11 minute read
Online report cards
Academics On-line, Annotated Grade Reports Replace Paper at WPS
The old cartoon that shows a child sitting by the mailbox, hoping to waylay a worrisome report card, is out of date—at least at Woodside Priory School.
Today, a Priory She and a team of student with some colleagues selected explaining—or some the program after bragging! — to do will more than a year have to distract his/ of study because it her parents from the promised systemfamily computer, not wide accuracy and the telltale envelope. reliability that was Grade reports now lacking in the former arrive online via a The online report form includes, over the top, a photo, name and class grading software. password-protected (deleted here to protect the student’s privacy). On the left is the student’s schedule, then courses, followed by every grade, absence and tardy in every It also offered quick Internet account. class. At the bottom are the current GPA and an attendance summary. access to frequentlyGrade information used information, is available to parents and students, as soon as it is rather than a maze of screens, she said. posted, all the time. But online grading is the feature that directly
As teachers grade tests, quizzes and papers, impacts families, and in that way it is a sea change. they enter each grade online. Each entry instantly Parents are suddenly much closer to grade issues than updates the student’s grade record, and this record ever before—or, they have the capability to be. Does is available to the student’s academic advisor, college this new “data immersion” change the dynamics of counselor, administrators, and the student and parental involvement with student performance? parents . Administrators no longer are plagued with Should it? inconsistencies in students’ files. Asked for feedback after the first grading period,
A student or parent checking online will see the sixty parents responded and all the comments were new grade, together with the already-entered grades, positive. Parents expressed appreciation for access to and a blue link to any teacher comments. more information, complete information, and current
Online grade reporting is actually “the icing on information. A counter on each student account the cake” to PowerSchool, the software that makes shows that most are being accessed a reasonable it possible, says Jennifer Martin, Academic Dean. amount—not constantly, not too infrequently. All accounts have been accessed at least once.
Parents are suddenly much closer to grade issues than ever before—or, they have the capability to be.
Academic Dean Jennifer Martin (right) and Registrar Barbara Falk (left) were two of the five-member team that selected PowerSchool software. The Dean of the Faculty, Director of Counseling Services and Director of College Counseling were the other members.
Most students contacted said that online grading makes no difference in their families. “My parents check, but they don’t check all the time. They think it’s my responsibility,” said eighth grader Zoe Ciupitu. Another student commented that his family stopped using the online reports because they lost the password.
Ms. Martin hopes that smoothing out the mechanics of grades will result in less time spent worrying about them. She sees the following advantages to online grading, and some faculty members are already reporting success in these areas.
• Students may be less likely to overreact to an individual grade because they see it in the context of all of their grades. “Students don’t always have a clear concept of how a single quiz grade, for example, impacts their final grade. With this program, they can see a single grade in perspective,” Ms. Martin explained.
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• Grades can be calculated at the click of a button. Many teachers were using hand calculators before, which was more time-consuming and error-prone.
• If a teacher or parent thinks there is an error in the record, it can be resolved right away rather than at the end of a grading period.
• Academic advisors can see their advisees’ records at a glance and stay in closer touch. At gradelevel faculty meetings, when students of concern are discussed, teachers now have a complete and accurate factual picture as well as anecdotal information to guide their decisions.
The technical aspects of the change are no small task for teachers, who must learn the new system and be prompt in posting their information. Many Priory teachers contacted were quick to say that, while they like what they see, they do not yet fully understand all aspects of this powerful tool. They are interested in learning more. They hope to learn soon to easily calculate class average and stack-rank class scores.
At least one faculty member, math teacher Steve Marsheck, predicts that a fresh look at communications policies might be in order after a year of experience with online reporting. So far, direct communication from parents hasn’t changed— nevertheless, some teachers wonder whether parents are reading the reports and understanding them. For now, the traditional policies are still in place—for example, a parent will still receive a phone call or email if a student’s class grade is dropping below a “C,” Ms. Martin said.
Scott Parker, Theology department chair, echoes Ms. Martin’s hope that grade transparency will lead to less, not more, emphasis on numerical evaluation. He would like to downplay continuous evaluation and ranking, he said.
If there is a background conducive to best use of tools such as PowerSchool’s, Ms. Martin’s may be it. Her experience blends management and personal counseling skills. While earning a master’s degree in counseling psychology, she worked at California State University, Humboldt’s telecommunications services in a triage position. It was her job to take crisis calls, solve the problems, or quickly find someone who could. “I learned a lot about management of a large, campus-wide system,” she said.
Back then, she wasn’t headed for teaching. Her master’s thesis was based on her yearlong evaluation of Bank of America’s Employee Assistance Program, and she intended to leverage that knowledge into an industry position. However, a dean of students position at Presentation High in San Jose intrigued her, and she found in education everything she had expected in industry, and more, she says. She now also holds a second masters degree in educational administration. Her eyes light up when she talks about her psychology class and her students’ growing knowledge of such issues as child development.
If she could have a technological wish for the future, it would be to offer teachers greater multimedia capabilities in their classrooms, she said. “I’m not talking about simply making lessons prettier or more fun, I’m talking about ways to teach more effectively,” she said. For the moment, her focus is on successfully integrating PowerSchool, but in a few years—who knows? Psychology class and administrative leadership tie together Academic Dean Jennifer Martin’s diverse background. Here, psych students Sara and Rebecca Rappaport take advantage of play time with Hailey Mnookin Olcott, age 2 ½, daughter of faculty member Cory Olcott, to see whether textbook theories of child development seem to apply. Photos and a story about psych class play day with faculty children are at www. woodsidepriory.com. Look under Recent Events.
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This alumnus can trace his theater roots to Priory productions and even to relaxing with television in the dorms. Tak Virivan Brings Western-Style Entertainment To Thailand
Takonkiet (Tak) Viravan Class of 1984 Lives in Bangkok, Thailand Education: BA, Communication & Theatre, Boston College MS, Broadcasting, Boston University Family: Married to Kanikar (Prim) Viravan; 1 daughter, Prang (5 months) Favorite activities: Watching movies, seeing plays, traveling Professional field: Director-Producer, entertainment industry
The Priory alumnus who founded what might be called the Bill Graham Presents of Bangkok has some advice for today’s Priory students.
“The most important thing in life is to find your true self. Often, when you are young, you have a dream, but your dream and your ability to realize it may not match. Whoever is up there (in heaven) doesn’t give us all the same talents.”
Tak Viravan, Class of 1984, is describing himself and the life experience that took him from odd young man out at WPS to head of a company that has changed the face of the Thai entertainment industry.
At a sports-minded all-boys school, Tak’s interest in theater was definitely a path less taken, he said. However although not many people shared his passion for theater, everyone encouraged him in it, he said. Although WPS’s productions were small, Tak sometimes had leading roles, and he had big dreams.
He entered Boston College expecting to pursue a career in economics, mainly because, at that time, the entertainment industry in Thailand was not an
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attractive field on which to build a career. But after a semester of boredom, Tak’s parents backed his desire to go for his dream. He switched his major to theater—not sure where it would take him, but knowing he wanted to give it his best effort.
It was a courageous decision—and soon a discouraging one when parts in college productions didn’t come his way.
“At first I thought it was the Asian look. There weren’t any parts calling for that. Then, after awhile, I began thinking maybe I just wasn’t that good an actor!” he admitted.
While waiting and hoping the parts would come, Tak worked backstage, often juggling multiple roles as stage manager of a production. One of these experiences brought the epipheny that led to a career combining entertainment and management.
“I was standing backstage while the cast was taking bows and thinking to myself that, even though nobody knew who I was or what I’d done, I knew I had made that play happen. I loved that feeling even more than being in front of the audience,” he said.
The company he heads today is a subsidiary of GMM Grammy, an entertainment consortium listed on the London stock exchange.
American theater experience and even the hours spent watching TV in the Priory dorm gave Tak a personal sense of the entertainment he would like to present. He began his career as a producer-director of TV situation comedies. Then, several TV dramas, game shows, and variety shows followed. He even bought the rights of one of America’s favorite game shows, “Family Feud” to produce a Thai version; this is a show he remembers watching during his years at the Priory.
Tak also brought stage musicals to Thailand, having produced 3 musical plays that filled the 1,800- seat Thailand Cultural Center. The shows ignited excitement for the musical theatre from the Thai audience. Even Her Majesty the Queen of Thailand came to see them, Tak said.
Even today, many shows later, and with a strong reputation behind him, “every show I start is a new audition. Not for the job of director or producer, but for the audience. I can say from my professional point of view that a show has the potential to work, but you never know until it gets out there whether it will succeed.”
After every show, he still analyzes what went well and how it could be better, he said.
Tak traces a concern for the social impact of his work back to his Priory days, and the values imparted by the monks. “Every day, I tell my staff ‘Think about what you do, what you say. Be careful. You don’t know how your words will affect someone who hears them, who may turn on the television at that specific moment. It is important to be aware of that.”
Tak’s life today is very full, with a wife and baby as well as an active career in the entertainment industry. Those early efforts to reconcile his teen-age dream with his God-given talents seem to have paid off, and he doesn’t seem to miss either acting or economics.
Editor’s Note: This article and photograph are from a live interview conducted in Bangkok last November by Al Zappelli, Director of Admissions and Financial Aid.
Artist in Residence Acclaimed Baritone’s Free Concert Is April 19 in WPS Chapel
Russian-born American baritone Anton Belov will spend two days on the Priory campus, meeting with students and faculty in classes and offering three performances. The first, a public performance, is set for 7 p.m. on Tuesday, April 19, in the chapel, followed by a meetthe-artist reception and refreshments in Founders Hall at about 7:45 p.m.
He also will offer separate assemblies for middle and high school on Wednesday, April 20.
Mr. Belov’s performances originally were scheduled for April 5-6, but were changed to give him the opportunity to perform with the Washington Opera.
A first-place winner in the 2002 Young Concert Artists International competition, Mr. Belov has received many prizes and has appeared at the Kennedy Center in Washington, D.C. and at Carnegie’s Weill Recital Hall, the Juilliard Opera Center, Merkin Concert Hall and the Gardner Museum in New York City.
A native of Moscow, Anton Belov holds a Bachelor of Music degree from the New England Conservatory and a Master of Music degree from the Juilliard School. He is currently a candidate for an Artists’ Diploma at the Juilliard Opera Center, where he works with the highly regarded teacher, David Clatworthy.
He is the fifth in a series of young artists-inresidence to visit the Priory campus through an ongoing relationship with Young Concert Artists, Inc., in New York City. A Priory parent who supports YCA sponsors the artists-in-residence series, and a student committee helps select the artists.
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