Solution: Quickly handing over a report card or assessments in a conference can leave parents uncertain of their child’s performance—or how to help. A practice used by Maureen Holt, a reading specialist at Humboldt Elementary School in Dewey-Humboldt, Arizona, may alleviate this issue.
Why conduct Parent-Teacher Conferences?
Conducting effective parent-teacher conferences can boost family involvement in your classroom and help promote positive outcomes for you, your students, and your school. A parent-teacher conference is a great opportunity to: share academic progress and growth based on classroom observations, testing data, assessments, portfolios, and assignments
How can I help parents and students with assessment?
So can adults, athletes, and accountants. With assessment, it is okay to make mistakes as long as you learn from them. Help parents and students understand that the goal of assessment is improvement and it’s the small steps that lead towards the big picture goals.
What do you do when a parent conference goes over time?
If a conference starts to go over the allotted time, remind parents that there are other families waiting and that they can contact you or schedule another conference for a more in-depth discussion of the issue. Provide additional suggestions, recommendations, and referrals at the end of the conference.
Do you have Parent-Teacher Conferences anxiety?
As a teacher, you’ve most likely experienced the anxiety that comes from worrying over how to breach certain topics with parents and how to say things the right way. Your relationship with a child’s family is often impacted by how well the parent-teacher conference is conducted and how productive the conference is in helping the child succeed.
What are two things that contribute to a successful parent-teacher conference?
Here are eight tips to help you conduct masterful, action-oriented parent-teacher meetings.Be Proactive. … Be Welcoming. … Explain Objectives and Expectations. … Be Prepared. … Create an Action Plan. … Use the Good-Bad-Good Sandwich. … Don’t Tolerate Abuse. … Keep Lines of Communication Open.
How do you share assessment results with parents?
It is best to share student test results with parents as quickly as possible. For screening assessments, this can be done at parent-teacher conferences. For students who participate in progress monitoring, their weekly scores can be sent home so that parents can see and review the student’s progress regularly.
How do you involve parents in assessment?
Ask the family to identify optimal times of the day for their child. Provide options for where and when their child’s assessment will take place. Share ways the family can be involved in the assessment process (e.g., interacting with the child, providing information about their child during or after the assessment).
What assessment provides parents?
For parents in particular, formative and interim assessments provide the actionable information about their child’s progress that they crave, as well as having what they believe to be a greater positive impact on instruction.
What is the importance of assessment to parents?
The Parent Engagement Needs Assessment is a tool to engage parents in discovering and interpreting their own environment and needs, and later use that knowledge and information to inform parent engagement initiatives that respond to the realities of their own communities.
Why should assessment reports be communicated to parents?
Regularly communicating to parents about student progress is important as it strengthens family partnerships. This is done by engaging teachers and families in meaningful communication about students’ learning needs.
Why should teachers involve parents in the assessment of the child?
Parental involvement improves teacher performance. When parents have better communication with teachers, they learn to value the work and the challenges that teachers face, which makes the teachers feel appreciated.
What is the relevance of the assessment to students teachers parents and school?
Just as assessment helps students, assessment helps teachers. Frequent assessment allows teachers to see if their teaching has been effective. Assessment also allows teachers to ensure students learn what they need to know in order to meet the course’s learning objectives.
What can teachers do to facilitate parental involvement?
For teachers, here are some tips to increase parent involvement:Connect parents and schools. … Create an organizational structure. … Consider parents’ time. … Encourage fathers to participate. … Identify and support leaning environments. … Learning centers. … Develop or Enhance Class and School Web Pages.
What is the importance of assessment?
Assessment is an integral part of instruction, as it determines whether or not the goals of education are being met. Assessment affects decisions about grades, placement, advancement, instructional needs, curriculum, and, in some cases, funding.
What is purpose of assessment?
The purpose of assessment is to gather relevant information about student performance or progress, or to determine student interests to make judgments about their learning process.
Why is assessment for learning important?
What are the benefits of Assessment for Learning? AfL methodology is proven to give students more control over their learning, helping boost motivation and ultimately improve their exam performance. It helps learners to see what they are aiming for and understand what they need to do to achieve those aims.
What is assessment in education?
Assessment involves gathering, analyzing, and responding to a student’s strengths and misconceptions about their learning. It includes feedback to the learner and also informs the teacher’s practice and responses. An analogy would be your BMI that provides a number but not a health analysis or fitness plan.
Do test scores represent the whole child?
Test scores and report cards do not represent the whole child. You know him or her; the one with a wonderful sense of humor, who comforts and encourages friends, and helps others solve problems. The child who works consistently and diligently may be more successful in life than another who studies 12 hours a day and gets high test scores.
Is it okay to make mistakes in assessment?
With assessment, it is okay to make mistakes as long as you learn from them. Help parents and students understand that the goal of assessment is improvement and it’s the small steps that lead towards the big picture goals. Assessment is not about the learning gaps, but rather steps students can take to get across them.
Encouraging Parental Involvement Before Conference Season
A parent-teacher conference gives you a chance to discuss a student’s progress in-depth with families. It’s a great opportunity to get parents involved in school and aware of their child’s academic goals.
For Educators: How to Run a Parent-Teacher Conference
Whether this is your first or your fortieth parent-teacher conference, here are a few tips to help you get the most out of these meetings. First, take the time to ask parents about potential barriers to attending and try to make accommodations.
For Parents: Parent-Teacher Conference Questions and Tips
If you’re a parent, deciding what to say at parent-teacher conferences can feel intimidating. A little preparation beforehand, however, can help you feel confident and ready to discuss your child’s progress.
How to Keep Family Engagement Strong After Parent-Teacher Conferences
Once you’ve survived conference season, you’ll have done a lot to build parent engagement in your classroom. But it doesn’t have to end there. Check out these five tips for encouraging positive parent-teacher relationships throughout the year:
What is 11th grade meeting?
In 11th grade, the student-led meetings are college and career focused. Students discuss their career interests and hopes for college, then create an action plan so they’re ready to apply. “School is not here to happen to students,” says Dan St. Louis, University Park’s principal. “They are an active participant.”.
Who suggested that parents think their kids are perfect?
To handle tricky situations when you have to give negative feedback at conferences, an approach suggested by Joe Hirsch, a leadership coach and former curriculum developer, might help.
How long does it take for a teacher to give a presentation?
Students share their work with their parents for the first half hour, and then teachers give a 30-minute presentation just for parents that builds on the work students are doing in school. Afterward, teachers provide related resources—games, websites, readings—that families can take home to use with their children.
Who is Maria Paredes?
While working as the director of community education in Creighton Elementary School District in Phoenix, Maria Paredes developed Academic Parent-Teacher Teams (APTT), a new take on parent-teacher conferences that is now used by schools all over the country.
Do parent teacher conferences have to be a headache?
Parent-teacher conferences don’t have to be such a headache. Educators weigh in on how to solve common problems.
What is it called when a teacher invites you to a parent-teacher meeting?
During the school year, teachers will invite you to come to parent-teacher meetings (also called conferences). This is very common in the United States. You can also ask for a conference any time.
What does it mean when you are invited to a conference?
If you are invited to a conference, it doesn’t mean your child is in trouble! Teachers try to meet with all parents. You and the teacher both want the very best for your child. You can help your child by working together as a team.
1. Make sure that parents come to see you
At my school, my art room is nowhere near the regular ed classrooms. The location makes it easy for parents to miss me on conference nights. If you’re in the same situation, think about creating an eye-catching sign and ask teachers to put it up in their rooms on conference night.
2. Let parents see the actual work their students are doing
When parents come to see you at conferences, one of the best ways you can make a connection is by showing them their student’s artwork. While this can be a huge hassle in terms of planning, I believe it’s worth it.
3. Educate parents about the importance of arts education
Have you ever had a parent say to you at conferences, “ This must be such a fun job! ” If so, it’s the perfect opportunity to agree with them, and then direct the conversation to what the arts have to offer. If you’d like to send your parents with a concrete reminder, download the “ 3 Main Reasons All Students Need Arts Education ” right here.
4. Have a survey station set up
Anytime you involve people in decision-making, it creates better buy-in. So, ask parents: What do they think of the art coming home? What do they like about the art room? Are they visiting your art room blog? What changes would they like to see? While you won’t be able to please everyone, some of the suggestions might surprise you.
5. Send them with a parting gift
Last month, I talked about two easy ways to get your blog address to parents. A business card is a great way to leave parents with a concrete reminder of the art room. If you don’t have a blog, think about what other information you could send with parents.
Amanda Heyn
Amanda Heyn is the Director of K-12 Professional Development at The Art of Education. She enjoys helping to create relevant, engaging PD just for art teachers.
How to help a child with social skills?
Talk with parents about their child’s ability level in social situations and in different academic subjects. Make sure parents understand the different learning goals in place for their child. Communicate any concerns you have about the child’s behavior and performance in school.
How to build a relationship with your child’s family?
Asking parents for their opinion and input can also build respect and strengthen your relationship with the child’s family. Propose a cooperative team effort. When discussing strategies to address areas of concern, have a team mindset and emphasize statements that promote collaboration. “Let’s work together to…”.
Is a parent teacher conference stressful?
Parent-teacher conferences can be stress inducing for everyone involved. As a teacher, you’ve most likely experienced the anxiety that comes from worrying over how to breach certain topics with parents and how to say things the right way.
