Now state leaders are adapting the Malcolm Baldrige National Criteria for Performance Excellence in schools across North Carolina, with the goal that every school district will be using this system by 2002. I' ve been using E-mail and the Internet. At the beginning of the school year, I collect E-mail addresses of parents. Then during the school year, I use the addresses to contact the parents quickly and efficiently. In addition, very soon after grades are entered into our computer, they are posted on the Internet.
Parents can log on and view their student's progress.
They can also see what assignments or tests the student might need to make up. On the front of the grade sheet is a chart that includes each graded assignment, the date it was due, the point value, the score, and the running cumulative average for the class. Next to this chart is a graph on which students note their averages for the current grading period. Four times per quarter, students and parents fill out a form. Students write about what they're learning, scores on their last two assignments, and any current needs they have.