I open the conferences up for all but mostly those who have a possibility of retention. I prepare the data needed to show what the student will need for promotion. I also have a list of tutors and options that the parent might want to use to help their child. Even though it seems like last minute this is when some parent involvement really kicks in.

I like to have student led conferences, where I invite parents and their child to attend (if possible). I find student led conferences adds a layer of accountability for the student being able to speak to their learning and to my teaching.
I have students share a piece of work that we have recently completed and sharing 1.) What are they learning? 2.) How do they know if they’ve been successful?
I also have them share things that they enjoy in class and something they find challenging. I also ask them to share something about me as their teacher they enjoy and something they would change. (It can be very eye opening!)
I also share class and district data such as MAP data and CFA’s.

We have already had our parent teacher conferences for this year. I share with parents what we have been working on that helps to determine the grade. I ask my parents if their child reads at home and stress the importance of it. I also recommend reading resources such as websites and I may give my parents reading passages to work on with their child that may be struggling with reading. I also let parents know if their child would benefit from attending summer school.

We have them in September each year, however, parents are able to request an additional conference any time. I will pull together as many data points that I have about each child so I can show a complete picture of how the child is performing in class.