Most of them are free, or offer a 30 to 90 day trial period to allow educators to make a decision on whether or not to that site for their educational needs. Having built-in safeguards that protect students from any kind of marking exploitation is also critical. If access to curriculum is desired, it is important the portals lead to current national and state curriculum and standards. Some portals will provide monthly themes or current events topics. The posting of assignments and messages for the visitors should be easily done and secure.
Some portals offer e-mail, message boards and school and class web pages.
The flexibility of being able to success the portal from school, home, or any computer is very desirable. Busy schedules and the increasingly availability of home access to the web is creating a high demand for flexible access. Many portals now offer options for online assessment. This site is considered a 'portal' for other sites, meaning it can serve as a jumping-off point, but it also has lots of information that can be helpful to educators, parents, and students alike. Students and parents can access their particular teacher's notes by using their zip code.