The transition into the 2025-26 school year not only brings new students but also new technology. The implementation of Aeries, the replacement for Student Connect, has caused a stir amongst students at Claremont High School. Teachers and students alike have felt frustrated with the switch between platforms, but people may be more focused on the change itself rather than Aeries as a platform. Aeries, as a whole, is significantly better than Student Connect, and it was a needed switch.
Octavio Hernandez, a teacher of psychology and economics at Claremont High School, weighed in on this topic. “I think the main thing, whether it’s Aeries or whatever it is, is that students and caregivers can see the grades,” Hernandez said. “That’s my main concern. Once you can see it, I feel like it’ll relieve a lot of stress.” Hernandez, despite some stress from the switch, remains optimistic that once it has settled, there will not be as many issues. A big concern for him as a teacher is that currently, there are many ways to sync the grade book to Canvas.
Hernandez also believes that the hardest part about Aeries is the switch, rather than the actual app itself. “I think transition’s hard,” Hernandez said. “I think that it’s hard to switch from something you’ve known from junior high to high school, then now getting a new [app to check grades].”
Many people appreciate the fact that Aeries has its own app, a stark contrast from only being able to check grades on the web. This app is cleaner, more organized, and has many more opportunities than Student Connect does. For instance, Student Connect’s interface looked completely different on an iPad than on a phone, which made it a lot more difficult to navigate when switching between devices. Aeries offers a more consistent layout in both the application and the web portal. Accessibility is a huge factor in determining whether the user experience is good or not.
Lucinda Wendra, a senior at Claremont High School, also noted the convenience of Aeries being easily accessible and her familiarity with the platform.
“My brother uses Aeries at his school, so he said it’s pretty good,” Wendra said. “I think it’s good, just because everything is in one place now. It’s pretty much the same as logging into Student Connect, so I would say there’s not much of a difference.”
Even so, underclassmen may still adapt more easily than upperclassmen, given that it is hard to unlearn the years with Student Connect. Over time, more experience with Aeries will lead to a better understanding of how it works.
Changing grading platforms is extremely difficult, especially given how many students, teachers, and parents have already become accustomed to the old one. However, it is important to remain optimistic about the upcoming months once it is all settled. Just as Hernandez said, at the moment, change is hard to accept. That does not mean people will not adapt. Eventually, Aeries will not be something we have to adjust to. Giving it a fair chance is the first step towards that.
