Infinite Campus and Beyond: Parents and the Portal
In today’s system of education, a large amount of emphasis is placed on grades. Districts across the country utilize the Infinite Campus Parent Portal so parents can keep track of their child’s progress in their classes. Often, parents are encouraged to play an active role in their child’s school career, and the portal allows parents to have access to every grade their child receives, closely monitoring their success or failures.
The purpose of Infinite Campus varies depending on the type of student. Parents with children that struggle in their classes are able to monitor their child’s success in school, and are notified when he or she is lacking ability in a certain class. In certain lights, the ability of a parent to be so deeply involved with their child’s education can seem either beneficial or detrimental in regard to students and their academic career.
Half Hollow Hills is rated among the top districts in the nation. The success of a district is however, a double edged sword. As schools become more geared towards higher and more advanced education, more competition, and therefore more pressure, is infused into the daily atmosphere of a student’s academic life. Often, specific students are able to interpret this pressure as a push to succeed in their studies, while managing the stress that comes along with the desire to achieve.
Speaking from personal experience, my parents check the portal excessively. They each have the app on both their phones and iPads, and check me and my sister’s grades twice a day. As one can imagine, this puts an inordinate amount of pressure on us, as we are not only working to succeed for ourselves, but also for our parents. Bradley Camarda, a HSW freshman, says “It’s just another means for parents to put even more academic pressure on students than there already is”.
However, what happens when another source of pressure becomes prominent, perhaps outweighing a student’s own motivation? When every grade is not perfect, parents are able to observe and interpret bad grades as an indicator that their child is doing poorly, that their child is not as intelligent as they believed them to be. There are, however, students students who may not be devoted or are perhaps having difficulties in class that they are unable to express. It is important that someone exist who can observe what they are doing, and provide input and suggestions. Teachers aren’t able to plan an individualized study program for each student; parents are there to notice when something is off and seek extra help for their child. When certain students can’t put the pressure on themselves necessary for success, that extra push that may overwhelm some children, is enough to get them to do better. Mrs. Crowe, the AP Lang and Senior Experience teacher, believes that parents need to use infinite campus in moderation, rather that checking it constantly. “They should use it to check in on their child once in a while (if they are not struggling) and have faith that they can stay on top of their workload, understanding that a few mistakes are made in the process of living up to the standards our district has set.”
While views on this topic may differ, Infinite Campus Portal can be a great tool to improve parent involvement in their child’s academics and allow students to monitor their grades so they know what they need to work on. Allowing parents to access their child’s grades may range from unnecessary to overwhelming for the child, but nevertheless serve to allow parents garner a better understanding of their child’s progress in school.
