What Is Canyons Skyward And How Does It Work? [Review]

Table of Contents

Introduction

Canyons Skyward is a records management system used by the Canyons School District in Utah to connect students, parents, and school faculty. The system provides access to grades, assignments, attendance records, and other school information to increase transparency and parent involvement. This review will examine how Canyons Skyward works from the perspective of students, parents, and faculty.

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Overview of Canyons Skyward

Canyons Skyward is a web-based student information system implemented by the Canyons School District in 2009. The platform was developed by Skyward, Inc, which creates administrative software solutions for K-12 schools. The goal of the system is to keep students, parents, teachers, and administrators connected and informed through easy access to records and school data.

Some of the key features of Canyons Skyward include:

Student data management – Demographic data, schedules, grades, assessment scores
Parent and student portal – Pay fees, access grades, assignments, calendars
Attendance tracking
Discipline tracking
Custom reporting
Special education management
Teacher gradebooks and assignments
Administrative tools – Enrollment, staff management, analytics

The system integrates with other district platforms like Canvas and Aspire to provide a centralized hub for the school community. Over 35,000 students and parents use Canyons Skyward daily to stay up-to-date on school information.

Canyons Skyward for Students

Students use Canyons Skyward to view class schedules, grades, assignments, calendars, and communicate with teachers. The student portal provides real-time access to records so students can stay on top of their progress.

Here are some of the key features available to students:

Class schedules – View up-to-date class schedules with rooms and teacher assignments. Easily see schedule changes.
Grades – Check current grades for each class. Monitor grade trends over time.
Assignments – See all assignments with due dates and scores once graded. Never miss an assignment again.
** Calendar** – Access calendars for each class or a consolidated calendar view. Keep track of school events, activities, and assignments.
Attendance – Check attendance records for each class period or the whole day. Ensure absences are recorded correctly.
Teacher contact – Send emails to teachers through Skyward. Ask questions about grades or assignments.
Account security – Each student has secure logins to prevent unauthorized access to records.

For high school students applying to college, the transcript request feature allows students to request official transcripts through Skyward to send to colleges. This helps streamline the application process.

Overall, the Canyons Skyward student portal empowers students to take control of their education by monitoring grades, assignments, and records at any time from their computer or mobile device.

Canyons Skyward for Parents

Canyons Skyward is an invaluable tool for parents to participate in their child’s education. Parents have access to the same information as students along with additional features tailored specifically for parents.

Here are the key features available to parents:

Student schedules – Verify class schedules and room assignments for each child. Coordinate transportation needs.
Attendance – Monitor daily attendance for each class period. Ensure absences are reported correctly. Set up alerts for attendance issues.
Grades – Check current grades in each class throughout the term. Identify areas for improvement early.
Assignments – See all homework assignments and long-term projects. Confirm due dates and requirements.
Assessments – Review results for tests, quizzes, state assessments, and standardized tests.
Teacher contact – Email teachers directly through Skyward with any questions or concerns.
Account management – Create accounts for each child. Customize alerts and notifications.
Fee payments – Pay for class fees, lunch balances, and other school expenses securely online.
Forms – Complete and submit required school forms electronically through Skyward.

Parents can participate more fully in their child’s learning by monitoring grades, assignments, attendance, and behavior issues as they happen. The instant access helps identify problems early so they can be addressed in a timely manner. This keeps parents “in the loop” to support their children’s education.

Canyons Skyward for Teachers

For teachers, Canyons Skyward provides helpful time-saving tools to communicate with students and parents while focusing on instruction. Teacher gradebooks are integrated with Skyward for entering grades, assignments, calendars, and records.

Key features of Skyward for teachers include:

Gradebook – Record grades directly in Skyward. Grades sync with student/parent accounts automatically. Assignments and grades can be exported to Excel.
Attendance – Enter daily attendance for each class period efficiently. Records sync across all stakeholder accounts instantly.
Assignment calendar – Build calendars visible to students and parents with due dates for homework, projects, tests, and other assessments.
Parent communication – Email parents directly through Skyward. Send announcements, newsletters, and alerts to individuals, groups, or the entire class.
Student data – Get the full picture on each student including demographics, grades history, assessment scores, behavior incidents and more.
Seating charts – Create and save seating charts with student photos. Take attendance, print reports, and email parents from seating charts.
Special education tools – Document IEP progress, maintain case logs, develop goals, and coordinate services for students with special needs.
Behavior tracking – Log discipline incidents and referrals. Generate reports for conferences, IEP meetings, or data analysis.
Administrative requests – Submit facility work orders or IT help tickets. Access employee information and directories.

By streamlining administrative tasks like taking attendance and entering grades, Canyons Skyward gives teachers more time to plan engaging lessons, provide student feedback, and connect with parents. The system acts like an assistant to help teachers maximize their instructional time.

Benefits of Canyons Skyward

Transitioning to an online information system provides many benefits for the Canyons School District compared to traditional paper records and forms.

Here are some of the top advantages:

Increased transparency – Students, parents, and teachers all access the same real-time information and records through Skyward. This provides transparency for all stakeholders.
Improved communication – Email tools and assignment calendars in Skyward facilitate better home-school communication to support student success.
Greater access – Records can be accessed 24/7 online via any device. This is more convenient for busy parents and students.
Time savings – Less time spent on administrative tasks like taking attendance and grading allows teachers more time to plan engaging lessons.
Environmental impact – Paperless system reduces waste related to printing records, forms, reports, and flyers.
Data-driven decisions – Administrators and teachers can use Skyward data analytics to identify trends and make informed decisions about school policies.
Cost reduction – Managing records digitally through Skyward reduces school operational costs related to traditional student information systems.
Parental engagement – Skyward tools allow parents to take an active role in their child’s education. This leads to higher student achievement.

By leveraging technology, Canyons Skyward helps to create a more connected, informed, and engaged school community focused on student success.

Concerns and Challenges

While transitioning to an online information system has many advantages, there are also challenges to consider:

Learning curve – It takes time for students, parents, and teachers to learn a new technical system. Proper training and support is essential.
Technology issues – Web-based systems rely on internet connectivity and are subject to occasional technical glitches or slowdowns. Backup plans help minimize disruption.
Privacy concerns – Any system housing confidential student data needs robust security protections against hacking or unauthorized access. Ongoing audits help identify potential risks.
User adoption – Smooth adoption requires buy-in from all stakeholders. administrators need to get input from parents, students, and teachers when selecting systems.
Access limitations – Users without home internet access may have difficulty consistently monitoring online information accounts. Schools need to provide alternate access points.
Communication gaps – Online systems facilitate helpful communications but cannot fully replace in-person meetings, conferences, and relationship building between school and families.

With proper implementation that addresses these concerns, school districts can mitigate the risks and maximize the substantial benefits of student information systems. Patience, training, and continuous improvement are key.

Tips for Parents New to Skyward

For parents just getting started with Canyons Skyward, here are some helpful tips:

Set up accounts for each child at the beginning of the school year. This ensures access to records once grades and assignments begin.
Customize account settings and notifications. Receive alerts for new grades, attendance issues, or behavior problems as desired.
Learn how to pay fees, order transcripts, complete forms, and message teachers. Get to know the account portal.
Review the calendar and assignments regularly to stay up-to-date on school work and activities. Check Skyward at least weekly.
Coordinate with children to ensure students are recording grades and assignments accurately in their Skyward account.
Set up access on both a computer and mobile device. This allows checking Skyward from anywhere at any time.
Ask teachers how they are using Skyward for their class at the start of the term. Confirm the best way to reach them.
Troubleshoot login or technical issues promptly by contacting the school technical support team. Don’t wait to resolve problems.
Provide feedback to the district on how to improve Skyward. They rely on parent input to enhance the system over time.

Mastering Canyons Skyward does take some time and effort from parents. But the payoff is the ability to support children’s learning, head off potential problems, and strengthen the home-school connection.

Conclusion

Canyons Skyward provides an online hub connecting students, parents, and schools in one transparent system. The centralized access to grades, assignments, records, and communication tools empowers stakeholders and improves student outcomes. While new technology solutions do take time to learn and adopt, the long-term benefits are well worth the investment for modern school districts like Canyons. Overall, Canyons Skyward earns high marks for its extensive capabilities that enhance parental engagement, provide administrative time savings, and give students ownership over monitoring their own progress.

FAQs

What information is available to students in Canyons Skyward?

Students can view their class schedules, grades for each class, homework assignments and due dates, calendars of school events and activities, attendance records, and academic history through their Canyons Skyward accounts.

How can parents use Canyons Skyward to support their child’s education?

Parents can regularly check grades, attendance, assignments, assessment results, and school calendars. They can also email teachers, pay fees, complete forms, and ensure their child’s records are accurate. This keeps parents informed and involved.

Do teachers manually enter grades and attendance in Canyons Skyward?

Yes, teachers are responsible for entering student grades, attendance, assignments, and any updates to calendars or records directly into their Skyward gradebook. This information then syncs with student and parent accounts.

What if I’m having trouble accessing my Canyons Skyward account?

Contact your school office directly if you experience technical difficulties, username/password issues, or ability to access your Skyward account. Schools have staff available to help troubleshoot any login or access problems.

How often should parents check their Canyons Skyward account?

It’s recommended parents check Skyward at least once a week to stay updated on the latest grades, assignments, records, school announcements, and schedule changes. More frequent checks provide greater visibility.

Table Summarizing Key Skyward Features

User Group	Key Features	Benefits
Students	Grades, assignments, schedules, calendars, attendance, teacher contact	Monitor progress, stay organized, communicate with teachers
Parents	Grades, assignments, attendance, assessments, fee payments, forms, teacher contact	Increased involvement and transparency
Teachers	Gradebooks, attendance, calendars, seating charts, behavior tracking, parent contact	Streamline tasks to focus on instruction

This 2000 word article provides a comprehensive overview of how Canyons Skyward works to connect students, parents, and schools. The system increases transparency, facilitates better communication, and gives stakeholders access to important education records 24/7 via the online portal. While transitioning to a new technology platform does take time and training, the long-term benefits make systems like Skyward a worthwhile investment for modern school districts.