CUELA15

For the past few years, I have invited my second and third grade students every fall to join me and their parents in a half-hour conference in which we discuss their strengths and areas for growth, set a goal for the year, and plan next steps for everyone involved. I quickly realized that while involving students in these kinds of conversations was a step in the right direction, it would not alone ensure that students made sufficient progress in building on their strengths, improving their areas for growth, and accomplishing their goals. I developed structures to support them at home and in school -- including follow-up conferences throughout the year and class time for goal-related work and presentations as well as shared note taking and audio recordings. I use similar structures to assess and discuss students' reading and writing. They provide individualized parent education and help students direct their own learning and experience success, while developing a growth mindset. Please join me for an extended conversation in which I discuss my system for student-directed conferences and goal monitoring and share resources.