Parent-Teacher Conference Day is Oct. 17

Every October, PUSD schedules a day for Parent-Teacher Conferences across grades K-8. This year’s K-8 parent-teacher conference date is Friday, Oct. 17. (It’s a district-wide “pupil-free” day; while K-8 teachers are meeting with their students’ parents/guardians, TK and high school teachers are participating in professional development.) Here are some tips to help you make the most of this fall’s parent-teacher conference - or any parent-teacher meeting.

What is a Parent-Teacher Conference?

We usually think of the parent-teacher conference as a chance to ask the teacher, “how is my child doing?” And that is an important question. But we also have information to offer. At its best, parent-teacher conferences are a chance for both parties to gain insight about how to best support your child’s learning and development. The larger goal is to establish mutual understanding of how you and your child’s teacher will work together to support your child’s success.

Breaking it down

From the parent/guardian’s perspective, there are three things you hope to learn:

  • What is my child supposed to be learning?

  • What is my child actually learning? (And how is that learning evaluated?)

  • What are my child’s strengths and challenges as a learner, and what can WE do (at home as well as at school) to support my child’s growth and development?

But you only have 15 or so minutes!

Conferences are typically only 15 to (at most) 20 minutes! To make the most of this time, it’s important to come prepared and also to think about anything that needs to be followed up afterward. Keep in mind that this is not the only chance you have to communicate. But this is a chance to put faces to names and have a two-way communication in real time, setting the tone for a positive working relationship with your child’s teacher.

Before the Conference

Gather what information you have already: materials you received at Back-to-School night, information about what and how your child is doing from the Canvas App or Parent Portal.

The other source of information we have going in is whatever we have observed at home (or on the way home from school): does your child seem happy with the way things are going at school? Anxious? Bored? Does he or she struggle or take longer than seems reasonable to complete homework? If there’s anything that stands out to you, make a note to remember to mention it.

We could spend all day talking about our children, their likes and dislikes, talents and challenges. While this is not the focus of the conference, having thought about (and maybe made some notes to yourself) can prepare you to help the teacher know your child better. Parents and teachers observe the same child in different settings and through different lenses. Sharing those observations can lead to helpful insights about how best to support your child’s learning and social-emotional growth.

During the Conference

With regard to your child’s learning, issues that may surface could include:

  • A mismatch between what he knows and what he demonstrates – homework assignments, class participation, performance on tests or quizzes, etc.

  • Your child is doing what is expected of her but may not be working toward her full potential - OR,

  • Your child may find the material so challenging that she needs some extra support or “acceleration” to close the gap between what she can do and what she is expected to do at this grade level

It can be helpful to know how you child is doing in context – of the class as a whole, or of the other English Language Learners, boys/girls, etc. You may already have noticed that education is full of jargon and acronyms! If the teacher uses a word or mentions something that you are not familiar with, don’t hesitate to ask her to explain or give an example.

Some questions you might ask:

What does my child need to work on? This might be a specific academic skill, a habit that requires practice to develop (such as building stamina to stay on task), or a social-emotional skill, such as showing consideration for classmates.

What are my child’s strengths and weaknesses as a learner? It’s always nice to hear your child is “good at” doing something, but just because math or reading comes easily to a student doesn’t necessarily mean he has staying power as a learner. Along with essential skills, we want our children to develop what educators call a “growth mindset.” A student who has not yet mastered a set of skills the class is working on may be “good at asking questions” or “willing to learn from mistakes,” or even just willing to try a different approach.

Does my child have any particular gaps in their learning? If yes, you may ask what the teacher is doing to accelerate/fill those gaps, and what you as a parent might do to support that.

Multi-Tiered System of Supports (MTSS)

If your child is struggling in several areas or in ways that suggest the need for a more comprehensive assessment, ask what the teacher recommends as a next step, and what resources you as a parent might access. PUSD uses a Multi-Tiered System of Supports (MTSS) framework to provide strategic, differentiated, and tiered interventions to students challenged to meet academic, attendance, social-emotional, and behavioral standards. Some students may need additional support. The special eduation evaluation process determines whether or not your child is eligible for special education services and if so, what services are most appropriate for your child. 

Conclude conference with clear take-aways.

Conclude conference with clear take-aways. It may just be “keep up the good work!” but if there are issues that have been raised, be clear about next steps:

•        Proposed strategies (at school, at home)

•        Supports identified

•        Additional resources to be accessed that need to be followed up

If there are next steps, it’s a great idea to write an email summarizing your understanding of who has committed to do what.

nancy dufford