Conferencing with Students = Communicating to Parents

Conferencing With Students =

Communicating to Parents

Do you want more “bang for your buck” when you conference with your students?  How can you use a student conference - say about their most recent reading scores - and turn it into a parent communication opportunity especially for those hard-to-reach parents?  Well...read on! 

Every time you conference with your student about their academic gains - you are empowering them! When you teach them how to communicate those results to their parents, you are empowering everyone!

I have made it a personal goal this year to conference with every one of my students as often as possible.  With a class of 32 fourth graders, this is sometimes easier said than done!  However, by focusing on the most important conferencing moments, I have also learned to convert these into a parent communication opportunity.  Personally, I like to use the Renaissance Learning STAR report to conference with my students.

Highlights of STAR diagnostic and annual progress reports:

• ·         It generates a student trend line showing growth.
• ·         It places their results within 25th, 50th, and 75th percentile.
• ·         It identifies their grade equivalency in regards to reading (reading level).
• ·         It provides a ZPD range allowing students the ability to self-select books that they can read independently when they visit the library.

Please keep in mind that I do not cover all the data on the reports, I like to highlight the items that I feel my students would enjoy sharing with their parents when they take their reports home.  I also do not conference with every single student each time they take the STAR report.  Since they have gotten used to taking the STAR each month, this allows me to only conference with about 10 to 11 students each month. What about my struggling students whose trend line is pointing south?  In order to not feel too discouraged, I usually run an alternative report such as their Reading Inventory or a monthly report of their AR book selections especially if they have been successfully passing books they have read.  Remember that the goal is twofold: empower your student with positive data and connect with parents. 

What does this look like?  What are the results?

The following video shows an example of how I approach conferencing.

The results:

·         Accelerated Reader trophy (class with most AR points) has been won twice this year by our class despite strong competition from sixth-grade classes!

·         Reading Inventory results: 68% reading increase from Oct. to Feb.

·         18 students scored proficient (up 7 students from previous RI); 8 students scored basic (3 less than previous RI); and 4 scored below basic (3 less than previous RI).

·         28 out of 31 students made most recent Principal’s Challenge (6-week incentive program for AR points)

·         Parents stay informed on a monthly basis.  Students take report home, parents sign somewhere on the report as having received it and I check it off my parent tracker sheet.  Students return report home to keep.

Learning and growing along with my students!

Gus Macuil