Keeping up with your student's grades can be a daunting task, but many local school districts are catching on to that and trying to do something about it.
Imagine getting an e-mail alert when your student gets a grade below what you consider acceptable. Well, that's a reality for parents around the Austin area.
Every day, multiple times a day, while her students are at school, parent Jacqueline Chatham said she uses the Gradespeed program to check their progress and make sure they are in class.
"It's an awesome system and I use it regularly," Chatham said. "All of my child's teachers know that I watch it every day."
Chatham said Gradespeed acts as a second set of eyes for parents.
"If it says your child was absent all day from school and you know you dropped your child off for school that day, you know you have some communicating to do with your child," she said.
For some, the program prompts more communication with your child and less time spent trying to sort things out with your child's teacher.
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Online Grade Check
News 8's Jennifer Borget explains why many parents use these online programs religiously.
 
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"Teachers during the daytime are busy teaching -- hopefully teaching your students," Chatham said. "So, if you need to check on your child's grades, just get online and look and see."
The Gradespeed program started in Austin in January, but similar programs have been around in other districts providing the same services for some time, such as the Home Access program in Round Rock.
Round Rock Independent School District Technology Specialist Robert Alford said such programs provide specifics for parents.
"It provides you with an opportunity to have some communication with your child," Alford said. "Instead of just saying, 'How was your chapter 14 test?' You can ask, 'How was your test on exponents?"
Both systems allow teachers to add extra information on each assignment so parents know why their student received the grade they did and know the details of the assignment.
Parent Deborah Warren said it allows parents to keep tabs on their students.
"You can ask them, 'Did you get this done? Well let me see it if it's done if it's due tomorrow and you got it done," she said. "It gives your child a chance to say, 'Yeah Mom, here it is.'"
Some see it as a way to keep their students honest, and others say it's a way to keep track when time is short.
But for all, if used consistently, there are no surprises at the end of a six-week term at school.
In Part 3 of News 8's Back-to-School series, Jennifer Borget will introduce us to two first-year teachers who are getting ready for their first days of class. Check it out Wednesday on News 8 Austin and News8Austin.com.
