It wasn’t long ago that, as a parent, you had to rely on your child to tell you how things were going in his classes. Most of the time the answer was a very short, non-descript “fine.” Oh, you could get information from teachers at conference time or you might receive a progress report in the middle of a marking period. But on a day-to-day basis, your child was your link to the classroom.
Things have changed in recent years. Modern technology has made it possible for you to view and monitor your child’s progress at any given moment, day or night. While this may be a nightmare for students, it is a welcome convenience for parents whose schedules rarely fit into a 9-5 mold anymore. It’s actually a good resource for students as well.
Many schools have adopted computer programs which allow management of pertinent student information. The State of Delaware Department of Education uses Home Access Center as its way to keep parents and students connected. Private and parochial schools have similar programs under the names Power School, Edline and others. It is common for parents and students to be issued separate user names and passwords. This allows for confidential requests or notes from teachers to be conveyed to you, the parent and seen only by you. Some of the information that can be accessed on these parent and student accounts includes:
- Upcoming homework assignments
- Projects in process
- Student grades
- Calendar views of a particular class
- Handouts and/or worksheets from classes that can be reprinted if necessary
- Reference tools such as on line dictionaries for world languages , conversion charts for sciences, and MLA formats for language arts/English
The “home” pages of these programs may also provide general information about school events and links to different departments. If your child’s school offers this service, take advantage of it and visit the site frequently. Discuss items on the site and within your student’s profile with him or her. By doing this your child knows you are concerned about academic performance and are being proactive in following it.
For more information, please visit Back to Basics website at http://www.BacktoBasicsLearning.com
Back to Basics has been recognized as the area’s undisputed leader in one-on-one tutoring. In addition, the firm offers a unique Delaware private school for all grades. Back to Basics is the 2010 Better Business Bureau Torch Award for Marketplace Ethics.
