ParentCONNECTxp FAQ

ParentCONNECTxp

Frequently Asked Questions

1.  What is ParentCONNECTxp?

• ParentCONNECTxp is a convienient home-to-school collaboration toll that allows parent/guardians to keep track of their children’s school information and get more involved with their child’s day to day education.  Parent/Guardians may visit the password-protected website to view announcements as well as student schedules, grades, assignments, and attendance.  Parent/Guardians may also subscribe to receive automatic email notifications of unexcused absences, missing assignments, or failing grades.  They can view their child’s information through the website after they have registered and received a User ID and password.  To maintain the integrity of student data, the ParentCONNECTxp application is a “read-only” system and the data resides on a special server.  The actual student data resides on servers safely behind a firewall.  The data is also encrypted as it is transferred over the web.

2. What if I get an email alert that my child has a missing task? Does it mean that he didn't turn in the assignment?

• Not necessarily. Teachers are instructed to put date assigned and date due for each task they enter into their gradebook or else the task will not appear in the assignments page in ParentCONNECTxp.
• If the teacher has not entered a score for the task by the date due, the system will automatically send a missing task email alert to the parent. It may take a day or so past the due date for the teachers to correct and enter the score for the task.
• In general, if the task has a blank in the score and not a zero then it is likely that the assignment has been received but not entered. If there is a zero that may indicate that it is likely that the assignment was not turned in.

3. I have received an email alert indicating that my child has received a failing grade, but I cannot find it.

• There are two things you should look for. First, when you go to the assignments page there is a drop down box at the top that allows you to change periods of time for viewing. Go back in time to view more tasks. You will probably see the failing assignment.
• The second thing to look for is that the date of the email will probably not match the date of the assignment. Keep in mind that the assignment may have been due last week, but it wasn't scored until this week. The email alert date is based upon when the date the assignment score was entered, not when the task was due.

4. Can I sort my child's assignments for easier viewing?

• Yes, you can sort the assignments by clicking on the heading for each column. It will sort assignments by that heading.

5. What if the General Information for my child needs changed or is missing?

• First, please click on the yellow “Home” button which is located on the right side of the ParentCONNECTxp banner.  Make a note of the “last updated” date listed at the top of the page.  If this date is several days behind the current date, there is a possibility that the information you are viewing may not be accurate.
• We would strongly encourage you to contact the office of the school your child attends either via email or telephone so that we can make the change or addition in our main database. If it is wrong or missing in ParentCONNECTxp, it is also wrong or missing in our student information system.

6. Do I have to register for ParentCONNECTxp for every school year?

• No, as long as you have children registered in our school system your registration is valid year to year.

7. Should I change my password every so often?

• Yes. It would be advisable to change your password from time to time. ParentCONNECTxp is a very secure website. The data cannot be changed, so it is view only. A password that has compromised is usually because the user placed their User ID and password somewhere on the computer monitor where it can be easily seen by others people.

8. Why can't I see my child’s grade card who is in an elementary school?

• We have not introduced the electronic grade cards to the elementary schools as of yet.

9. What if I have problems or questions regarding ParentConnectxp?

• You should always use the Help button located in ParentCONNECTxp first if you are having problems.
• If you are having trouble logging into ParentConnect, call the Department of Instructional Technology at (423) 581-3144.
• If you have questions pertaining to grades, contact the appropriate teacher.
• If you have questions pertaining to scheduling, contact:
• Elementary Schools ­ School Office
• Middle Schools ­ School Office
• High Schools ­ Guidance Office
• If you have questions pertaining to attendance, contact:
• . Elementary Schools ­ the appropriate teacher or the School Office
• Middle Schools ­ the appropriate teacher or the School Office
• High Schools ­ the appropriate teacher or the School Office
• If you have questions pertaining to the use of ParentCONNECTxp, contact Harold Jones (Harold@hcboe.net) or the Department of Instructional Technology at (423) 581-3144.

10.  Is there a fee to use ParentCONNECTxp?

• No.  ParentCONNECTxp is free to all users.

11.  How many IDs can my family request?

• If both parents live in the same household, one login account will be provided to the family.  If parents are separated or divorced,e ach parent may request a login account, provided there are no court orders or legal restrictions prohibiting access to the parent.  If a child lived with a guardian, the guardian must have legal custody and rights to access the child’s records.

12.  What if I forget my password?

• You must go to the school where you obtained your User ID and password and show a picture ID.  Another copy of your login information will be provided to you.  Please call the school so that you will know when that information will be available to you.  NO passwords will be given out over the phone.  This process follows the same procedures in place to protect the release of student data.

13.  What prevents a stranger from getting a User ID to view my child’s data?

• When requesting a User ID and password , the parent/guardian must go to the school and provide proper identification to the school contact.  The school will verify the parent/guardian relationships and the right to access the student’s record.  This is the same protocol currently used for requesting student records.

14.  Can I reach ParentCONNECTxp from any computer?

• Yes.  All you need is Internet access to view the website.

15.  What are the minimum computer requirements needed to use ParentCONNECTxp?

• You will need an Internet Service Provider.  The system works best on the following internet browsers:
  • Internet Explorer 5.0 or greater
  • AOL 5.0 or greater
  • Netscape 4.7 or greater
• Either a windows-based or Macintosh computer works.

16.  What do I do if I get “locked” out of my ParentCONNECTxp account?

• As a security measure, if you have three failed attempts at inputting your User ID and/or password, the system will lock you out from accessing your account.  This protects you from having someone “hack” into your account.  The system will automatically reset itself within 30 minutes.  There is NO need to contact your child’s school of the Department of Instructional Technology about this problem.  If you try logging in after the safety timeout, and you are still unsuccessful you will need to treat this as a lost password and follow the procedures for lost passwords.

17.  What are notes?

• Notes are extra information that may be used by teachers to document information about assignments or student performance.

18.  When are ParentCONNECTxp registrations processed?

• They will be processed once a week, on Thursdays.  User IDs and passwords will then be forwarded to the school of the youngest child.  Please allow 7- 10 business days for the schools to pick-up these forms and have them ready for distribution.  Check with the school before picking up your information to ensure that they have received it.