Parents can use online data base to check progress
By Sylvie Belmond belmond@theacorn.com

Moorpark parents won't have to wait until the semester is half over to find out how their children are doing in school. The Moorpark Unified School District is piloting a database system that provides real time information to parents.

Parents will be able to access detailed information about their child's performance at school through a new student demographics database later this month.

Zangle's ParentConnection is a web application that provides parents with direct access to student data via the Internet.

Using the confidential personal identification number and a password, parents can connect to the school district's student database and view their child's progress reports, attendance records, report cards, transcripts and more.

The system provides another way for parents to stay connected to their children's school experience and is one more tool to help students succeed, said Superintendent Ellen Smith

Zangle is a very complex program with lots of capabilities, so the parent connection feature is still experimental, said school officials at a board meeting Tuesday, indicating that not all teachers use the program yet.

About 60 percent of the teachers at Moorpark High School use the system now and district officials will offer training sessions to encourage all teachers to use the program as soon as possible.

"It's a phase in approach. Teachers need time to learn the program, said Trustee Greg Barker.

The district began to use the Zangle program internally last year and officials are now piloting the parent access feature for high school students.

A PIN and a password are required to access the database and both will be available to parents who bring an ID at a booth during Moorpark High's back to school night on Sept. 26.

If they can't obtain the password and PIN at that time, parents will have to go to the high school in person at another time to obtain the information, said Smith.

In the long term, parents will be able to access information for children who attend Moorpark schools in all grade levels but more information is available on high school records because the data includes student transcripts.

"Once the high school program is rolled out, we will work with other schools in the district," Smith said, anticipating the process will be completed in the middle of the school year.