- What student-led conferences are
- 4 reasons why they’re right for your school
- 2 important parts of student-led conferences
- Tips for running effective student-led conferences across all grade levels
- How Prodigy can help you run student-led conferences
What are student-led conferences?
A student-led conference is similar to a parent-teacher conference, but the student is present and in charge of leading the discussion.- The teacher acts as a facilitator for the discussion
- The student presents their work and guides the discussion
- The parents listen and speak with their child about his or her academic and social progress and needs
Older students will have a portfolio of work they’ve completed throughout the school year (more on that in a bit!) and can use an agenda to guide the discussion through key topics, including:A2) My school does student-led conferences that ties in well w/ self-management and creating discipline among our students. Students take ownership of their learning & set goals for the year and into HS. Not SS specific, but really great way to practice these skills. #sschat
— Brienne Peers (@historyinmitten) June 3, 2019
- Their strengths
- What their goals are
- What they’re proud of
- Where they still need to develop
“The teacher’s primary goals are to teach students the basic principles of accepting responsibility for the work they do at school, to help students learn new concepts and skills, and to offer students the opportunity to show their achievement to parents.”Student-led conferences encourage students to think critically about their own abilities and achievements, and help students develop skills they’ll use long after they’ve finished school. That sounds good, you might think. But what my school is doing right now seems to be working just fine — why should I bother? Let’s keep going.
The benefits of student-led conferences
1. Increased parent involvement

“Student-led conferences are an effective method for promoting parent participation in the learning process. Many schools that have implemented student-led conferences have seen a dramatic increase in parent attendance at conferences.”Bailey and Guskey also note higher parent attendance for student-led conferences correlates with parent involvement in student learning, and can boost academic outcomes. Another educator-led study found:
“By implementing [student-led conferences] using student portfolios, we observed an apparent increase in parent participation at school which appeared to have some relationship to students being more determined to achieve their academic goals.”During student-led conferences, parents become active listeners and learn how they can support their children’s learning at home. Parents enjoy seeing their children succeed, and student-led conferences naturally highlight student success.
Important note:If parents can’t attend their student-led conference, students might be disappointed. It’s important to let parents know in advance when the conferences are taking place to avoid any problems. Consider scheduling multiple time slots to accommodate different work schedules.Thanks to the many School of Leadership parents and carers who came along to the Parent Evening tonight to learn about Student-led conferences and reports at St Luke’s. Enjoy your Long Weekend. pic.twitter.com/7cSAbKHvq2
— stlukesnextgen (@StLukesMP) June 6, 2019
2. Boosted student confidence and engagement

“Students became much more responsible for completing assignments, more articulate in explaining work, and more accurate at analyzing themselves as learners. This, along with one-hundred percent participation by parents, sold us on student-led conferences.”In the traditional parent-teacher conference, students don’t have this sense of responsibility, and they don’t have a voice in their own learning progress. Student-led conferences encourage them to reflect in their own words on how far they’ve come, where they still need to learn, and what they’re proud of.
3. A better picture of student achievement
Involving student voices in the conversation about their education seems like a no-brainer. Guskey and Bailey write:“For a discussion of student work to be relevant, accurate and complete, students must be involved in some way. Having students lead a conference with parents or other significant adults is a great way to maximize this involvement.”When students are included in the conversation, they understand they need to be actively involved in their own academic and social progress. In the traditional parent-teacher conference, students are disconnected from feedback and don’t always understand big-picture learning goals. With student-led conferences, students receive useful feedback and are stakeholders in their own learning.
Even with the student-led conference model, parents are still likely to want to talk to the teacher one-on-one. This can easily be done in a separate evening, or at the beginning or end of the student-led conference.Student-led conferences. Confidence & enthusiasm drive students to show what/how/why they learn. Parents admire how much their children can take responsibility in learning. Love this moment always. This is the beauty of @ibpyp #WISPYP pic.twitter.com/ewurk06bss
— Kaai Iz (@iz_kaai) June 2, 2019
4. More information for teachers
- Meeting with parents in a low-stress environment — Student-led conferences lead to better relationships with parents, since meetings can be more casual and they don’t always have to talk about specific problems.
- Insight into the parent-student dynamic — Teachers can observe and understand what kind of support students have at home.
- Better relationships with students — Student-led conferences help students realize teachers are an active partner in their learning journey.
How to run student-led conferences in your school
There are many different ways to adapt student-led conferences to your school’s needs, depending on the layout, class size and structure of you school. While some schools opt to hold student-led conferences as one-on-one meetings, other schools hold small group sessions with a few families. Some schools hold student-led conferences as an alternative to parent-teacher conferences, while others think it’s best to hold both at different times of the year.No matter what format you decide to use, there are two key elements that should always be present:A clear understanding of roles

“Remember, your first year’s organization is critical. A smooth, well-organized initiation into student-led conferences goes a long way toward convincing your staff, students and parents of its many benefits.”Students are to facilitate the discussion, show their work and communicate their learning goals with parents. For this to be effective, teachers need to devote some of their class time to preparing students.This can happen a few different ways:
- Teachers give time for students to select portfolio content throughout the year.
- Students meet with the teacher one-on-one to go over their portfolios and rehearse
- Teachers provide students with a sample script to help them guide the discussion appropriately
- Students pair up and take turns playing the role of the parent and the student, going over what they plan to say during the conference.
“Our best advice for training your staff is to keep it simple. Most of the procedures used in student-led conferences are just an extension of effective teaching practices currently in use. Remind them of this. Give as much support, modeling, and encouragement as possible and you will reap the reward in the end!”
Well-developed student portfolios

- A selection of the student’s work from throughout the year
- An agenda for the meeting
- Sheets for setting social and academic goals
Student-led conferences across grade levels
Learning looks different at different ages, and student-led conferences should reflect that. Here are some best practices for making sure they’re as effective as possible.Student-led conferences kindergarten
While it might seem difficult to have student-led conferences with kindergarten students, it’s actually an effective way for parents to understand their child’s learning progress!Instead of a portfolio, have teachers set up learning stations that demonstrate some of the key skills students have mastered. Students tour different learning stations with their parents, who observe and ask questions where appropriate.Learning station subjects can include:
- Writing their name
- Identifying numbers
- Recognizing letters of the alphabet
- Using reading comprehension skills
Student-led conferences elementary

Student-led conferences middle school
Middle school students need to bridge the gap between elementary school and the looming shadow of high school. This is a great age for students to identify areas of interest they might want to pursue later, or start thinking critically about their educational strengths and weaknesses. Students will benefit from the process of selecting portfolio work and reflecting on their academic and social skills. As with the other examples, teachers can provide discussion questions to guide conferences and give students time to rehearse with their peers.At this level, student-level conferences are likely to get a little trickier, since students might have multiple teachers for different classes. Solutions include:- Organizing conferences by homeroom
- Sorting students into teacher-led peer groups
- Assigning students to a subject-specific teacher, especially if it’s a subject they’re passionate about.
Student-led conferences high school

- 9th Grade — Students can talk about how to succeed in a new academic setting and set goals for the next few years.
- 10th and 11th Grade — Conferences should focus on how students are meeting their academic goals, if they’re taking the right courses and what their post-secondary options are.
- 12th Grade — In their final year of high school, the teacher, student and parents should meet to make sure the student is on track with their academic goals.
How Prodigy can help students prepare for student-led conferences
EdTech is becoming an increasingly valuable tool for personalized learning and classroom instruction, but did you know that it can also help students and teachers prepare for student-led conferences?
- As a learning station — Give students five to ten minutes with Prodigy during their student-led conference so they can show off their math skills! Teachers can use the Assignments tool to align Prodigy to their in-class content.
- Key insights into strengths and weaknesses — Teachers can use Prodigy’s powerful Reports feature to see where students are excelling or struggling, and what skills they need to work on.
- Transparency between teacher and parents — Encourage parents to sign up with Prodigy, where they can monitor their child’s progress throughout the curriculum and set Goals and Rewards that encourage student learning.
Student-led conferences template and checklist
Do student-led conferences sound right for your school? We’ve put together a package that includes a conference checklist, a student self-evaluation form, a sheet to describe portfolio entries, and an academic self-evaluation sheet. Fill out the form below to download and give to your teachers!Final thoughts on student-led conferences
Student involvement, parent engagement, and more effective teaching — need we say more?One study, by Cheryl Lambert of Austin Peay State University, found the student-led conference “offers students the opportunity to take the lead in the conference using their own work evidence; thereby, encouraging ownership and responsibility for quality outcomes.”What could student-led conferences look like in your school?Create or log in to your school leader account on Prodigy – a free, game-based learning platform for math that’s easy to use for educators and students alike. Aligned with curricula across the English-speaking world, it’s loved by more than a million teachers and 50 million students.
