Many teachers are adjusting to a new online attendance program, Classroom XP, that was launched on Monday.

In the past, teachers took attendance at the beginning of each class period on paper roll sheets. The roll sheets were then collected and sent to the attendance office to be processed. Classroom XP, the new attendance system, was implemented to cut down confusion caused by the many roll sheets and to reduce paper use.

“We are changing with the times,” Attendance Specialist Karla Larson said. “Classroom XP reflects the attendance more quickly and allows teachers to see if students have already been excused for the day.”

Paly teacher Pat O’Hara has been in charge of the Paly Web site for over five years and was also on the Paly technology committee. This committee decided that Paly would switch to Classroom XP this year, as Gunn did last year. According to O’Hara, Classroom XP allows teachers to view their students’ schedules, attendance history, all previous grades, and contact information. This information has been accessible to teachers in the past, but the new program makes obtaining this information much more convenient and also saves teachers a trip to the office.

According to Larson, there were several incidents in which students altered the markings on attendance sheets last year. Larson believes that using an online program will prevent similar situations from occurring this year. Larson also said that the work load in the attendance office will be smaller because of Classroom XP and, subsequently, the number of student service students will be cut from two students to one.

According to O’Hara, the new system was launched on Monday, and close to 70 percent of Paly teachers did not use paper roll sheets that day.

“I remember bubbling in the roll sheets when I first started teaching,” said O’Hara. “Monday was the first time in 20 years that those role sheets were not used [at Paly].”

O’Hara has been conducting teacher trainings to familiarize the Paly staff with the new program, and many teachers already enjoy the benefits of Classroom XP.

“I like to minimize paper use and have everything on the computer,” math teacher Deanna Chute said. “I love having access to the other information that comes with it as well. I can see the past math grades of my students and their contact information.”

Although a handful of teachers are still using roll sheets because they don’t have computers or internet service, all teachers are expected to make the transition to Classroom XP this week.