Family Conferences

Dear Families,

With the end of the first quarter just behind us, progress reports, family conferences with your child’s advisor and meetings with subject area teachers are just around the corner (see below for information on signing up for a conference/meeting). Conferences are scheduled for November 5th and 11th (the Middle School will be closed on both days). Progress reports will go out on Tuesday, November 2rd. These reports will be accessible on-line and I will send out an email next week with information on how to access your child’s report.

Progress reports provide an important opportunity for shared discussion about successes to date and challenges to address as we move forward into the second quarter. I encourage you to review the section on progress reports in the handbook so that you are familiar with the format of the reports.

For sixth grade families, this will be your first set of reports with letter grades. Letter grades are based on a set of evaluations in three categories that are outlined on the report card. There is some variability in these categories across subjects. The reported letter grades reflect a student’s progress in comparison to grade level expectations. For example, a “C” means progress that is approaching grade level expectations and a “B” signifies progress that meets grade level expectations. However, within these ranges could be unsatisfactory class participation balanced by excellent quiz scores and/or homework assignments. It is natural for there to be some anxiety around grades. As with all assessments, it is important for students and families to view them as representative of where the student stands as a learner at a particular moment in time. Areas of struggle as indicated by reported grades can be addressed by committed hard work.

Our reports are purposely designed to show a student’s progress over the four quarters so that you and your child can more easily see the work of a particular quarter in a broader context of their overall learning experience. Prior to receiving the reports, take the opportunity to speak with your child about his/her perceptions of the work he/she has completed this past quarter. This will help to frame your discussions when you go over the progress reports together.

For all families, while progress reports and family conferences provide an opportunity to reflect on a student’s progress and to think about strengths and challenges, it is important to remember that assessment is an on-going process at LREI; it is a means to an end, but not an end in and of itself. Its aim is to improve student understanding of key ideas and skills. In the Middle School, teachers strive to develop assessments that are learner-centered and focused on student understanding in relation to the particular goals identified for each area of inquiry. Rather than being separate from learning, assessment plays a central role in the instructional process. The assessment process also sheds light on which instructional strategies are most effective. Through thoughtful assessment, the teacher gains critical feedback for choosing and utilizing those teaching strategies that can best help a learner progress towards the goals of a particular unit of study. Opportunities for meaningful assessment also allow students to gain deeper insight into areas of strength and challenge and allow them to develop plans to address growth in both of these areas.

The Family Conference is an extension of these assessment activities and should be viewed as a dynamic opportunity to talk about growth and development. The student’s presence and participation in these discussions is of vital importance. The Family Conference affords the student an opportunity to reflect, applaud, and problem-solve with two of her/his most important advocates, family members and her/his advisor. These conferences should be approached with a forward-looking perspective. As prior performance is reviewed, all of the participants should seek to work together to identify strategies and opportunities for learning that will support the student’s continued growth and development.

The Family Conference in the Middle School places the student at the center as an active participant. We do this for a number of reasons:

  1. to encourage students to accept personal responsibility for their academic performance;
  2. to help students develop the reflective skill of self-evaluation;
  3. to facilitate the development of students’ organizational and oral communication skills and to increase their self-confidence; and
  4. to encourage students, parents, and the advisor to engage in open and honest dialogue.

Family conferences are an important part of the educational experience at LREI. They are important for students, parents/guardians, and teachers. Like all learning opportunities, the Family Conference requires trust and a willingness to take risks on the part of all participants. While the conference may not be tension-free, it does provide an opportunity for inquiry and understanding. Here are two discussion ideas that you might want to consider as you prepare for these important dialogues:

  • share with your child memorable experiences from when you were a middle school student and consider why such memories may be important to the educational life of your child
  • explore how you and your child approach the concept of learning and reflect on why looking at the differences and similarities in your responses might be important.

In preparation for these conferences, Middle School students will spend  time reflecting on their work thus far this school year. With their teachers’ and advisor’s guidance, students will identify areas on which to focus during the next quarter and will develop plans for achieving these goals. Your child will have these reflections with her/him during your conference. Here are some additional topics/questions that you might reflect on before your family conference:

  • Your child’s work habits at home–when are the most and least successful?
  • Which assignments, or types of assignments, seem to lead to the most success? To be the most frustrating?
  • Is our organizational plan working for your child? How is your child managing her/his time?
  • When you and your child discuss school/school assignments at home, are there consistent themes that should be discussed at the conference?
  • Are there extracurricular commitments or extenuating circumstances that should be discussed at the conference?

There’s no doubt that conferences are hard work, but the potential for learning that can take place when all participants commit to the process is clearly worth the effort.

I look forward to seeing you at the conferences.

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