Since ISW’s founding, we have embraced the tradition of Student-Led Conferences from Kindergarten to High School in June of each school year. Students arrive for this event in blazers and khakis, and they take seriously the task of presenting their year to their parents. Our teachers work with students to prepare for this event for weeks—considering the entire year’s accomplishments, setting goals for the summer and the upcoming school year, and thinking about what went well and what needs more work.
It is truly amazing to witness even the youngest child’s ability to think analyze the year and to set goals. They know what they are doing well and what needs work—if only we will allow them the time and space to articulate their thoughts. As students get older and more experienced at this process, teachers provide structure but far less input. Students’ final conferences at the end of the senior year often include hugs and bittersweet tears as students prepare to continue their academic journey at the college level.
This year, we will augment this process with the creation of student portfolios at the elementary level. Daily student work will be collected in a folder that is sent home on a monthly basis, which means students will not be bringing home schoolwork every night. Instead, parents will have the opportunity to see several weeks’ worth of work at a time.
As students gather their work throughout the year, (with their teacher’s assistance) they will pull a few items each month to include in their Annual Portfolio. (“Look at my perfect multiplication sheet—I finally got the 8s down!” “Here’s a story I wrote in September and another in May! See how much better my handwriting is?”) The portfolio will stay in the classroom throughout the school year, and students will use it for the “show and tell” aspect of the Student-Led Conference at the end of the school year. Parents will get a sneak peek at the portfolio in November when we host adults-only conferences.
Portfolios have long been a key ingredient in progressive education, which honors the student’s agency in their own learning process. We are delighted to formally add this component to the Student-Led Conferences that we have always treasured.