Parent/Teacher Conference: The Morning After

OK, so boom. You've just met with your child’s teacher and found out that your child has been late turning in work, has been sleeping in class, and has multiple missing assignments. To add insult to injury, you found out that your darling angel has been lying to you about it all. Next stop? Angry Momville and Angry Dadville to get some "straightening". [Straight-en-ing: steps taken by moms and dads who do not play the radio] Let me guess. You have taken ACTION, (no cell phone, no TV, no friends, no visitors, and early bedtime). 

That sounds about right, but let me suggest some tools to use for the "morning after parent/teacher conference" ...in addition to "straightening".

Tools for the morning after your parent/teacher conference 

• Tool #1 PowerSchool
• Tool #2 Ask for child’s Benchmark Levels
• Tool #3 Follow Up

Tool #1 PowerSchool

Did you know that our local schools use online grade books now to keep a record of our children’s scores for things like homework assignments and class work? Most of our local schools use a system called PowerSchool. Most schools require teachers to input grades into the system 1 to 3 times per week. This means that if you check your child’s PowerSchool daily, you can see how they are performing in real-time and not have to wait 6 to 9 weeks for a report card.

Here’s the good part if you didn’t ask your child’s teacher, how often they input grades during the conference, now is your chance. Reach back out to your child's teacher and ask them how often they input grades into the system so parents can monitor students' progress in real-time. And get this! PowerSchool allows parents to see the teachers' feedback on missing assignments, incomplete assignments, etc. Game changer, right? 

If you find that your child’s teacher does not put in grades until a day or two before report cards come home this is a great opportunity to speak with the principal about how this is affecting your child’s learning.

Tool #2 Ask for your child’s Benchmark Level 

Can you imagine sitting for hours in a classroom and either not knowing what the teacher is talking about or being bored because you already know what she or he is trying to teach you? That may be the case for your child.

Whether this is a history, science, language arts, or reading class, ask your child’s teacher what is your child's reading benchmark level. It ranges are well below benchmark, below benchmark, at benchmark, and above benchmark. 

If your child’s reading is BELOW the reading benchmark level, it could be a great indication as to why your child is not completing the assignments, misbehaving in the classroom, or lying to you about their progress. If your child’s reading level is ABOVE the reading benchmark level, this could be a great indication as to why your child is not engaged. Let’s be honest, it’s hard to focus and be engaged when you are being lectured on information that you already know. If this is your child’s story, then ask your teacher about differentiating the lesson plans to challenge your child. 

If your child is struggling in math, you can ask the teacher the same questions. For example, what is my child's math benchmark level? Remember it’s hard to stay focused on any subject in school when you are either bored or confused. That’s why it’s so important for parents to know their child’s true reading and math benchmark levels. This tells the story of your child's learning beyond grades.

This information comes from beginning, middle, and end-of-year testing done by the school. Your school likely calls these diagnostic or benchmark testing results from mClass or iReady. If your child’s teacher does not have this information readily available, reach out to your school principal, and make them aware that you need this information to get your child back on track.

Tool #3 Follow Up

Have you ever found yourself looking in the mirror mimicking what you should have said in a missed opportunity? Great news! As a parent, you don't have to wait until the next conference to address questions that you did not ask during the initial parent conference.

Conferences can sometimes leave you feeling, hopeless, angry, and defeated. Was your conference filled with bad news about what your child had done wrong? Well, you are in luck! This is a great opportunity to set specific dates to follow up on requested information from your teachers and administration.

Examples of ways to follow up

1. If you requested your child’s reading and math benchmark levels, and the teacher did not have the information really available, kindly ask your teacher to get back to you at the end of the week.

2. If you found out that your child was not receiving instruction, based on their benchmark levels, ask what resources are in place to bridge the learning gap or increase the rigor. Then, kindly share with the teacher, you will check PowerSchool in one week to see if their grades are improving.

3. If you felt blindsided about your child’s report card/progress report, kindly ask their teacher to input at least 1 to 2 graded assignments next week on PowerSchool so that you can see the results of the "straightening". You may want to ask your school leader what is the expectation of how often teachers input grades. Two grades a week is reasonable

Remember. You are your child's advocate, and no rules say you have to wait until the teacher calls you to set a follow-up meeting. You can reach out to your child’s teacher today and utilize any or all three of your power parent tools. As always, be encouraged as you continue to advocate for your child.