Every six weeks, Mrs. Jenkins posts everyone’s grades on Home Access, the district’s site for teachers to post the grades of their students. Interim Progress Reports, commonly called IPRs, used to be sent home on paper copies until this year, when the district decided to go green, though students can still receive paper copies upon request.
IPRs were established to inform families of their child’s grade before the end of the year and get them to help raise the student’s grade, although it seems to have a different purpose. IPRs cause more stress and conflict than they help bring up grades. Parents end up arguing with their child about what they are doing in school instead of helping them with their schoolwork. IPRs are not much help.
IPRs are unnecessary, especially now that they are posted online. Home Access allows us to have unlimited access to our grades, eliminating the need for IPRs. Unless you do not have a computer or internet access, there is no excuse for not getting on Home Access.
Home Access is like an ever-updating IPR. With Home Access, everyone with a computer and Wi-Fi has the ability to check their grades. Parents need to become more technologically involved with the world to keep up with the changing times, instead of kicking back and killing trees that are slowly being driven towards extinction because of people like them.
Paper IPRs need to be abolished except for the select few who are in dire need of them. All of the paper needed to supply each student with a paper copy of his or her grades is appalling. Each standard sheet of paper is approximately 4.5 grams, making the grand total 8100 grams, or 8.1 kilograms, for each IPR. A whole year would use about 108 kilograms, or 238 pounds. That would be about one and a half feet of your average two-foot diameter oak tree cut down each year. Add in all the paper assignments teachers give out, and the number of trees felled is innumerable.
Although we do not use as much paper anymore by posting IPRs online, we still need to get rid of IPRs. IPRs just add more stress into the life of the already stressed teenager, forcing them to toil hard just to get their parents off their back. IPRs are a waste of paper that many high school students ignore anyway, and Columbia Public Schools needs to dispose of them.
By Derek Wang
Do you feel should IPRs no longer be given? Are IPRs even useful?
Humera • Apr 25, 2013 at 10:40 am
This is so true! I hate IPRs! Honestly, getting them every six weeks is awful, and most of the time they aren’t really a reflection of the grade you’re going to get at the end of the semester!!! They’re just a waste of paper, and like you said, HomeAccess is always available for people to check their grades! IPR’s are useless
laurenjamison7 • Apr 25, 2013 at 10:26 am
I completely agree with this story. Every time I recive an IPR, I don’t even take time to look at it. I simply crush it into a ball and throw it in the trash. At any time of the year, I can look on home access to find out the same information that I’m reciving on this piece of paper. I also think people should sign up to recieve IPR’s, people I understand some people don’t have access to a computer at all times.
Harsh Singh • Apr 25, 2013 at 8:12 am
I agree with this. First of all, IPRs simply just increase one’s stress level. Personally, when an ipr comes, I may not have work turned in for a class so that worsens my grade so when my parents see the ipr, they don’t understand why my grade is low and get irrationally mad. Plus, home access is much more convenient and doesn’t waste paper.
alexgompper • Apr 23, 2013 at 8:50 am
I can’t stand IPRs, but there is certainly something to be said for getting a physical and in-hand copy of your work. Normally, my grades are solid, but this year, I had a slip. Hopefully, I’ll be able to use my IPR as a wake-up call.