District's new StudentNet aimed at helping kids plan, organize
Many students use the Internet to do research and connect with friends but come Sept. 8, the Philadelphia School District hopes they will use it for plotting their way to college, looking up their grades and even accessing their textbooks.
NOTE: THIS STORY HAS BEEN CORRECTED
Many students use the Internet to do research and connect with friends but come Sept. 8, the Philadelphia School District hopes they will use it for plotting their way to college, looking up their grades and even accessing their textbooks.
StudentNet, an online graduation-planning tool the district unveiled yesterday, is designed to help students become more invested in their education, said Naomi Housman, executive director of High School Reform Policy and Research.
"StudentNet is a way for students to own their academic process and feel empowered about their life," she said.
The tool will be available to all public-school students, but for now officials are focusing on getting high-school students to use the site, she said.
Housman said it took about two years for the offices of High School Reform and Educational Technology to create the site.
Students can access the site through the district's new online portal, MyPhilaSD, www.philasd.org/login, which brings them to a password-protected page.
The student portal allows access to personal information, including report cards dating back to the 2001-2002 school year, attendance records, standardized and benchmark test scores and entire textbooks for core classes.
The site, the first of its kind in Pennsylvania, Housman said, will also list after-school programs, job opportunities and information on financial aid and scholarships. Students also can get advice from peers via video clips.
Students enrolled in a public school but haven't been attending class can also access their profiles.
Students have until Oct. 9 to change their temporary passwords, after which time an administrator will retrieve it, Housman said. For security purposes, temporary passwords are refreshed every 30 days, she said.
Parents won't be left out either, she said. They can still track their child's progress through the 4-year-old site FamilyNet. Teachers are also encouraged to create a profile in their own section of MyPhilaSD.
Getting 60,000 high-school students to use the site may be the most difficult part, said Lori Shorr, Mayor Nutter's education chief.
To that end, district officials are expecting the 450 counselors in the district's 267 schools to work with students to chart individual graduation plans, said Wilfredo Ortiz, deputy chief of the Office of Academic Counseling and Promotion Standards, which provides support to principals and counselors.
"The way counselors are providing service has to change," he said. "This is where we're going."
The 148 counselors hired this year were trained last month on the program, and more training sessions will be offered on Aug. 25 and 26, Housman said.
Last spring, students in eight high schools raved about the site after testing it, Housman said, noting that the positive response may impact the dropout rate.
"We lose a lot of kids in the ninth grade," she said. "It's going to be appealing to a lot of kids."
CORRECTION:
This story originally stated that graduates can access their profiles online. This is incorrect. Only students who are currently enrolled may access their profiles. Also, we incorrectly reported that interactive forums will be available to students.