CJSHS students to lead parent-teacher conferences

Parent-teacher conferences for Concordia Unified School District 333 students in grades 7-12 will have a new format beginning this fall.
USD 333 is transitioning to student-led conferences beginning with the fall event scheduled for 11 a.m.-7 p.m. Monday at the Concordia Junior-Senior High School.
Students will be leading the conversation with their parents and their PAWS instructor during the first 15 minutes of their scheduled time. The parents will then have 15 minutes to meet with the teachers.
During the student-led portion of the conferences, the students will be talking about their Individual Plan of Study (IPS), which connects their academic performance to their post-secondary goals. They will also be discussing their strengths and interests, celebrations, post-secondary goals, academic and emotional needs, current grades and their overall reflection of the first quarter of the school year.
“We are not just jumping into entire student-led yet. We are kind of baby-stepping into it,” Concordia Junior-Senior High School principal Kale Katt said.
Students spent time during the two weeks prior to fall break practicing the conversations with parents and teachers during their PAWS class.
“We are really preparing them to give a short elevator speech and just getting used to talking in front of adults. Having a professional conversation really with the intention of start owning your own education,” Katt said.
Katt said there are schools that have had student-led conferences for the past 15-20 years.
“The state of Kansas, KSDE (Kansas State Department of Education) has taken steps to put some more intentionality into education. And one of the big things they are pushing, that they have been pushing, is the personalized learning and the ownership of learning,” Katt said. “How do we engage our families and our communities? And this is one pretty simple way we are going to get there.”
Katt believes over the next five to six years that more schools will be adopting the student-led conference format.
“A lot of junior high and middle schools do this right now. High school is a little bit harder just because we are used to having an open time when parents come in, and usually we are lucky to get 30 to 40 percent of the parents,” Katt said. “Honestly, with technology today, with email and the instant access to seeing kids' grades, it is almost antiquated. So this is putting a little more value and meaning into that time that we have.”
Boosting the participation in the parent-teacher conferences is one of the goals of making the change.
“It is hard to get much worse,” Katt said.
There will be some students who are unable to participate in the conferences on Monday, but Katt wants those students to have those conversations at some point.
“We have Monday devoted to these conversations, but I know that our band is going to Hays. We are going to have some people who are going to be gone, and that is okay. We just want to have these conversations. We can do them online if we need to. We are asking for 15 minutes with us to practice those leadership skills and to bridge the gap between school and home. That is our goal.”
Katt said that he hopes participation will be close to 100 percent and that for those students who are unable to attend on Monday, that they have the necessary conversation at home with their parents.
Parents attending the conferences will be given a survey to fill out asking them if they know about their child's IPS, what their child is interested in and what classes and experiences may help them get to where they want to be.
Katt said he would like to see the conversation shift during the conferences in the spring to be more focused on what classes students need to take and understanding of class progression.
“Our ultimate goal is to have these conversations. If we can't make it work during the designated time that is okay. We are asking families to communicate with us and we are going to make sure we are available to have these conversations when they can.”