July 25, 2011
BKW is launching a Parent Portal at the secondary school-level this fall under the name BKW Connect.
A Parent Portal is a web-based program that allows parents to get up-to-the minute information on their children, including grades, homework assignments, attendance records, report cards, schedules, progress reports, assessment scores, transcripts for select grades, and more.
“There is so much information we can put out there that will help parents stay informed,” said Brendan Hogan, of BKW’s Information Technology department.
BKW Connect Parent Portal is a part of the student management system that the district began working through the logistics of implementing last year. Teachers were trained in Gradebook, an electronic equivalent to the traditional paper gradebook, at the half way point of last year.
Teachers enter electronic grades for each assignment, quiz, test, project, etc. as it is scored, and Gradebook creates a real-time grade average for any student in the class based off that information.
For the third marking period of 2010-11, teachers were getting accustomed to using Gradebook consistently. During the fourth marking period, a pilot program was launched for parents of select eighth grade students.
“Gradebook does all the calculations for the teachers and creates a rolling average through the marking periods to the end of the year,” Hogan said. “Parents with BKW Connect accounts will have access to their student’s Gradebook report and see in more detail and frequency how their student is performing as compared to traditional five and 10 week reports.”
Currently all parents and guardians of students entering grades 6 through 12 are invited to activate BKW Connect Parent Portal accounts. To sign up, go to https://esd-parentportal.neric.org/ and fill out the online form. [A PDF of directions to assist in filling out the forms can be downloaded here] The information is then sent to the school for validation against school records to verify that the applicant does have the right to access that student’s information.
“Privacy is very important to us,” Hogan said.
The same rolling out process will happen during 2011-12 at the elementary school. The first half of the year will be spent familiarizing teachers with Gradebook and dealing with the increased variables that exist between elementary and secondary grading systems. A pilot program will be launched at the elementary before the end of the 2011-12 school year. BKW Connect Parent Portal is expected to be accessible to parents of all grade levels by fall of 2012.
“One nice thing about Parent Portal is that it is intuitive. The set up is pretty easy to use,” Hogan said.
The program also offers the future potential for cost savings as well, as designers are working on implementing an environmental setting that would allow parents to opt out of certain traditional paper mailings and receive those notices electronically through BKW Connect Parent Portal. This would save the district money on postage and related supplies as well as reduce environmental waste.
“There are many options within the program we are exploring,” Hogan said.
Parents of secondary students are encouraged to sign up for BKW Connect Parent Portal before the beginning of the school year to avoid any delays caused by an influx of applications.
“Registration is open and parents can sign up
at any time,” Hogan said.
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