A system that enables parents to constantly track their students’ grades in a live, up-to-the-minute snapshot seems like a nightmarish feature of a future society.
However, starting in the 2015-2016 school year, Marshall parents will have access to such a feature.
Fairfax County Public Schools is in the process of implementing new software that allows every student and parent to view an active version of each teacher’s gradebook, attendance, calendar, teacher notes and emergency care information.
The initiative is a technological step forward for Fairfax County.
Led by W.T. Woodson High School, Marshall is among seven Fairfax County High Schools yet to introduce the complete version.
The program, called the Student Informational System or SIS, is currently being used at Marshall to keep attendance. It went live last month. The entirety of SIS, including the live gradebook, will be released in September.
Roxanne Kaylor, the school’s technology specialist, said that “the result of the SIS is transparency for students and parents.”
Currently, Marshall’s grading system is composed of three things: a calendar where teachers can plot assignments, a spreadsheet that calculates grades and automatically weighs depending on the course and a program that tracks attendance.
However, in classes that rely upon benchmark criteria or implement a grading curve, these grades will not be completely accurate, leaving interims and quarter grades as the most accurate representation of students’ progress in the course.
Sophomore Jake Hargrove believes that the system will compound the high pressure already on students.
“It’s probably just going to make kids more stressed out about constantly having better grades,” Hargrove said.
However, Kaylor contends that the new program is merely an extension of what already exists.
“It’s a good thing that’s coming. It’s going to be really nice for everyone involved,” Kaylor said.
While the new system may seem terrifying, it’s important for parents and students to remember that it’s merely a snapshot of progress, and SIS intends only to assist students in obtaining the best grade and remaining on top of their work.