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Areas of Impact

School-Wide

Age Group

Middle School

Length

2-3 weeks

Frequency

Yearly 

Type

Print Materials

Student-Led Conference Portfolio Checklist

Self Awareness & Growth Mindset, Self-Advocacy, Collaboration & Community Skills

Student-Led Conference portfolios give students the opportunity to honestly share both their accomplishments and areas of growth.

Overview

This checklist helps students organize the contents of their Student-Led Conference portfolios and serves as an overview of the portfolio's purpose.

Context

At Gateway Middle School, advisors usher students through the process of assembling and presenting their portfolios to their families. While reflection on individual work samples takes place in subject area classes, the advisor guides the students in understanding the big picture of their accomplishments and setting goals for growth. Then they participate as an audience member in the student led conferences. Advisors share this checklist with students as they assemble their Student-Led Conference portfolios to keep track of the required artifacts. This process takes 2-3 weeks of daily work, about 30 minutes per day, to compile and practice all components of the portfolio.

Implementation

Since Student-Led Conferences involve coordination across disciplines, this practice needs to be a school-wide focus to be implemented successfully. Students reflect on their work artifacts in their subject area classes. They then reflect on their community contributions, create their family letters, assemble their portfolios, and practice their presentations in their advisory class.  Each year they add to the portfolio so that they have three years of work by the time they leave 8th grade. 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.

Successful Student-Led Conferences look different across schools. See resource books and articles below for additional ideas and inspiration.

Related Content:

Student-Led Conference Work Selection Checklist

Student-Led Conference Work Reflection

Student-Led Conference Goal-Setting

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

Student Agency Rubric

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)