Touring the schools this year, I became very excited about the Kenai Peninsula School District's new system called "EDLINE". This is a computer-based system that allows the student, parent, teacher and administrator to continuously monitor the child's education. This system requires a change in teaching tactics: each homework assignment, quiz, test, and project grade is posted to the on-line grading report card each day. This gives instantaneous access to the status of the student's performance by all who can help.
This is a new system this year for most schools and there is a learning curve while integrating the system into the school structure.
Homer Middle School has been using the basic approach for about three years. This school also realized that letting a parent know that their child had missed an assignment or flunked a quiz was only part of the solution. They instituted a policy that almost all assignments can be made-up or retaken. This has given the parents not only the knowledge that their student missed a learning opportunity but the ability to work with their kid to CHANGE that grade. Hoorah! Finally, a mechanism that allows parent accountability! Not only is the individual grade on an assignment changed but also the learning can take place that is so essential, as most classes are built upon the earlier learning segments. The Middle School kept the premium on initial learning and study by allowing a maximum of 80 percent for credit on retakes. This system has expanded the possible parent contact as never before since the Peninsula has a very high home computer rate and many sources of public access.
If you are not familiar with this innovation, go on-line to www.kpbsd.k12.ak.us or www.edline.com website or talk to the Homer Middle School. I have not yet seen how the system works for the young elementary grades, but I hope schools will develop and share their successful implementation models soon.
As vice-chair of the House Education Committee, I look forward to statewide expansion of this successful model to enable parental accountability, which has been missing from our education system.
Paul Seaton is Homer's representative in the Alaska Legislature.
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