Conferences

I wanted to take a few minutes to review conferences again.  Conferences will be tomorrow (Tuesday) and Thursday this week.  They will be 20 minutes long.  Below is a synopsis of the information you will receive so you can prepare as needed. 

• Because the conferences are back to back, I will be setting a timer for the duration of the conference.  This is not meant to be rude.  It is meant to be respectful of everyone's time so we do not get behind and keep others waiting.  If the timer goes off and your questions and needs have not been met, we can always schedule another conference time or finish via email.  

• Please keep in mind that this is not a conference based solely on academics.  We are just getting into the "nitty gritty" of the school year and academics as we finish Responsive Classroom.  I will cover the following topics:
• Your child's behavior/mannerisms in class
• Your child's social behaviors with classmates and at recess
• Your child's strengths, weaknesses, and goals for the quarter/year
• Your child's reading level based on DRA
• Your child's skills as assessed in reading, math, etc. 
• Practice activities as applicable
• Other needs/reminders as necessary

• Please bring any questions you have about things in the classroom, folders, assignments sent home, etc.
• If you have questions about his/her progress report, please read below FIRST. 
• Please do not ask me to compare your child to other children in the class.  It is unprofessional. 

*~Progress Report and Grading Questions~*

Progress reports went home on Friday, and especially during the first quarter I tend to get a lot of questions, or concerns, so I'd like to address these now, before conferences, rather than using our conference time to discuss them.  Please read below along with the grading information previously posted before addressing any concerns.  If there is still a question or concern after reading through this information, I am more than happy to discuss it with you.

Remember the grading scale:
1 = Exceeds expectations
2 = Meets expectations
3 = Does not meet expectations

Meeting expectations means your child is doing a good job in my class and it is nothing to be ashamed of!  It is extremely rare for a student to earn "exceeds expectations," especially on progress reports when there is so much of the quarter left to go.  A student only earns "exceeds expectations" when they consistently exceed expectations across the board in that subject area, and that is really difficult to do!  

I try to give you a very realistic picture of your child's progress when grading for progress reports.  I want you to be forewarned if there is an issue that needs correcting, while there is still time to fix the problem.  If I were more lenient for progress reports, you might not realize that your child is "on the bubble" between two scores, and I would really rather you find out now than at the end of the quarter.

The whole concept of progress reports is that this is an unofficial report of how your child is doing so far.  It does not go into your child's permanent folder, nor does it even cross the desk of an administrator unless your child has earned a 3 an any area.  If your child continues as they have been up to this point, then their report card is likely to be very similar.  However, changes can be made for the better (or worse) in the coming weeks, so please bear that in mind as well.  =)