Schools

Online Student Portal Gives Parents the Power of Information

Gwinnett Schools' new site allows parents to get more info about their kids--at any time.

Remember the days when an “F” on a report card could be transformed into an “A” with some fancy penmanship? Of course you don't, but those days are no more. 

Last semester was the first one when all parents of Gwinnett County school students could log onto a website to get up-to-the-minute info about grades, attendance, test scores and more via the Parent Portal.

“As a parent, I now that sometimes you ask your kids questions and you might get some vague answers,” said Sloan Roach, spokesperson for Gwinnett County Public Schools who helped develop the site. “This provides an opportunity to talk.”

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Norcross High School Principal Jonathan Patterson said the feedback from parents has been positive and that he has seen his parents better informed than ever—sometimes to the chagrin of the students. “The principals joke that it’s their worst nightmare,” he said.

Patterson said the site has also helped with teacher accountability, since the teachers are required to have more grades up on the site—and quicker. “I think that’s healthy,” he said. 

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Julie Reed Foster said she loves the site on Norcross Patch’s Facebook page, citing current information about grades, quizzes and test scores. “It also lists all standardized tests for each year,” she wrote. Parents can compare tests from past years using the site, and can toggle between students if they have multiple kids in the school system.  

Analytics about how parents are using the site are now rolling in since the first semester is complete. “One thing we found is that people use this 24-7,” said Roach. “They log on at all hours.”

One issue that has come up with the Portal is getting the parents to complete the two-part process for signing up. The county says that a number of parents got a key from their school, but didn’t actually log onto the site. “One thing we want to do is reach out to those people,” Roach said.  Parents should inquire directly with their schools to get started. 

The other issue that parents bring up is a classic conundrum of the internet age: forgetting that the site is out there with so many other things online competing for their attention.

Norcross High parent Pam Hopper said that with the old system, she automatically got a weekly email update from teachers with their test scores and homework scores. She said she likes that the Portal has more information—when she remembers to log on.


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