This book explains how teachers can serve as facilitators as students lead their parents through discussion of their work. The 9 chapters are: (1) "Philosophy and Purpose of Student-Led Conferences" (relevance, responsibility, and reporting to parents); (2) "Roles and Responsibilities of Participants" (teacher, student, parent, administrator, office staff, and support teacher role); (3) "Designing Formats for Student-Led Conferences" (individual or student-involved conferences, simultaneous conferences with multiple families, and presentation or showcase conferences); (4) "Preparing Students to Lead Conferences" (e.g., portfolios, making time for reflection, role-playing, and preparing students); (5) "Preparing Parents and Colleagues for Student-Led Conferences" (communicating the concept, preparing parents, and introducing the concept to colleagues); (6) "Organizing for Student-Led Conferences: It's All in the Details" (e.g., scheduling, arranging facilities, and encouraging parent participation); (7) "Anticipating and Handling Unique Solutions" (e.g., parents who cannot attend, potentially abusive parents, and students with special needs); (8) "Evaluating Student-Led Conferences" (e.g., gathering comments from parents, students, and colleagues); and (9) "The Role of Student-Led Conferences in Authentic Assessment and Reporting." Student conference resources are included. (Contains 20 references.) (SM)

This is a how-to book, in workbook format, that integrates strategies on implementing student portfolios as a means of documenting progress and assessing student work. It is a classroom tested book of recipes for improving student motivation, raising standards of quality in the classroom and involving parents in the process of educating their children.

Shows teachers how to empower students to take responsibility for their own learning, evaluate their own work, and set their own goals. Offers advice on preparing students, responding to questions from parents, organizing a parent orientation night, developing portfolios, and following up.

Help your students demonstrate what they know--and why they have learned it! The increasing focus on standards and accountability has brought a new breed of challenges: educators today must not only engage students, but also their parents; they must not only provide authentic assessments, but also communicate them in meaningful ways. With the help of this updated edition of a bestseller, educators can achieve this and more as they turn student work into insightful showcase portfolios, and transform the oft-dreaded parent conferences into powerful learning and assessment opportunities. The user-friendly and time-tested strategies outlined in the manual have been successfully implemented in classrooms throughout North America, and real-life examples are provided to illustrate how the approach can be applied at any grade level and for any subject matter. Newly added features to this comprehensive text include: Strategies for beginning the portfolio process with students Current research findings that support student-led conferencing Easy-to-use timelines and sample schedules Blackline masters that cut down on teacher prep-time The latest information on electronic portfolios In today′s standards-based and accountability-driven classroom, teachers are increasingly seeking ways to demonstrate that their students know what they are learning and are aware of why they are learning it. This groundbreaking guide shows how the combination of portfolios and student-led conferences can increase student understanding. Using this technique, students will be able to take charge of their learning, and are able to clearly communicate the goals of their education with fellow students, administrators, and parents.

"As a new teacher, I am always looking for ideas that will make me feel more confident. Using a portfolio will help me show evidence that the students are making progress toward meeting state standards." —Stephanie Jones, Teacher Forrest City High School, AR "A good overview of the entire portfolio process, from its philosophical foundations to the celebration of student achievement." —Michael F. Dwyer, English Department Chair Otter Valley Union High School, Brandon, VT Encourage student creativity and academic growth through portfolios and authentic assessment! Research and practice show that portfolios are powerful tools for assessing students authentically, communicating with parents about the learning process, and helping learners across all grade levels and content areas record their successes and take ownership of their learning. The third edition of The Portfolio Connection offers practical advice and reader-friendly strategies for implementing student portfolios in the classroom. Through step-by-step procedures, the authors help teachers incorporate standards into the portfolio process by providing expanded checklists and rubrics to monitor student progress. The updated edition also includes: Additional information on e-portfolios and integrating technology Steps for conducting student-led conferences Portfolio examples for children with special needs Guidance on increasing parent involvement Information on the impact of NCLB on student assessment Discover how you can use portfolios to heighten students′ self-reflection while expanding their critical and creative thinking skills.