By Ivan Pereira
For years, city parents have had to wait for parent−teacher conferences or appointments with their children’s teacher to get updates on how they were doing in school.
Thanks to a new online tracking system that was unveiled by city Schools Chancellor Joel Klein last Thursday at an Astoria elementary school, adults can have almost all educational information about their son or daughter at their fingertips.
The chancellor said the Achievement Reporting and Innovation System Parent Link can help both instructors and parents by allowing both to take a more hands−on approach to their student’s development more frequently.
“This is really a big and important thing in terms of information that parents have about their children,” he said at the Web site’s unveiling at PS 85 in Astoria.
The online database, only accessible by using a parent identification number and a password, includes information on students from kindergarten to 12th grade. Parents can see their child’s grades within specific subject areas, Regents scores and state English and math scores.
Parents can even see how many times their child has been late or absent and the specific days they missed class as well.
“Basically, Parent Link provides information we have on the schools they can get for the children,” Klein said.
The database began as a pilot program at PS 85 in November, where parents were given passwords and identification numbers and were able to track their student’s information for their entire city school history. Anne Gordon−Chan, the elementary school’s principal, said she jumped at the chance to test out the new system.
“We felt it was a good resource, so that our parents, children and teachers are on the same page,” she said. “In empowering our parents, we make sure our children are successful.”
Elaine Long, who tested Parent Link to keep track of her two children who attend the school, said she enjoyed using the system because it helped her to stay on top of her children’s progress.
“We had to wait at the end of the school year to get … scores, but now we’ll be able to get them as soon as they come in and that will be something to look at and compare,” she said.
Klein said the test run helped the Web designers work out the kinks for the site and make it useful for less tech−savvy parents. Each page on Parent Link includes a brief explanation on how the classes and tests are graded.
“We really learned from them to make sure it’s user friendly,” he said.
For more information on Parent Link log on to www.arisnyc.orgâ„parentlink.
Reach reporter Ivan Pereira by e−mail at ipereira@cnglocal.com or by phone at 718−229−0300, Ext. 146.
