At the conclusion of the 2011-12 school year, the Chandler Unified School District made a dramatic switch that progressed its online gradebook into the 21st century.
Infinite Campus was introduced in July, and its mobile phone app – which allows students and parents to monitor their up-to-the-minute grades – was launched in August.
“(Infinite Campus) is easier to work with,” Principal Dan Serrano said last week, “and the data is cleaner because of the different categories and settings.”
Science department chair Jerry Bell enjoys the system because it has more versatility, and finds it is easier to identify grades.
“I enjoy the system because it gives us more opportunities that we can do for the students,” Bell said.
However, not everyone has been pleased with the switch from STI (the former gradebook) to Infinite Campus.
Some parents and students have been locked out of the system because they either forgot their passwords, or because of Infinite Campus’s password complexity; they claim it is very easy to forget passwords.
Sophomore Nico de Bruyn was okay being locked out because he knew he could go fix it when he returned to school. Students are instructed to see administrative assistant Rosie Saenz after school for help.
Another problem has been when students change their passwords. Unlike STI, each Infinite Campus account only has one password – meaning students must share that password with their parents, Serrano said.
According to Saenz, there are plans for a separate parent portal in the spring.
Serrano said the system is more modern but “has some hiccups,” although he has confidence they are going away.
English teacher Brittney Britanik finds Infinite Campus “not user friendly,” and says that “printing and viewing grades was very difficult.”
Some teachers even get frustrated and find it is a work in progress.