Implementing Student-Led Conferences

Jane Bailey and Thomas Guskey, leaders in the field of student assessment, address a nagging issue for both beginning and veteran teachers—how to effectively communicate to parents the learning progress of their children. Every teacher knows the sinking feeling of facing a sea of anxious parents with limited time for in-depth discussion.

Now there is a way for students to take responsibility in communicating their progress and for parents to get the satisfaction they deserve. In this new approach, the teacher serves as facilitator as students lead their parents through a discussion of their work. An important benefit in this innovation—students are required to evaluate and reflect upon their work!

Highlights of Implementing Student-Led Conferences include:

• Overview and philosophy of student-led conferences
• Roles and responsibilities of participants
• What an effective model looks like
• How to prepare, organize, and evaluate for maximum effectiveness
• Anticipating and handling unique situations
• The role of student-led conferences in authentic assessment and reporting

A rich resource section includes everything you need to prepare, conduct, and evaluate successful student-led conferences—sample conference announcements and formats, portfolio planners, reproducible letters, parent and student response forms, teacher surveys, and much more!

This is an essential resource for teachers and administrators at every school level to maximize time, improve communication with parents, and encourage student self-reliance.