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Now that we (students, parents, teachers, and administration) have settled in for the year, I would like to take this opportunity to write about one of our new initiatives, the Parent Portal. This portal will allow our parents to view student grades as they are entered into our system. Our hope for this "snapshot," is to facilitate discussion between our parents and their children on an academic level. The portal will be opened on November 13th, the first day of the second quarter. Prior to this date, a letter and brochure will be mailed home that will not only explain the portal, but also will contain a password and username that will allow our parents to access their child's data. Access to the portal will be aided by the addition of a link that will be placed on the Lower Merion School District website (www.lmsd.org). We realize that some families don't have internet access and would like to suggest that they utilize the community libraries for this access.
As with all change, there is some apprehension that has been expressed over this initiative. The most common cause for concern from students is, "my parents will know all of my grades and if I slip on a quiz they will be all over me." Please do not expect to see your child's results posted during the school day the assessment was due or took place. We encourage all of our teachers to include more writing in their assessments, and as such they will need more time to thoroughly evaluate these pieces. The teachers will have a grace period of one week to grade objective evaluations and two weeks for subjective evaluations.
Again, our hope is that the portal will open discussion between you and your child. A child's grade is an accumulation of assessments and other tools throughout the quarter; one quiz doesn't make or break a marking period. This is another tool that will enable all of us to work together to insure success for each of our students.
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