Adviser’s Note: The views, thoughts, and opinions expressed in this opinion article belong solely to the author and do not reflect the view of The Colt Chronicle Staff, Kinnelon High School, or its students and staff members.
As a new school year begins, Kinnelon High School administration has frustrated many with the change from OnCourse to Realtime. This decision has sparked many different opinions among the students, staff, and administration. Some might see this as an upgrade, but it seems to be more of a step back for the start of the 2024-2025 year.
On one hand, Realtime has several features that seem to stand out. Including the “ease of use, security, data sharing, integration, state reporting, technical support, mobility, and cost savings,” as stated by Principal Gary Suda.
Like any new program or system, it takes time to get used to the layout and functions. “Typically student information systems become more accessible the more you become familiar with the application. According to my research and feedback from Realtime users, the platform is more intuitive than OnCourse,” says Vice Principal Matthew Arroyo.
For students and parents, they can easily view grades, report cards, progress reports, homework assignments, worksheets, account balances, club/sports information, and more. School Counselor Marlene Goudreau says it is“far more intuitive, logical, and tailored to the daily functioning of a school and can easily find the functions I need, no matter the situation”.
However, transitioning to a new platform leaves many concerned in a few different ways. Senior Julia Bubbico says, “It’s been a rough transition because it’s the first time using this app and it’s hard to figure out how to get around. Especially for myself and others that aren’t very tech-savvy, this switch has been really difficult.”
Furthermore, there are always risks of technical difficulties and glitches that could disrupt the educational process and cause additional stress to the students and staff.
Junior Jacki Lally says, “I hate having to log in every time I want to go on the app.” This updated platform is supposed to be made to make it easier for students to have access to their classes. When looking for the day’s schedule or the math grades that just came out, it can be frustrating and time-consuming for students to have to log into the app every time it is needed.
Other students echo Lally’s sentiments about its lack of user-friendliness. Senior Grace Durkin says about the program “I don’t like how the grades are shown because OnCourse were showcased as letter grades and Realtime is shown as number grades”. The transition has been the most difficult with the senior grade. Downloading transcripts to send out to colleges is one of the most important parts when applying. On these transcripts, freshman-junior year grading is shown through letters. Now with the recent switch, all grading on Realtime is graded out of 100%. Letter grades tend to look more professional and presentable when having an academic transcript.
Ultimately the success of the switch will depend on how the school community adapts to the platform. As many seem to be disliking it so far, it can also be an opportunity for growth and improvement within the school. Once the app becomes more comfortable to students and staff it is set to be a positive enhancement to the school.
