MONROE -- Can’t find his progress report? Dying to know what she made on the test?

Parents may soon find themselves looking for the answers online instead of digging through their children’s backpacks.

Twenty schools in the Winston-Salem/Forsyth County school system are participating in Parent Assistant, a pilot program of the N.C. Department of Public Instruction.

The pilot will eventually replace e-mails and letters sent home with students with instant access to grades, attendance and discipline problems.

Union County Public Schools officials have already asked to participate when the pilot expands.

“Kids show you what they want you to see,” said Mary Ellis, assistant superintendent for administration. Ellis has a daughter in high school, and even though she’s a good student, Ellis is in contact with her teachers on a regular basis to stay in the loop.

“The parents who want to know now will find out” how their children are doing, Ellis said, and the program will only make it easier.

The N.C. Department of Public Instruction plans to implement the program throughout the state. The Charlotte-Mecklenburg school system bought the program on its own three years ago.

Monroe Middle School principal Montrio Belton said students and parents hold different priorities; a student might not show his parent a grade of 100, for instance, but the parent would like to know about it.

While parent involvement varies, “I have yet to meet a parent ... who does not want what’s best for their child,” he said.

Johnna Bellen has a child at Porter Ridge Middle School and said the Parent Assistant would be “fantastic” for Union County.

“You talk to your kids and you might have good communication with teachers, but sometimes you don’t,” she said. “And progress reports are too far and in between to keep up.”

Betty Weycker, assistant superintendent for technology in Forsyth County, said the school system has no plans to stop sending paper report cards, but that might happen later on.

Eliminating that much paper and e-mails saves money and staff time, Weycker said. Her department sends up to 30,000 e-mail progress reports every few weeks.

Grades will also be available sooner.

Some teachers might have to get in the habit of posting them quicker, Weycker said, but shouldn’t have any additional work.

“I’ve got older kids who are constantly forgetting (progress reports) in lockers or bookbags,” Bellen said, “and this guarantees to get it to the parents.”

The system is also a plus for divorced parents. Current information generally goes to only one household, but will eventually go to both.

Parents can access the information in English, Spanish or French, and can use Parent Assistant to update addresses, phone numbers and other personal information.

For parents with no home computers, Forsyth County schools are designing a computer at each school for parents to use. Some parents opt to use the system through WinstonNet, a system of free-access computers set up at recreation centers, churches and libraries.

“We will continue to print paper copies as needed so that all parents are informed of student information,” Weycker said.

Dana Crosson, director of secondary education for UCPS, said Parent Assistant would not replace communication, but increase it.

Students won’t like it, Ellis said, but she expects that parents will.

UCPS currently uses ConnectED, an automated message system that calls or e-mails parents with information on inclement weather, campus incidents, bus wrecks, event reminders and student absences. It can also be used for brief surveys.

UCPS spokeswoman Luan Ingram said Parent Assistant would be a helpful addition to ConnectED, but will not replace it since different information is given through each outlet.

The system works well, Crosson said, unless a student hangs up or deletes a message before his parent hears it.

— Anna Johnson and The Associated Press contributed to this article.