Families are critical partners in each scholar’s learning.

A Scholar-Led Conference is different from a traditional parent/teacher conference. The purpose of a Scholar-Led Conference is for children to summarize their strengths and next steps for learning based on their individual work and achievement data. Scholars and families should leave the conference on the same page about individual strengths and areas of focus.

Parents, use this At-A-Glance document at your next Scholar-Led Conference to provide helpful questions to get the most of out of your child’s conference.

Scholar-Led Conferences

What all families should know in order to make the conference powerful and successful!

• A scholar-led conference is different from a traditional parent/teacher conference.
  • During scholar-led conferences, the child leads the conference and does the majority of the talking. Teachers work with
    scholars ahead of time so they are prepared to lead conversations about their current achievement and next steps. The
    teacher’s role is to be nearby to answer questions, but the teacher does not lead the conference.

• The purpose of a scholar-led conference is for children to summarize their strengths and next
  steps for earning based on their individual work and achievement data. Scholars and families
  should leave the conference on the same page about individual strengths and areas of focus.
  • During the conference, your child will walk you through his/her most current achievement data as well as examples of
    his/her work that represent some of the most important learning for the grade level and subject area. This approach is
    intentional. Achievement increases when children are able to explain to others what they have already learned, as well
    as what the next steps are in their learning as they relate to grade-level standards.

• You can schedule a separate meeting with the teacher if you have concerns or questions after
  the conference.
  • While your child and the teacher(s) should be able to answer most questions and explain how you can provide support
    for learning at home, some families will have questions or concerns that require a follow up meeting with a teacher.
    Every family is welcome to schedule a separate meeting with a teacher if there are concerns or questions at the
    conclusion of the conference.

• You can play a powerful role in your scholar’s achievement if you continue the conversation
  about strengths and next steps at home throughout the school year.
  • What you learn about your child’s individual strengths and next steps in learning during the conference can shift the
    questions you ask your child about school from “How was school today?” to specific questions about he/she is growing
    as a learner. This is a powerful motivator for children and creates excitement about school!

• We welcome your questions and ideas about scholar-led conferences.

  • All of our work is a work in progress, and we count on families to provide us with ideas and feedback about how we
    can improve. If you have questions about scholar-led conferences, or ideas about how we can improve the process, we

    would love to hear from you! Please reach out to your building principal if you would like to know more about scholar-
    led conferences, or have suggestions about how to improve the process.