Areas of Impact
Age Group
High school and middle school
Length
30-40 minutes
Frequency
Yearly
Type
Student-Led Conference Goal-Setting
Student-Led Conferences are one of those proud moments in teaching where all aspects of Student Agency come to life.
Overview
This document is the centerpiece of student reflection before and during Student-Led Conferences.
Context
Student-Led Conferences at Gateway Middle School involve students’ reflecting on their work in all their classes, then presenting this work to their families and school advisor. This document structures students’ global thinking about their achievements and goal-setting across subject areas. Since students lead one conference each year, by the time they graduate from middle school they have three years of work and reflection in their portfolios to share with their families. While the goal-setting and reflection sheets look similar across the grade levels, teachers tailor them to address the growth students experience during their time in middle school.
Implementation
Before setting global academic goals, students should have chosen their work samples and reflected on that work in their classes. Also, teachers will want to have access to students’ previous goals to support them in their reflection. Since Student-Led Conferences involve coordination across disciplines, this practice needs to be a school-wide focus to be implemented successfully.
Student-Led Conferences can look different at different schools. (See resource books and articles below for inspiration and ideas.) To get an idea of what these conferences look like at Gateway, see the Student-Led Conference Portfolio Checklist as well as other Student-Led Conference resources below.
Related Content:
Student-Led Conference Portfolio Checklist
Student-Led Conference Work Selection Checklist
Student-Led Conference Work Reflection
Student-Led Conference Community Commitments Checklist
Student-Led Conference Community Reflection
Student-Led Conference Family Letter
Student-Led Conference Family Homework
Student-Led Conference Checklist
Family Conferences Goal-Setting
Fostering Student Accountability Through Student-Led Conferences by Patti Kinney
A School-Wide Approach to Student-Led Conferences: A Practitioner's Guide by Patti Kinney, Mary Beth Munroe and Pam Sessions.
See also resources at the Association for Middle Level Education (AMLE)