The Santa Maria Joint Union High School District is now using technology that enables parents to check weekly student progress from their cell phones or computers.
Although the district has been using Aeries in-house to keep tabs on students for several years, it was upgraded three years ago to include a Parent Portal that gives a snapshot or thumbnail for each student, and this year that information about assignments, attendance, grade trends, and weekly progress reports is available to parents on their smart phones.
The district is urging parents to sign up for Aeries, which is available in English and Spanish, so they can become more involved in their child’s education. The system can be accessed through school websites, and parents or legal guardians can personalize what information they want sent to their email address or smart phones.
Righetti High mother Christine Reade, who also serves as a substitute teacher, said in a press release that she believes the data is invaluable.
“I appreciate that I don’t need to wait for the mail to view my daughter’s progress report at the six-week period,” Reade said in the release.
She uses Aeries to monitor her daughter’s attendance, academics, test and homework scores, and send teachers emails.
“I am always surprised when a parent seems surprised at their son’s, or daughter’s cuts or grade changes. Information is so accessible through the portal. Communication between parent and teacher seems so much better because this resource is available,” Reade said in the release.
This article appears in Sep 11-18, 2014.