“We’ve found it causes the child to take more ownership of their work,” said Principal Michael Valenti. “They’re usually much tougher critics than teachers are.”
Upon entering the school, students and parents are greeted by a teacher, who then escorts the group to a specified classroom.
Students were given a portfolio with test scores, homework papers, journal entries and school interest surveys to share with their parents.
Jenny Wills, a seventh grade language arts teacher, was apprehensive about the change in protocol but now recognizes the merit.
“I was afraid we were going to lose that setting with teachers sitting down with parents to express concerns,” she said. “But we can accommodate those types of things.”
If parents wish to speak with a specific teacher, other classrooms are reserved for private discussion.
Before the change, the school would call a select number of students and those parents would meet with seven or eight teachers at once.
Because so many teachers were tied up at one time, slots were limited, Valenti said. Since the school made the switch, Valenti speculated 450 parents now come through the school’s doors. About 150 parents attended the traditional conferences.
“There might be a couple parents who wish they could just meet with all the teachers at one time,” he said. “But there’s been overwhelming support of (student-led conferences).”
Kelly Hatton fell into that category. She and her seventh grade son, Braden, attended the Thursday conference.
“With my son, he had to go through (his portfolio) with each class and explain different projects he’s done,” Hatton said. “The child has to explain their work in their own words.”
Son Braden agreed.
“There’s new curriculum now than when she was in school so she wasn’t sure what we were learning,” he said. “You have to know the work more because you’re explaining it to someone who may not know it.”
Middletown’s Central Academy also hosts student-led conferences.
The “Treasure Chest,” a 2004 report by the Office for Exceptional Children and Office of Curriculum and Instruction with the Ohio Department of Education, approved of such methods. The report, offering core instruction strategies for teachers alongside differentiating instructions for diverse learners, identifies student-led conferences as an effective method of self-analysis.
Contact this reporter at (513) 705-2871 or asedlak@coxohio.com.
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