Infinite Campus (IC) is a new student information system that will provide both parents and students live updates on grades and attendance through an application called Campus Portal.
While the IC Campus Portal is not online yet — it will go live on Monday, April 20 — Pam Greene, Director of Pupil Personnel in the Bell County School System, thinks the program will help parents stay in touch.
“They can be more aware,” said Greene. “They can get on there and look at grades and see if there is a pattern of a problem.”
But Greene said the system is not just about finding problems.
“It will give parents an opportunity to reward and praise their kids,” said Greene, explaining that the web-based utility will help parents track their children’s progress throughout the year. She said grades will be posted in a “timely manner,” no more than a few days later. Greene said while Middlesboro and Pineville schools do have Infinite Campus running, they have yet to launch Campus Portal.
One parent agrees that the program will make tracking her daughter’s progress easier.
“I don’t like to just get a report card. I like to find out a couple times every six weeks,” said Calvin resident LaKetta Nantz, who has two daughters, one a senior at Bell County High School and another at Page School Center.
For Nantz, who substitutes in the Bell County School System, keeping up with two different schools and two sets of teachers can become stressful. While she said her daughters do keep her informed about what’s going on at school, “if I think there’s a concern, I have [gone] there in the past and talked to teachers,” said Nantz.
But with IC Campus Portal, she wouldn’t have to make a trip just to check on grades or attendance.
“I wouldn’t have to try to... meet up with the teacher,” said Nantz. “It would be really easy and convenient...[I] don’t have to call them and track them down.”
Greene stressed the accountability that the program gives to parents with attendance tracking.
“They can check and see if kids come in late,” she said, explaining that tardiness to school among homeschoolers who drive can escape a parent’s notice. Truancy and absenteeism have become an increasingly bigger problem with the Bell County School System.
While the program requires that parents have access to a computer with Internet access, Greene doesn’t believe parents will have a problem getting online.
“The majority of our parents use the Internet,” said Greene, “and if not, they can use the Internet in the public library.
Nantz agreed.
“I think the majority does” have access to the Internet, said Nantz, who describes herself as computer literate.
A letter will be sent to parents of students in the Bell County School System on April 1st explaining the new program and how parents can access it.
Stephen Woodward is a Staff Writer for the Daily News. He may be contacted at swoodward@middlesborodailynews.com.
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