What is a “SIS”, and What Records Does My School Keep?

As soon as your child starts school, start keeping a record of their academic accomplishments! This is fun information to collect when they are young, but it is critical detail to have as they get older.

Q – “I always thought our local school district was keeping my student’s records?“

Most school districts have developed systems for in-house parent-teacher-student digital communications. These systems are known as Student information systems (SIS) and are built to manage in-house student data, including but not limited to registering students in courses, managing grades, transcripts, and student test data. This information will probably stay with your child as long as they are at that school. However, the commendations, test scores, writing samples, etc., are not saved for future access once the student matriculates.

Modern record-keeping by individual schools is arbitrary, unsubsidized, and unenforced. At best, most schools keep only attendance records and final transcripts, which is not a complete educational history.

In fact, the most helpful data we should keep and store are not even a footnote in school files. Information such as reading lists, community service, chess awards, sports, music recitals, and art projects are vital to creating a healthy college or scholarship application.

What I am suggesting is an over-arching student record-keeping system that you own. Your records stay with you when your child moves to a new school or graduates. You decide what records, files, essays, videos, and photos to keep and control who sees them.

When parents take control of their child’s student records, they can move towns, switch school districts, graduate into a new school, homeschool, or any number of combinations, and still have every detail they need for their child’s success.

Regardless of whether your kids are in private school, public or homeschooling, parents must and should retain their students’ records.