Net gives parents peek into classes – More schools offer student data online

With classes beginning throughout the Denver metro area, parents at a growing number of schools can now sign on to the Internet to see whether their kids are ditching class or struggling with math.

By Ann Schrader and Eric Hubler, Denver Post Staff Writers

Most of Jefferson County’s high schools and about half its middle schools have jumped into the new school year with the Internet Student Information System. They join systems in Aurora, Douglas County, Boulder Valley, Denver and Cherry Creek, all of which are using the technology to one degree or another.

While the systems differ, they share a concern for security with school-issued user IDs and passwords. All allow parents to get timely information that many tight-lipped teens are loath to share.

"We still like that personal contact, but it’s a great way for parents to stay on top of what their children are doing," said Ron Castagna, principal at Lakewood High School, which tested Jefferson County’s Internet tracking system earlier this year.

Castagna estimated that parents of about 30 percent of Lakewood High’s 1,600 students signed up during the pilot project. A similar number have signed up at Golden High.

"They’re really excited about it," said Golden assistant principal Jan Romary, especially with plans for adding homework assignments and an easier way to e-mail teachers.

Castagna said the intent isn’t to "start up a war zone at home," but the program can help more parents get involved and interested. "That’s huge to high school students, but that’s not always apparent," he said.

Jefferson County secondary school parents were notified about the program last week at registration.

If they want to participate, they must take a photo ID to the school and then they are given a user ID and personal password. They have access only to their children’s information.

Attendance is taken by computer at the beginning of each class, and schools then uplink their databases to the district’s Web server. Grades are updated every six weeks.

"It’s pretty painless," said Barb Converse, a Lakewood math teacher. "We have to do this anyway."

Jeffco schools spokesman Rick Kaufman said, "Almost on an hourly basis, a parent can find out if their child is in a particular class. Most schools will stick to updating attendance two or three times a day."

The Douglas County Schools went online four years ago at Ponderosa High School in Parker. Now all seven high schools have it.

"People sign up for it in droves," said Bruce Haas, a Ponderosa guidance counselor. "It gives (parents) power. In this day and age, everyone wants the school to solve all the problems. Here’s some parent accountability."

Ponderosa assistant principal Gordon Marsh said the system’s immediacy makes it effective.

"We all respond to immediate reinforcement, so it’s a wonderful tool to compliment kids who are turning it around and coming on a regular basis, and on the flip side, it’s also a good discipline tool to help them make better decisions if attendance is a problem."

No solid documentation exists on whether the programs have boosted attendance.

But the technology did play a small role in Ryan Ault’s ascent from self-described "bad kid" to honor-roll denizen last year.

Ault transferred from Horizon High School in Adams County to Ponderosa when he moved in with an aunt and uncle.

His uncle used the system to check grades and attendance from work and home computers, providing fodder for evening discussions.

"I was tardy a few times and they confronted me with that, but I don’t ditch anymore," said Ault, a 15-year-old sophomore.

Ryan doesn’t resent that Big Uncle was watching. "They wanted to make sure I was doing everything I was saying was the truth," he said.

The Boulder Valley and Denver school districts inched into online student data, and Cherry Creek is phasing it into its middle schools.

Broomfield Heights Middle School and Aspen Creek K-8 are using a similar ParentLink system, said Boulder Valley spokeswoman Nancy Horst. Monarch High School should have it running in October.

For budget-strapped schools, it doesn’t come cheap. A typical ParentLink system costs about $8,000 to $10,000 initially and then a few thousand dollars a year.

Jefferson County got a package price so the cost, paid by each school, is $4,000 to $6,000 per school plus $600 to $800 in annual maintenance and support fees.

Some Denver public schools use Intouch Online, with East High School probably being Denver’s biggest user of the program, mainly because the school attracts lots of affluent families, said Tom Stevens, chief technology officer for DPS.

"In the suburban districts, where parents have computers, it works," Stevens said.

All nine secondary schools in Aurora Public Schools are adopting the program, though not all will be ready to start using the system this year, said district spokeswoman Georgia Duran.

Gateway High has been using the system for three years, and principal Jim Bailey calls it "one of my best communication tools with my parents."

Like Castagna at Lakewood High, Bailey said no concerns have been raised about privacy, and nobody’s information has been hacked.

David Craven, Cherry Creek’s director of instructional technology, said the systems use the same safeguards as online banking.

"People have an expectation to get general information on the Web," Craven said. "It’s just part of their lives."

"The value is contingent on how secure the database is," said Stephen Keating, director of the Privacy Foundation at the University of Denver. "If the school district thinks they’ve got it protected so that only the parents or the student can get access to that student’s information, then it sounds viable."

But, cautioned Keating, "just because you think it’s secure doesn’t mean it is."

Mark Silverstein, legal director of the American Civil Liberties Union in Denver, said, "If the information is only available to the parents of a student, I don’t see what the concern is about privacy."

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