iGradePlus

The best part about using iGradePlus was that once my students (and their parents) had 24/7 access their grades online, they began to self-motivate.

All I would change is that I´d like to get my whole school using it. It started with just me, it has grown to two of four grade-levels, and I think it could be a good solution for the whole school.

iGradePlus has completely changed my professional life, and the educational life of my students. Gone are the days when I had to run around like a harried parent, making sure students knew what was going on and what it could mean for them. Now the information about what they need to do and what it means to their grade is there, always-accessible online, clear and transparent. They have no excuses, they always know where they stand, and it is instantly clear to them and their parents what they need to do to improve. I have to do a fraction of the hard discipline and motivation that I used to do, because when kids can see their situation clearly they generally want to do the best they can with it. And when parents also know exactly what is going on they easily can see how to help. And most parents, in their hearts I´ve found, truly want to help if only they know what the problem is and HOW to help. Within three months of implementing iGradePlus everything had changed. My students were 500% calmer, more focused, and better-motivated. Even the only marginally academic ones were working harder, because my school is a sports-focused school, and most of my kids hate to lose at anything, including grades, so when they can see their grades and know I´m keeping score (and know their parents can see as well) it makes them want to work hard to win. Also my students quickly came to trust me more because they could see at any time exactly how I was grading them, and they could adjust when they needed to. The better students even started correcting ME when I would make mistakes in data entry! And then we were on the same team- us against the computer. My job was no longer to judge my students, but rather to help them to get the grades to say what my students wanted their grades to say. My first report card and parents´ evening with iGradePlus were an absolute revelation. There was no stress, no tears, no frantic negotiations and threats from parents- everyone walked in already knowing what the current grade was, and more or less which categories of grades and activities were the problem. We spent our time not arguing but pleasantly discussing subtleties of the students´ challenges, feelings, and strengths. Other teachers started to notice how relaxed I was at grade time, and now much of my school is using iGradePlus. Lastly, iGradePlus´s customer service is among the best I´ve ever encountered. During the implementation process I contacted the company VERY frequently and they always replied within 24 hours. Not only that, but they were friendly, professional, and responsive- really able to listen to my concerns and take action, even to the extent of implementing features in the software that I had requested. Bug fixes were often immediate. I heartily recommend iGradePlus to any educator who wants to get control over his classroom management and create transparent communication between teacher, parent, and student. Mr. Ulrich English and History Teacher Sport Middle School Wendstattgasse Vienna, Austria (EU)