• Family members attend Student-Led Conferences in an active audience role. They listen and watch as their child presents their portfolios and discusses progress in meeting learning targets for each class and crew.

    Parents are encouraged to respond to the presentation or to ask questions!

    Here are some questions you might ask your child during and after Student-Led Conferences:

    Guiding Questions for Parents

    • What made you decide to share this piece with me?
    • How did you feel as you read your guided reading book out loud?
    • How might I better support you as a reader at home?
    • What’s the hardest part about the writing process for you? Why do you think so?
    • What’s your favorite part about the writing process? Why?
    • How you do feel when you’re asked to explain your math thinking?
    • How do you feel during math practice time on your own?
    • What do you think about where you sit?
    • What makes you most excited about coming to school?
    • How do you feel about your overall learning so far in [subject/topic]?
    • How might I better help this team that’s dedicated to your learning? (can ask student and/or teacher)

    Source: 23 Guiding Questions to Make Student-Led Conferences More Informative

    Reflection: Questions to Ask After Student-Led Conferences:
    ● What did you do to prepare for your conference? Were you really ready?
    ● How did you feel before the conference? After?
    ● How did morning Crew meetings where you used portfolios help to prepare you for conferences?
    ● What was the biggest challenge for you at your conference?
    ● What surprised you during your conference?
    ● What was a proud moment for you during your conference?
    ● What might you do differently during your conference next time?

    Questions about Portfolios:
    ● How often do you put work in your portfolio? What are important things you can add?
    ● How is your portfolio organized? Why is it set it up that way?
    ● How did your portfolio help you during your student-led conference?
    ● (5th grade) What is the difference between the portfolios you use for student-led conferences and your Passage portfolio?