Recognizing that
1) parent conferences with teachers are routinely scheduled throughout the year to share information about student progress and
2) since implementing the tri-yearly Scantron Performance Series testing there have been very limited opportunities to discuss the interpretation of the results of these tests
Saint Mary’s has devoted the traditional fall parent-teacher conferences to sharing Scantron Performance Series Testing results to parents on an individual student basis. Homeroom teachers will prepare to share both reading and math test results. Although the Performance Series tests are but one measure of a student’s performance, repeated testing with the test series begins to reveal a pattern of achievement that can be reviewed for greater insight into student strengths and weaknesses. Once these strengths and weaknesses are either identified or confirmed, parents and teachers are better able to plan instructional activities and strategies designed to maximize a student’s academic growth.
Parents will select a time to confer with their student’s homeroom teacher either November 8th or November 9th. Times will be reserved online. The online links will be made available via an email following the schedule of: Families with 3 or more students will receive the link on October 28th. Families with 2 or more students will receive the link on October 31st, and all families will receive the link on November 4th. [Please note that this schedule is designed to allow families with the greater number of students to sign up for conferences in contiguous blocks of time. while allowing families with fewer students to find times that do not block out contiguous times for those who have more conferences to schedule.] Parents will confer with homeroom teachers only during the scheduled parent-teacher conference days. The homeroom teacher is tasked with coordinating all of the testing information which will be the focus of the conference. Parents wishing to confer with non-homeroom teachers are asked to make separate appointments on days other than November 8 and 9.
Scantron testing is administered in grades 2 – 8. Grade 2 will only have a single administration prior to conferences, and second grade teachers will be prepare to explain the results of that first administration without the advantage of comparative testing. Teachers will be prepared to discuss the limited data available, as well as explain how upcoming results will be used and communicated to parents. Conference times will be scheduled for all families, including the 3 year old classes through 1st grade. These “pre-testing” grade conferences will focus on data collected from other assessments and will be an opportunity for parents and teachers to discuss the student’s progress.
Parents are asked to note that the scheduled parent-teacher conferences are not intended to replace ongoing communication between teachers and parents concerning students’ behaviors, study habits, and / or specific subject matter difficulties. Teachers will focus on the presentation of testing data during these scheduled conferences and will not be prepared to discuss other issues with parents. Please keep conferences focused and limited to this topic so that teachers can be best prepared to share this valuable information while conferring with the many families in their homerooms.
Scantron Performance Series Test Parent Information is available for review by clicking on the blue link.