General Questions:
1. What is Family Portal? The Family Portal is the part of the Aspen Student Information System designed to allow parent/guardians to view their Lowell High School student’s daily and class attendance, quarter grades, assessment, and select demographic information online. Parents/guardians and students will also be able to access the grade book information including assignments of those teachers using the grade book .
2. Is my child's information secure? Yes, our district has taken precautions through our software and certificates to keep this data secure. You can keep this information secure on your part by not giving your username or password to unauthorized users.
3. How do I access the Family Portal? A computer and internet access are required to view your student’s information. Once you have signed up, you will receive a logon id and password. You will be able to view all of your children at Lowell High School with one logon id and password.
4. Is there a fee to access to my child’s information? There are no fees to access your child’s information.
5. Do both my spouse and I have to get separate accounts? No, you can share an account if you both have the same information.
6. Can I have anyone get access to my student’s data? No, access should be limited to legal guardians.
7. Will I get a separate account for each child? No, if you are listed as a contact and have filled out an application for each child, you should see all of your children under one account.
Active Account Questions:
1. How do I set up my computer to access the Family Portal? You can access the Family Portal using any web browser (Internet Explorer, Firefox, Safari, Opera, etc.) that is connected to the internet.
2. What is the URL for the Family Portal? https://ma-lowell.myfollett.com (no www needed before this address)
3. I tried logging onto Aspen but it won’t take my password?
First, check to see if your address is https://ma-lowell.myfollett.com
Second, check the spelling of your username
Third, check the spelling of your password, it is case sensitive which means you need to use capital letters when you see capitals letters in the password. It has to be typed exactly as it appears. If you are still unsuccessful, please send an email to helpdesk@lowell.k12.ma.usfor additional help.
4. What happens if I have logged in unsuccessfully too many times? You will get a message that states your account has been disabled. In order to use the Web Portal again, parents will need to contact the LPS Help Deskby sending an email to helpdesk@lowell.k12.ma.usfrom the email account on record to have the account reactivated from your registered email account.
5. How do I set my Security Preferences in Family Portal? Click on the set preferences top tab on the upper right side of the screen. Click on the Security tab, and answer the questions on the screen. Make sure you save your changes.
6. How do I change my password or e-mail address? You can change your password and e-mail address through the Set Preferences screen at the upper right side of the screen. Click on the Security tab, and change the email account and/or click on the ‘Change’ blue link next to Password. Once clicked on, you can enter your new password, and enter it again under the confirm new password. Remember, password must meet the requirements. You can click on the link next to Requirements in blue ‘Click to view’ link.
7. What should I do if I forget my password? Once you have set-up your password recovery information go to https://ma-lowell.myfollett.com, click on the ‘I Forgot my Password’ link on the login screen. This will generate a new password for you and send it to your registered email account.
8. What should I do if I forget my username? Contact your house office or send an email email to helpdesk@lowell.k12.ma.usdetailing the problem you are experiencing.
9. Why was I logged off? You will be automatically logged off if you are INACTIVE for more than 10 minutes. This is a security feature so if you leave your computer unattended for 10 minutes with no activity, no one else can access your data.
10. I moved, can I change my address online? Online updates of contacts are not available; please contact your school to make these changes.
11. How do I correct information that is wrong in my child’s demographics? You can send the changes to helpdesk@lowell.k12.ma.usfrom the email address on file. However, changes in address must go through the student’s House Office.
Attendance Questions:
1. What is the difference between an AE and an A in attendance? An A stands for an absence, and AE is an excused absence. T is tardy and D is dismissed.
2. My child has an SE or an SI on their attendance, what does this mean? SE stands for an external suspension. SI stands for an internal suspension.
Gradebook Questions:
1. Why can I see assignments for one class, but not another? At this time, some High School teachers are piloting the online grade book. It is the teacher’s decision if they are going to be part of the pilot group.
2. Why doesn’t the quarter average I see in the Portal match the grade my student receives on a report card? Now that the Family Portal is operational, parents/guardians can examine their student’s attendance and quarterly grades on a regular basis. While the grades within the portal are accurate, there are times after the printing of the official report cards that grades may be different as issues are addressed.
Other Aspen Questions:
1. Why can't I see my child's IEP under Ed Plans? They are not online at this time within the system.
2. How do I set my calendar preferences? You will click on the top tab for calendar and then click the side tab for preferences. You can select different colors for different students or classes. When you look at the calendar, the colors will show what you want to see at a quick glance. For instance, if you have all Jimmy’s classes are blue and Janie’s classes are red, when you look at the calendar, you will know the blue assignments are Jimmy’s right away without having to read them.
