By Bill Hardesty | [email protected]

Granite School District (GSD) recently expanded its tools for parents to engage in their child's educational progress by releasing the Mobile Gradebook app. The Mobile Gradebook is available for iOS or Android devices.

"We want to make monitoring your student simple and easy. This mobile access gives student grades and other progress at the touch of a mobile phone anywhere you have data access," Ben Horsley, chief of staff for GSD, said.

Features in Gradebook

"The No. 1 factor in student success is parental involvement. Students whose parents have the ability to monitor and support their students have a better chance at success. This tool helps provide mobile access to critical information regarding a student's educational progress," Horsley said.

The mobile-friendly Gradebook is an extension of the Gradebook available on the parent portal on the district's website. 

"You can instantly see your children's grades. You can see if that means missing assignments. You don't have to wait until the end of the term to find out what the report card looks like," Meredith Harker, a third-grade teacher at Calvin Smith Elementary said. "If there's a problem, you can get it taken care of earlier rather than later. It lets you have conversations with your kids about their progress in school. It helps you be more involved as a parent in your child's education."

Parents have access to crucial information on either platform.

• Attendance: Parents can view their child's attendance and tardy record in detail or summary form showing total numbers for each class.
• Assignments: Parents can see non-Proficiency Based Learning (P.B.L.) course assignments. They can see when assignments are due and which assignments are missing. A current course grade is also displayed.
• Course request: If available, students can request courses for the following year.
• E-mail notification settings: Parents can manage daily or weekly notifications. The daily notification shows attendance for that day. The weekly notification supplies a weekly attendance/tardy summary and the current class grade.
• Progress reports: While not a requirement at all schools, parents can see their student's mid-quarter progress reports.
• Report cards: Parents see all final grades for each quarter. Parents can also see the overall G.P.A. and C.P.A. for each quarter. This means no more making Fs into Bs like in the olden days.
• Skills: This is for elementary students. Students are given a 1-4 citizenship type grade.
• Standards (P.B.L. courses): Parents can see the current grade and the standards and assessments their child has completed, and the proficiency score.
• Student schedule: Parents can see the upcoming schedule for the week or for the entire year.
• Testing: Parents can see D.I.B.E.L.S. and A.C.T scores.
• Transcripts: For grades seven to12, parents can see all courses, grades, and credits earned in real time. 

The Mobile Gradebook app is not available at the Apple App Store or the Google Play Store. It is only available as a download from the district website. Detailed download and installation instructions are available on the GSD website.

Other apps for parents

The Gradebook is part of a suite of other portal apps for parents.

• The Student Center app provides testing results on statewide standardized tests and historical student data.
• The PayPAMS app is a secure online school payment system for such items as school meals.
• The PickATime app allows parents to schedule parent-teacher conferences.
• The Contact Card app allows parents to update phone numbers and email addresses.
• The Add a Student app allows parents to link their children under their account.
• The Back to School Online Registration allows parents to complete student registration online.
• The Canvas app is a learning management system used by some teachers. If used, students complete assignments, quizzes, etc., online. In turn, parents can see their child's Canvas account.