The days of parents being in the dark about their children's grades until report cards come out may be over. Numerous schools have started posting grades online so that both parents and students can check them with a few clicks of a mouse. These online "grade books" allow users to receive e-mail alerts when grades are posted; calculate what grade a student needs to get on a future project to achieve a certain overall grade; and, perhaps most important, track their children's progress and intervene if one is struggling.
Most teachers said they used to post grades online every couple of weeks, but demand from parents has gotten so high that the sites are updated at least weekly. "You can get a little obsessive about it," said one parent.
Do you think grades will improve if parents have access to them 24/7 online?
There's no doubt that keeping both parents and students constantly informed about grades is a good thing. The only downside is the parent who bombards the teacher with questions whenever even a small assignment grade is posted. I tell parents who do so that each individual assignment is only a small part of a total grade and not to worry too much about a lone score, but to look for trends that may indicate a problem.
Posted by: Tom Shreve | November 06, 2008 at 12:26 PM
I disagree with Tom's perspective because, if anything, traditional grading practices should be deemphasized in favor of more formative assessments and helping students take ownership with their learning. There are many downsides to constant access to grades...
Think about it: how many parent teacher conferences and conversations are dominated by talk about grades, rather than talk about actual learning, activities, and understanding?
Do we want children to only work for grades, or should we focus on creating assignments with intrinsic value?
Do you give zeroes for grades? Does that skew your data and punish students unfairly, whom otherwise might be learning a lot?
Do you have to bribe students with grades in order to get work out of them?
My school's students and parents can check grades online, and I can't say it has been a hindrance for me, but I'm not happy with grades continuing to have such a pronounced place in education discourse.
Posted by: Paul B. | November 08, 2008 at 10:30 AM
At a high school level, online access to grades could be an excellent tool for parents these days. They are no longer able to call just one teacher, like they could in elementary school, to see how their child is doing. Also, as a teacher of 100+ students it may be difficult to talk to every parent that has a question about a student's grade. This is an excellent avenue to personally discover your child's progress in school and intervene at a good time. In addition, as a teacher you may hear things like, "how did my child get an F and no one told me this was happening?" Now parents no longer can say they did not know since they have access to all of their child's grades.
I do, however, have to agree with Paul. We spend too much time on grades and not enough on learning. Unfortunately, it seems that the only way we seem to measure a student's success is through grades and when it comes down to it these parents are not thinking about whether Johnny is building his mind to the greatest capacity. They're thinking Johnny needs to get into a good college so I better make sure he is getting good grades.
Posted by: Fay RU | November 09, 2008 at 05:23 PM
Doesn't work. We've had online gradebooks for at least 8 years and nothing has changed. This year especially I am dismayed at the total detachment of the parents of my 7th graders. I have 30/150 students currently at a D or F, and I haven't heard from any of them, which is highly unusual in my wealthy, parent- and data-driven district.
If anything, the combination of all the online resources seems to be turning parents off--they say it's too much to wade through. But our district keeps pushing ahead, wanting more and more of our lesson materials online. And most teachers do expect parents to sit down with their child (who can do the navigating) at least once a week to dig through the online information. We try to frame it as something the student should walk the parent through, not an additional responsibility for the parent.
Posted by: Jane | November 12, 2008 at 01:15 PM
My son is currently a 6th grader in a neighboring district. The middle school where he attends posts grades for all of his classes. We absolutely love the conversations we are able to have with our son about where he stands and what the next steps would be for him to improve his grades.
At this juncture, we think the value of an on-line reporting service outweighs getting the formative report only at report card times or when the teacher sent home assignments and/or test results.
Posted by: Big Dutch | November 12, 2008 at 02:51 PM
I agree with Big Dutch. Furthermore, I believe end-user access to the teacher grade book has changed the manner in which grades are reported. People are beginning to question whether our grades are based on learning or if they are based on responsibility and compliance.
Not only will 24/7 access to grades improve student performance - it stands to improve our practice.
Posted by: Bryan | November 12, 2008 at 05:17 PM
My son's high school uses teacherease online. It's a great way for us to keep track of his classes and work and be involved. I highly recommend that all schools implement this kind of system as a way to include parents and improve student engagement and community connections.
Posted by: leah kalish | November 13, 2008 at 04:12 PM
We too use this computer grade system but we are required to post homework asignments and grades daily. I have not seen a tremendous difference in students grades.However, there have ben less conferences because of the daily updates.
Posted by: robin | November 20, 2008 at 03:07 PM
At a middle school I worked at, all teachers had access to the students gradebooks. The students have online accounts that they can log into to check their missed assignments and grades. I think that it is a great idea that students have the ability to be proactive in their journey in becoming adults. In saying this, not every student will be proactive. I worked for an after school program that is academically based. In our efforts to help students enrich their education and assist them with trouble areas, students are able to log into their accounts to check what they need to work on.
I think that having online account access is good for those that have the resources to use it. I think it's a disadvantage for those who do not have computers and internet service at their residence.
Posted by: Desiree | November 22, 2008 at 12:03 AM
Technology is the drive in education today. I feel as though students' grades would improve if the parents were given the option to monitor the grades from their own computers right at home. Most parents care about their child's performance at school, but do not have the time to have constant daily chat with their child's teacher. Nor do teachers have the time to call home everyday. I feel this may promote more parents being actively involved in their child's education.
Posted by: Lindsey Stedman | November 22, 2008 at 01:09 PM
I teach at an elementary school where it is required for us to enter our grades online. This is done weekly so that parents can be aware of their child's grades. I like this because like Lindsey said some parents are not able to come in to meet with teachers about their child's grades. Parents having the options to view their child's grades online is a great idea.
Posted by: Chantelle Duncan | November 24, 2008 at 07:07 AM
As a teacher at an urban high school, we recently started using a gradebook that is available online to parents. At first I was a little apprehensive of parents/students and adminstrated being able to view my grades at any time. I thought the parent phone calls, meetings and emails would increase but exactly the opposite has happened. I am spending less time answering questions of what is my grade and more time with students.
On the other hand, I have a step son that is in a local high school that does not have online access to grades. It has been frustrating to him and myself to 'chase' his teachers down and get his grades. He is not the best student and I have been trying to help him improve his skills. By the time we found out his grades he had 3 F's and a couple of D's. Now I am watching him struggle and stress over raising those grades. This could have been avoided if we had earlier access to his grades.
Posted by: Louie | November 25, 2008 at 07:42 PM
Giving anyone access to a gradebook 24/7 is a disaster! I've actually had parents get angry because their child turned in a paper at 9:00 and I did not immediately post the grade in the gradebook! I guess they think I get to sit at my desk all day! If only!!!
Posted by: Kimberly Green | December 07, 2008 at 06:52 AM
Our school district has been requiring that we teachers post our gradebooks weekly for a couple of years now. It took time, but parents are finally beginning to use this as an effective tool for tracking their students' progress. I am a math teacher who works primarily with special education and Title 1 students -- our special ed. and Title teachers are able to access the gradebooks which is a great resource for them as well.
I love that the gradebook keeps students honest at home. Parents can see in black and white, at any time, when their kids aren't turning in homework or when their grades aren't as wonderful as what their children are reporting. There are no surprises when report cards come out if parents take the time to check grades weekly. Of course, not all parents choose to access their kids' grades, but at least the option is there.
Posting grades also creates accountability with parents - they can't argue that they've had no access to information about their kids' progress if it's posted weekly.
Students and parents have a right to know and see a student's grades. I access my own childrens' grades and appreciate that I can do so.
Posted by: Susan Craig | March 29, 2009 at 02:18 PM