Parent-Teacher Conferences/Report Cards

[Kathianne]

Last Friday afternoon and evening were my parent-teacher conferences. I had to give out first trimester report cards and the graph of standardized test results. Until last year, standardized tests were given in March, last year moved to October. Until this year we were on quarters, now on trimesters.

In the past the test results were mailed home, this year because of costs, it was decided that we'd hand out during conferences. I may be wrong, but I think I'm the only teacher currently posting much here. My question to parents, of which I know there are many, what is it you wish to hear at conferences? Do report cards give you the information you want? If your child's standardized test scores are less than stellar, what information do you wish you knew?

I had several students who are pretty good in general. Their test scores however are not. While I have no problem with telling parents with kids with high test scores their kids are underperforming, it's more difficult when a child is hugging the 25% on standardized testing, for the 4th or 5th year in a row. They may just panic with the format and pressure, yet when there are many with similar results, the wave builds.

[Trigg]

My question to parents, of which I know there are many, what is it you wish to hear at conferences? Do report cards give you the information you want? If your child's standardized test scores are less than stellar, what information do you wish you knew?

Thankfully I don't usually have to worry about grades and how my kids are doing on tests. They're almost always on the honor roll.

As far as what I want to hear. It's mainly. Are they staying focused, are they being challenged, are they showing improvement on their test scores.

[Psychoblues]

Perhaps you would do better in genuine teaching without all the adversities and innuendoes that are drawn from standardized testing, Kat?

Psychoblues

[5stringJeff]

Kathianne, besides grades, I'd like to hear whether my child is a) participating as the teacher expects, b) underperforming, c) missing work/grades, or d) has any type of behavior problems. Hopefully, the answers are, in order, yes, no, no, and no, and the conference lasts about 2 minutes! :D

[Kathianne]

Kathianne, besides grades, I'd like to hear whether my child is a) participating as the teacher expects, b) underperforming, c) missing work/grades, or d) has any type of behavior problems. Hopefully, the answers are, in order, yes, no, no, and no, and the conference lasts about 2 minutes! :D

Those questions show you understand education. I'm sure you'd be out in 2 minutes with the answers desired, well at least until 8th grade. ;)

[Psychoblues]

I've known a few quite genious machinists, musicians, auto mechanics, and others that I highly respect that probably couldn't pass a standardized test.

Psychoblues

[Abbey Marie]

My question to parents, of which I know there are many, what is it you wish to hear at conferences? Do report cards give you the information you want? If your child's standardized test scores are less than stellar, what information do you wish you knew?


When our daughter was in elementary and middle schools, we looked to teacher conferences primarily to explain to us why she didn't get an "A" in a particular subject. She earned mostly A's, so it seemed like a logical question. We also figured that if her grades were that good, and she wasn't having any problems with other kids, there wasn't much else to discuss. So, yes, I guess her report cards gave us the information we wanted.

Her standardized test scores have always been very good, so no issues there.