Changes coming this year to the Warren County School District will save students and parents paperwork and change the way information is passed on to higher education institutions after graduation.

TRANSCRIPTS

Currently, student transcripts in the district look much like traditional ones. What a college, university or trade school receives when they request one includes basic academic information: classes taken, scores and, depending on the school district, class ranking.

“Essentially, you see your grades,” WCSD Director of Curriculum Instruction & Assessment Eric Mineweaser said.

Beginning with the coming year’s freshmen, the Class of 2027, further information will be phased into inclusion in the transcript the district keeps for each student.

“As they start to work through high school, transcripts are going to be different for them,” Mineweaser said.

In addition to traditional information, district transcripts will include information such as standardized test scores, such as the state’s Keystone Exams; activities and co-curricular participation and even attendance.

“If you’re chronically absent, that’s going to show up on your transcript,” Mineweaser noted. “Schools aren’t looking at just grades anymore. So we’re including that stuff. That’s big.”

FIELD TRIPS

Another change to school paperwork requirements aims to make expanding educational opportunities easier on parents and teachers alike.

Currently, students in the district must get a permission slip signed by parents or guardians for each field trip held within school hours in order to be allowed to participate. This year, the district is implementing a single, blanket permission slip for such trips to be signed at the beginning of the year and which is valid for the entire school year.

“This is a big change,” Mineweaser said. “There’s a lot of paperwork behind the scenes. This is going to be good for our students, parents and teachers.”

There is an exception. If a student’s medical information changes, such as a diagnoses of a new allergy or condition, an updated form will need to be filed.

“We want to make sure we have the stuff with us we might need,” Mineweaser noted.

In addition to being included in the initial information packet sent out to parents at the beginning of the school year, the form is available on the district website, WCSD.org, under the “Forms” link.

“If a parent fills out this form, they only have to do it one time,” Mineweaser said. “They don’t have to fill one out every time there’s a field trip.”