Changes to Conference Format and Mid-Trimester Reporting
As announced a few weeks ago, we will be changing some of the ways by which we report mid-trimester progress and conduct our Parent/Student/Teacher conferences. Below please find answers to some frequently asked questions.
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Why did we make this change?
There are several aspects of the past Parent/Teacher conference model that we feel are not as strong as they could be. For one, the conferences followed quickly after a mid-trimester comment was sent home, creating a sense of redundancy for the conference. In most cases, teachers were simply repeating or amplifying points they had made in their written feedback. Second, we are now emphasizing that student involvement is essential to the conversation, whereas in the past we left that more optional. We believe student ownership of anything that is discussed or decided is crucial. Finally, we believe the change to the grading policy will actually encourage student learning. See more on that below.
Why no grades?
Teachers feel that the grades at the mid-trimester reports are not based on enough course work to constitute a reliable indication of how the student would perform in the course. Based on only a few assessments at that point, the grades at this juncture were typically skewed too high or too low. Even if the teacher comment indicated as much, we found that students and parents often put too much emphasis on the grade once it was posted officially on the mid-trimester report. Related to that, many teachers felt pressure to “get more grades in the grade book” in order to give this mid-trimester mark more substance. That practice resulted in a “crunch time” for students right before the mid-trimester reports came out, and that was also not in the students’ best interest.
Is there any way to know how my son or daughter is doing before the conference?
Students have an open grade book that parents can ask to view. In that grade book a parent can see assessments up to that point and a cumulative average based on how the student has performed thus far. Teachers often also put additional notes in their grade book that might indicate what the student did well on a particular assessment, or suggest areas they need to improve.
Additionally, I have instructed teachers to reach out to any family of a student who is performing in a way that concerns the teacher. Those concerns may be based on low performance(s) on an assessment, or upon behavioral issues in or out of the classroom. In those situations, a family will be contacted by the teacher, advisor, or grade-level dean via e-mail or phone call prior to the conferences.
Without a mid-tri report as a guide, how can I prepare for a conference?
Sit down with the student and look at the open grade book together. Ask the student how he/she believes the course is going up to that point (self-reflection is always a good process, and many teachers have students do this in class anyway). Certainly parents could contact a teacher sometime during the week before conferences as well if there were preliminary questions they wanted to ask.
Will there be any follow-up from the teacher after conferences?
After conferences, teachers will send reports to any family that did not attend a conference, as well as to any family for which a written follow-up to the conference might be important. Reports will also be sent home to students whose current course average is 75 or below, but again, please know that those averages are highly preliminary and based on a limited number of assessments. And as mentioned earlier, parents can reach out to advisors, teachers, and grade-level deans as a follow-up at any time.
I have a senior—should I schedule a conference time?
Typically, we advise seniors and their parents not to schedule a conference and focus instead on college applications, as this is the week we set aside for seniors to focus on that process. If a teacher, parent or student feels strongly that a conference is important to the academic progress of the student, of course a conference can be scheduled.
I tried to sign up for a conference but all the available slots with a teacher are filled. What should I do now?
If you have just gone into the conference sign-up portal, you may find that some of our teachers who have a fifth course may already be fully scheduled on Thursday and Friday. In many cases, teachers can make themselves available on Wednesday, Oct. 10 for additional meetings. There are also a few teachers who for various professional reasons need to be away for part of the day on Thursday and/or Friday, so their availability may be more limited. In either case, please reach out to the teacher directly via e-mail to set up an alternate meeting time.
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