A new electronic means for Vicksburg Warren School District parents to review students’ progress nearly day-by-day throughout the year was launched this week, and school officials said students soon will be able to monitor their own work at the website.

“We’re thrilled to have it,” said Shelley Plett, the district’s supervising director of technology. “I hope it’s a benefit for parents. Once teachers input grades, parents should have immediate feedback. For teachers, there is the ease of entering grades and having them show online immediately.”

The electronic component — called Sunday ActiveParent and a part of the system called SAM, or Student Administration Manager — is found at the district’s long-standing website. ActiveParent allows a parent or guardian to access up-to-date information on students including individual tests and assignment grades for each subject.

The option to view student averages online has been available for the past few years under Innovak, the information system the district has used for about 20 years, Plett said. The Board of Trustees approved in December switching to SAM at a cost of about $30,000.

The new system details grades on specific assignments.

Paper progress reports and report cards are still being sent home. First-term report cards will be available Oct. 11; progress reports were sent home last week. Computerized information will be available for all students except those in kindergarten.

The student component, ActiveStudent, will be launched this academic year, but no date has been set, Plett said. It will allow students to log course requests for the next school year and view grades.

Under the new system, teachers are required to input assignment grades, but each school determines how often new information is added.

Parents must register with ActiveParent, which is linked from the district’s website, www.vwsd.k12.ms.us, and create a username and password. Upon registration, designated administrators at each school will confirm a parent’s identity before allowing access, Plett said, adding that could take up to 24 hours. Registration directions were sent home this week to parents, but Plett said parents can call each school for additional information. Directions also are available on the district’s website. So far, about 527 users have registered with ActiveParent, Plett said. There are about 8,500 students enrolled in the district.

“It’s important for parents to keep up with their children’s grades, and this is a very easy way to do it,” said Cheryl Ricks, Sherman Avenue Elementary lead teacher and the school’s administrator.

Vicksburg Catholic School uses a similar program, Edline, to communicate student information to parents, said Mike Jones, St. Aloysius High School dean of students. The school has used that program for about six years, he said.

Porters Chapel Academy does not have a technical program to disseminate grades, but headmaster Doug Branning said, “We are looking to implement it in the near future.”