Student-Led Conferences

What Is A Student-Led Conference? A portfolio of work to document what you have accomplished

What Is Your Role? You will Collect Select Reflect On 12 pieces of work which you feel best shows your accomplishments in your core classes (3 per class.)

What Is In The Portfolio? Title Page Table of Contents 1 Personal Dear Parent Letter Cover Page- Bell 1 Course and Teacher Reflection essay/cover letter Three selections Cover Page Bell 2 Course and Teacher Cover Page Bell 3 Course and Teacher Cover Page Bell 4 Course and Teacher Mission Statement Citizenship graph One last thing note Student and parent created goal sheet Parent survey feedback form Parent class work (letter to student)

The Personal Dear Parent Letter Salutation (Dear Mom, Dad, Aunt Suzy…) Purpose of this conference: Thank you for coming to this conference I will explain how I am progressing as a learner - I am going to show you several examples of my work *they are only samples - Please listen carefully and ask questions about my work Expectations - “During this conference, mom and dad, I expect you….” - “I hope that you will find….” Closing - “ I look forward to hearing your feedback after this…”

The Work You Select 12 work samples: 3 from each class Each class work sample must reflect one of the following Strength Challenge Your Choice

Reflection Essay Four student reflection essays - one for each class. Each essay needs to be in the 5 paragraph format Introduction Each piece of work (strength, challenge, choice) gets its own paragraph Conclusion

Personal Mission Statement A personal mission statement is like a personal credo or motto that states what your life is about. It is like a blueprint to your life. 7 Habits of Highly Effective Teens by Sean Covey

Citizenship Graph CONSISTANTLY (95-100%) MOST OF THE TIME (75%) SOMETIMES (50%) OCCASIONALLY (25%) PREPAREDNESS PROMPTNESS INTEGRITY RESPECTFUL Your Choice ? Name_______________________________________________

One last thing note This reminds parents to 1. Create goal sheet with you 2. Complete parent survey 3. Complete student feedback which is called classwork

Student Goal Sheet MY GOAL FOR SUCCESS Student Name_________________ To achieve this goal, I will: A_______________ B_______________ The people who can help me attain this goal are: _____________________________ Distractions that may get in the way of me attaining this goal are: ___________________________ Student initial___Parent Initial___

Parent Survey Thank you for coming! We hope you enjoyed your visit. Please take a moment to answer the following questions before you leave. Please read each statement and circle the number that corresponds with your level of agreement or disagreement. Thank you. For each of the questions please use the following scale Strongly Disagree Disagree Agree Strongly Agree 1 2 3 4 1._______ I think both a student-led conference and a traditional parent-teacher conference are important tools of parent-student-teacher communication. 2. ______ I have a clear understanding of my child’s learning and their academic performance in the classroom. 3._______ I have a clear understanding of my child’s effort in classroom behavior. 4. _______Student-led conferences can lead to improved student accountability. 5._______ Student-led conferences provide ample feedback regarding student progress in core academic classes.

Parent Class Work Dear Parent/Guardian, THANK YOU for participating in your child’s conference…now you have some homework. Please write your child a positive personal note about the conference. Below are some areas you might consider including as you write: This should be positive letter focusing on your child’s overall performance. What I noticed about your work was… I was proud of you for… Keep up the good work on… I know you have difficulty sometimes, but… I’m glad you are making an extra effort in… How can I help you? We hope this experience was as rewarding to you and your child as the process was to us. Thanks again for taking the extra effort!

January 9th 3:30 – 6:30 Be here on time Conduct your parents to your conference table Present your portfolio Help your parents create your goal sheet, complete parent survey, remind parents to complete their class work. You are done!

What If My Parents Can’t Come That Night? An alternate time may be arranged You may present to another adult that night (grandparent, aunt, uncle, etc.) Presentation to school personnel

Student Debriefing Prompt: “ Now that you’ve completed the conference, what have you gained from this experience?”

What did parents think? “This conference helped me see what my child is doing and what she needs to work on…” “I enjoyed this conference because it gave a great perspective from my child. I think speaking to them gives me a much better idea of how they are doing – in addition to just what a teacher tells me.” “I enjoyed hearing all she has learned, and gained progress in, as well as hearing it from her”

More input… “This is a wonderful idea! Crystal and I had a great conference. She was very excited to present me with her presentation. This is a great class and every student should benefit” “I think this is a wonderful initiative for the students” “ I hope conferences are done more often. This, I believe, will help students self-esteem and improve their grades. Thank you” “This is the first student-led conference that I have been involved with and I found it to be a very positive, enlightening experience>”