has tests or whether she is on track for her grade level—because her teachers don't send any of that information home."
really? I find this hard to believe. Does her school not have parent/teacher conferences? Orientation for class at beginning of the year? Weekly flyers from the teacher?
Or try this:
Talk with your child!!!
or ASK the teacher!! Try face-to-face before of after school. Find a time to meet with the teacher.
Allowing a computer program to interface for humans is the beginning of the end. Not to mention the extra cost that will be tacked onto the taxpayer to buy this bureaucratic program, pay for it's upkeep, stupid use of fossil fuels, etc.
Just remember parents: All the time your teacher is spending putting info into PowerSchool is less time they are spending teaching.
Really? Attendance? if you don't know when your kid is in school or not you, the parent, needs to step up YOUR GAME.
When I read articles like this I realize we deserve the singularity that is near...
NOT TO MENTION THAT FACT THAT NOT EVERYONE HAS A FREAKING COMPUTER!
uggh. Note to self: This is water, this is water...