Challenge
Old Gradebook Frustrated Teachers and Confused Students and Families
As recently as 2024, Salem Public Schools was using the gradebook within their student information system. It was not designed to support standards-based grading, so it did not include robust features or reporting. Teachers found the platform difficult to use, and students and parents found it confusing. “We tried to bend it to our will for years, but ultimately, the platform wasn’t meeting our needs,” said Marc LeBlanc, Executive Director of Instructional Technology.
In the meantime, the high school was already searching for a new gradebook. Teachers were frustrated that they could only grade whole standards, rather than parts of standards. Students wanted clearer feedback on their progress, and parents did not understand how students were doing at any given time. “At the end of the first term, we were saying things like, ‘Well, 1.7 out of 4 is passing, but at this point in the year, a 1.5 on this standard is ok,’ said Glenn Burns, Principal of Salem High School. “That was really difficult for students and parents to understand.”
Solution
JumpRope Helped the High School Move to Their New Gradebook in Just Weeks
After colleagues on the Massachusetts Technology Directors listserv recommended JumpRope, LeBlanc quickly realized that the platform filled all of the district’s needs. “I knew it was the one for us after the first demo,” he said. “We looked at a lot of different gradebooks, but they all seemed like more of the same until we found JumpRope.”
“The platform is so intuitive and easy to use, so it required very little training.”
In August that year, high school leaders were shocked to find out that the gradebook they had selected was no longer able to honor the contract. They needed to find a new solution ― and fast ― because teachers felt strongly that the old gradebook was such a barrier to students understanding their grades. Thankfully, LeBlanc was already working with JumpRope on the K-8 implementation. He, Burns, and JumpRope quickly moved to get the high school up and running on JumpRope before the start of the school year.
“I knew [JumpRope] was the one for us after the first demo. We looked at a lot of different gradebooks, but they all seemed like more of the same until we found JumpRope.”
During the initial meetings, the JumpRope team laid out all the setup options and explained how different schools set up the platform. “They were really clear about what the platform could and couldn’t do and the level of support they could provide,” said Burns. “They helped us make decisions based on what best fit our philosophy. That was really helpful.”
Burns also appreciated JumpRope’s flexibility. “Even throughout the year we’re able to make changes to the rubrics,” he said. “That flexibility is a really great thing because lots of other platforms say that once you start the year, everything’s baked in until the following year.”
Results
Grading is Transparent and Students Take Ownership of Their Learning
High school leaders and teachers are thrilled with the changes JumpRope made possible in the high school. “Our grading system is more transparent now,” said Burns. “Before, grades seemed subjective, even though they weren’t. Now, parents understand the grades, and so do students. As an administrator, I can see reports on students’ mastery levels ― that’s tremendous.”
High school students and their families now log into JumpRope regularly. “We’ve seen that kids are more frequently checking their grades for feedback,” said Burns. “And I’m hearing from families less because they have a better understanding of their child’s missing assignments, progress, and what the grades actually mean, so they’re able to communicate directly with teachers. JumpRope makes that communication piece really, really easy.”
“Our grading system is more transparent now. Parents understand the grades, and so do students.”
Students are also taking more ownership for their learning than ever before. “This year, the superintendent said that he’d never seen so many students be able to show him where they’re at, explain what work they were missing, and explain how their grades are made up,” said LeBlanc. “The accessibility of this platform is game-changing.”
LeBlanc even saw a change in his own son: “My son is a 9th-grade student at Salem High School. He’s neurodivergent and absolutely hates school. Over the winter, he came to me unprompted with his Chromebook, logged into his JumpRope account, and showed me his grades. He could even explain how his grades were made up. He could never have done that before! I was stunned.”
JumpRope’s responsive support team is always ready to tackle any issues that arise. “We’ve gotten everything we’ve wanted from JumpRope,” said Burns. “We get really timely support, and whenever we’ve run into issues, we’re on a video call with someone from JumpRope within a day.”
After such a successful first year in the high school, the district is currently rolling out JumpRope in grades K to 8. “If you are doing standards-based grading, this is the platform for you,” said LeBlanc. “It’s easy to use, it’s accessible for students and families, and it will lay out information in ways that other gradebooks can’t.”
