Weir High School has been using Livegrades as our primary grading program for over ten years. This year, we will use an unfamiliar program, West Virginia Education Information System; WVIES.
A common misconception is that WVIES is new. This program has been used since the 1990’s for education records and student information. Sean Blumette, head principal, gave insight on why we decided to use it over Livegrades. “This had been talked about for a few years at different times. Since WV moved to WVEIS 2.0 in 2023 or so, the plan had been to reduce the number of platforms being used and house all educational information in one place”
When asked which website students preferred, 89 percent of respondents answered Livegrades. 15 out of 37 responses explaining why expressed how difficult WVIES is for students to navigate. Jayme Utt, junior, explained, “Unlike Livegrades, WVEIS has different sections that tell you the same information twice and you have to physically press the go back button every time, where Livegrades had everything orderly and simple.”
During changes, some found a more neutral opinion. When Thomas Kalata, sophomore, was asked about his opinions on WVIES, he stated, “For viewing grades alone, I feel like Livegrades had a much friendlier and easy to use user interface. However, WVIES shares more information like absences, so generally I think both are equal and have their own ups and downs.” Math teacher, Alisa Hannah, responded to the same question with, “Personally, I think that we were all overwhelmed due to the many changes that took place this school year. Once I am more familiar with the WVEIS grading system, then I feel that I can make a better decision if I like it or not.” Hannah added, “With any new technology, I like to learn with the students. I need to see what the students have access to and how they navigate the system.”
In a sea of options, Livegrades and WVIES are not our only choices. Brooke High School, for example, uses Schoology. Madonna, on the other hand, uses Renweb. When choosing a program, many factors must be considered. Cost, simplicity, and an easy transition are all important for decision making.
