Tauni Hatfield/Technology TeacherBridget Piper/Guidance Counselor

Kelso School DistrictKelso, Washington

Students Use Google and Career Lessons to Create e-Portfolios for Student Led Conferences

Learning Target

I can have a better understanding of how to utilize technology along with career and college readiness lessons to conduct successful student led conferences.

This means I will:See how College and Career Readiness lessons are

combined with Electronic Portfolios.Appreciate how Google Drive Accounts empower

students.Understand the process of using Google Sites Web

Design to provide portfolio templates.

WHY

First Let’s Start With the

The Pressure Is Mounting

US Department Of Education: (Career and College Ready Standards)

It's critical that, collectively, we raise the bar so that every student in this country—regardless of socioeconomic status, race, or geographic location—is held to high learning standards that will ensure students have the skills to compete in today's global, knowledge-based economy.

Common Core State Standards:

CCSS provide clear and consistent learning goals to help prepare students for college, career, and life.

Still More Pressure:

American School Counselor Association (ASCA): A professional school counselor takes a “proactive role in assisting students,

families and staff as they assess student strengths and interests and encourage the selection of a rigorous and relevant educational program supporting all students’ college and career goals.”

A professional school counselor helps students to develop a portfolio to highlight strengths and interests.

Teacher/Principal Evaluation Project (TPEP):o Learning Environment: The teacher fosters and manages a safe and

inclusive learning environment that takes into account: physical, emotional, and intellectual well-being of students.

o Differentiation: The teacher acquires and uses specific knowledge about students’ cultural, individual, intellectual and social development and uses that knowledge to adjust their practice by employing strategies that advance student learning.

Association for Middle Level Education (AMLE)

Essential Attributes of a Successful Middle School

Developmentally ResponsiveUsing the nature of young adolescents as the foundation which all decisions are made.

ChallengingRecognizing that every student can learn and everyone is held to high expectations.

EmpoweringProviding all students with the knowledge and skills they need to take control of their lives.

EquitableAdvocating for every student’s right to learn and provide challenging and relevant learning opportunities.

-ASSOCIATION FOR MIDDLE LEVEL EDUCATION

State Level: Washington Board of Education

The new Career and College Ready Diploma requires all students to pursue personalized post-secondary pathways. Options that must be available are:Professional/technical

certificate or degree at a community or technical college.

To pursue a four-year degree at a college, university, or college transfer program.

Think, Pair, Share

What initiatives are happening at your state or local level that are centered around Career and College Readiness, Technology, or Student Led conferences that has prompted you to be at this session?

Now for the

WHAT

A Quick Overview

A Student Led Conference puts the student in charge of presenting information about their progress at school to a significant adult in their life.

Through this process students: Reflect on their learning and accept responsibility

for grades and academic progress Demonstrate Common Core Speaking and

Listening Standards Discuss Career and College Dreams and Goals

1) Federal and State Initiatives to Increase Career/College Readiness.

2) To Increase Parent/Community Involvement.

3) It is what is BEST FOR ALL STUDENTS.

Why We Switched to Student Led Conferences

Transitioning from

Arena Style to

Student Led Conferences

A committee in our district was formed to review Navigation 101 curriculum that was being used by numerous districts throughout the state of Washington.(Developed by the Franklin Pierce School District in Washington State.)

The Navigation 101 program is part of a guidance and counseling program “best practice”.

As reflected in the American School Counselor Association‘s (ASCA‘s) National Model for Comprehensive School Counseling Programs (CSCP),

 

PLANNINGPortfolios

Navigation 101 Key ElementsPERSONALIZING

Advisories

DEMONSTRATINGStudent-ledConferences

EMPOWERINGStudent-Informed

Scheduling

EVALUATINGData – Informed

WHAT IT IS:•Small groups of students with an advisor-educator•Keep same group until graduation

BEST PRACTICE:•Advisories meet 2x per month or more•Advisors use guidance curriculum

WHAT IT IS:•Annual conference led by student•Focuses on 3 ASCA areas: Academic, Career, Personal/Social

BEST PRACTICE:•Each student holds a conference each year and uses the conference to register for next year’s courses

WHAT IT IS:•Paper or electronic•Organized by 3 ASCA areas: Academic, Career, Personal/Social

BEST PRACTICE:•Each student keeps a portfolio and uses it for student-led conferences

WHAT IT IS:•Students are encouraged to take courses with a plan•Course schedule is based on students’ requests

BEST PRACTICE:•Each student obtains the courses selected•More students take gatekeeper courses

WHAT IT IS:•Information about student outcomes•Collected by each school

BEST PRACTICE:•Each school submits data each year•Program is improved based on what we learn

Comprehensive Guidance and CounselingProvides sound context for the full development and integration of a comprehensive

guidance and counseling program as a career guidance model

Program Management Central to the career and college readiness mission of the school as a component of the school improvement

plan with leadership team that includes administrator, counselor and teachers

Student Driven Teacher DrivenLonger Time –

conversation basedHigh AccountabilityIndividualized with

Opportunities for Goal SettingSamples of Student WorkAuthentic AssessmentAppointment Time96% Attendance at SLC

Short Time Frame - little time for conversationsStudents Often Do Not

ShowArena StyleImpersonal with Little

Privacy FragmentedLong Lines20% Attendance at

Recent Arena Style Conference

Comparison of Student-Led Versus Traditional

Presenting the Information Back to the Staff

You want me to do WHAT?

I have t0o much work to do already!

Students will not care anyway and arena style has always worked here. Why change it?

Staff Buy-In

Trying to build consensus within our building.

Planning for the next school year.

After professional development centered around student led conferences, our staff came to an agreement of what they were willing to do the next school year.

Take their 4th period class to Tauni for a week to set up the electronic portfolios.

Three lessons to prepare students for SLC.

Help students to identify their best work.

Check their 1st period’s portfolios for completeness and refer students who are not finished down to the counseling office.

Once Consensus was Made the Real Work Began

Calendar for conferences had to be adopted by board to allow more time for student led conferences.

Create a schedule to prepare students school wide for conferences outside the three classroom lessons.

Counselors gathered Career and College readiness lessons together to teach in social studies classes that would help with portfolio creation.

Tauni volunteered to see if we could create paperless portfolios.

How We Felt

http://safeshare.tv/w/qtPCPTdMZf

We Were Building the Plane as We Were Flying

Everything was so new and we were adapting everything to meet the needs of our middle school students.

Plans needed to be made and details ironed out.Portfolios created and decisions on what to put

into portfolios.Student logins and passwords created.Career Guidance Lessons adapted.Collaboration with our neighboring middle

school. Training the staff and students.

HOWPART 1:

PORTFOLIOS

Career and Guidance Lessons

Goal Sheets

Academic Records

Examples of Work

Reflections/ Plan for Next Year

Portfolios–What’s in it?

Our Portfolios Take on a Life of Their Own

“Hey Tauni do we have to use paper portfolios?”

“Can we have electronic portfolios?”

Over the process of a summer, Tauni took a question and turned it into an amazing resource for students to use and make their own.

Google Apps for Education

Google Diagram

Google Drive Log-In Form

Live Grade Level Portfolios

6th Grade Portfolio

7th Grade Portfolio

8th Grade Portfolio

Where Am I Now? (Poster)

My Goals

Where Am I Now

Time Management

Best Work Defined

Students are required to have a “Best Work” from each core class and one from an elective class of their choice.

“Best Work” can be scanned, a picture of work, or a video.

Students are trained to use their handheld devices to take pictures and upload to their Google Drive account.

Students decide what constitutes their “Best Work”.Teachers will remind students when they have created

something that could be a “Best Work”. (BW)Students all have a file folder in the counseling office

that they can put their “Best Work” until they get a chance to upload to their drive.

Best Works (Posters)

Social Studies Best Work

PART 2ORGANIZING SLC

How

Organizing for the Student Led Conferences

When to hold? Match time to purpose. – Fall: Goal setting for the year (first year we knew we could not accomplish a Fall conference)

– Spring: culmination of year - future plans

Decide on overall organizational plan. – By individual teacher – By team – School-wide

How will Elective/PE teachers be involved? Options: – Conference Facilitators – Set up for Demos – Drop-ins

-- Each Teacher in our building had 19 conference students

How Student-Led Conferences Were Organized

Each SLC advisor was listed on a students schedule in Skyward (our student management system).

Parents scheduled the conferences electronically through Skyward or with the office staff.

Student-led conferences lasted 20 minutes.There were two conferences per hour.

Ten minutes allotted at the end of each conference for transition time with intercom announcements.

Secretary announced the end of conferences and helped with transition time.

SLC

Director of Student Services: Worked with school board and superintendent to get support for SLC, compiled a video for teacher lesson, and helped communicate to families about upcoming student led conferences.

Administrators: Taught numerous lessons about student led conferences in school wide assemblies (Cougar Council and Husky Huddle), held overflow conferences or conferences of high needs families, worked with district office to create a schedule that allowed enough time, worked out union issues with comp time, communicated with parents about upcoming SLCs, greeted parents as they came into conferences and provided coffee and cookies.

A team effort was used to making a successful Student Led Conference for both middle schools in our district.

SLCTeam Effort (Continued)

District Technology Person: Made sure all projectors were working and computers could access Google Accounts, and stayed at the school during conference times in case there were technology issues.

Secretaries: Worked with parents to schedule conferences, coordinated with teachers and counselors to meet the needs of each staff member and student, helped with Google Drive passwords and accounts, helped students to scan and upload best works, organized bells and transition times, warm welcome to parents, and communicated to families about SLCs.

Custodians: Helped to set up our facility for conferences and welcomed parents into building.

SLCTeam Effort (Continued)

District Technology Person: Made sure all projectors were working and computers could access Google Accounts, and stayed at the school during conference times in case there were technology issues.

Secretaries: Worked with parents to schedule conferences, coordinated with teachers and counselors to meet the needs of each staff member and student, helped with Google Drive passwords and accounts, helped students to scan and upload best works, organized bells and transition times, warm welcome to parents, and communicated to families about SLCs.

Custodians: Helped to set up our facility for conferences and welcomed parents into building.

SLCTeam Effort (Continued)

Counselors: Taught career and college readiness lessons to all students to prepare them for the portfolios, scheduled conference classes and assigned advisors, helped with technology and Google Drive, communicated to teachers about lessons they needed to teach, coach/cheerleader for SLC model, coordinated with administration and district about SLC needs, checked portfolios and worked with students who were in danger of not completing them.

Cougar Council

Students had whole school presentations (Cougar Council) throughout the school regarding student led conferences.

Cougar Council

Last but not least:

We broke students into grade level groups and they were able to see conferences modeled by their peers. Teachers role played parents while their peers went through their portfolio and conference.

Teachers:

Become familiar with the portfolios and how student-led conferences are organized

Tauni and I will have a SLC help session of February 19th early release day for anyone who would like more time and information

Prepare your classroom Projector in working order and computer attached for

students to pull up online portfolio Internet access

Let us know of any technology concerns now so we can have Brock address them

Teach 3 lessons to SSR class Modeling, Planning, Practice

Teacher Lessons

Teacher Lessons

Details, Details, and still more Details

How do parents schedule conferences?

What do you do for no shows?

Time to allot for conferences?

How do you transition between conferences?

What happens if a student is unprepared?

What if a teacher cannot make conference times?

How do you assign students?

Students:

Before Conferences: Complete Navigation 101 packet. Create Electronic Portfolio. Upload best works. Help parents register for conferences or find an alternate adult to

watch SLC.

During Conferences: Introduce their guest Explain the purpose of the conference Discuss the different sections of the portfolio

Who Am I- Cover Page Where Am I Now- Skyward, Goals, Mid Year Check Up, Best Works Where Am I Going-Future Plans and Goals Class Registration High School Plan (8th Grade Only)

Close

What Does a Student-Led Conference Look Like at CMS?

Parents will come to your classroom at their scheduled time.

Students will sign in to their Google Drive and present their portfolio.

A Great Conference

OrganizedHas a complete

portfolio.Rehearsed and

ready.Has lots of

information to share about what they have accomplished this year.

Students are in the Process of Learning What a Great Conference is:

Student Outline for their Conference

Student-Led Conference Outline

Introduction

Introduce your guest to your advisor. Thank everyone for attending.

Explain the Purpose of the Conference

Explain that the purpose of the conference is to answer the question, What will I do with my life? To make the question easier to answer, you’ll focus on three personal statements:

1. Who I am. 2. What I have accomplished. 3. What I plan to do with my life.

The Who Am I Section Show and Discuss the First Page of Your Google Site

Take this time to share with your guest information about you: 1. What you like about school 2. Challenges 3. Future Goals and Plans for yourself

Where am I now Click the Link under Your Grade Level Tab

Click the Skyward Link to go over your grades. Discuss your Goals from the beginning of the year. Show them the Midyear Checkup and talk about how you are progressing towards reaching your

goals. It is your time to shine. Show your guest your Best Works.

Outline Continued

Where am I going Click the Link Where am I going

Discuss with your guest your future plans Click the link Who I will be in the future make sure you explain:

1. Educational goals 2. Work Goals 3. Personal Goals

Go over the questions you answered at the bottom of the page.

Class Registration Click the Class Registration Link

Show your guest your registration page and discuss classes you chose for yourself Relate your class choices back to your goals and future

High School Plan (8th Grade Only) Click the High School Plan Link

Talk to your guest about your High School Plan Discuss how your High School Plan prepares you for your future educational and career

goals.

Closing

Thank your guest for coming and let them know that is the end of your student led conference

Ask if your guest has any questions Thank your teacher sign out of your Google Account

A Not So Great Conference

Lack of preparation and effort will show.

An incomplete portfolio will make it hard to find things to talk about.

The success of the conference is up to the student (not the teacher).

On The Flip Side They Know…

What Teachers Said:

“I love student led!!! More time to connect with parents and show our students off!!!”

“SLC is better than the arena style. I think it is good for the students and the parents and really far more informative.”

“I love student-led conferences because it takes the focus off the teacher and puts it on the student.”

“I like the student led portfolios because it gives the students time to explain what they have been working on and what they have been doing or not doing. I also think the parents like having a set time they are there for.”

What Parents Said:

“Even with taking this survey, I was here a total of 30 minutes. I liked that the student is more involved and had to take responsibility ;) Much more quiet and I felt more was accomplished. Love the new system. Please consider keeping it!!!”

“I LOVE THE STUDENT LED CONFERENCE.” It definitely gives the children a leg up in public speaking and also holds them accountable for their progress. I liked hearing the children describe their progress in their own words and liked hearing what they thought they could do to actualize their goals. Having them write it down makes it twice as likely to succeed.”

“No lines!! YAY! And my son presenting his work gives him something more to be proud of and helps boost confidence.”

What Students Said:

What does the DATA Say?

Conference attendance:SLC above 95% at both middle schools (around 20% for arena style conferencing).

Parent satisfaction (according to survey of 595 parents):58.7% very satisfied36.6% satisfied3.2% dissatisfied1.5% very dissatisfied

Student Data

More Student Data

Even More Student Data

Challenges

Some teachers, parents, and students prefer traditional style conference.

Communicating SLC information to all stake holders.

Paradigm shift.Not every staff member had the same buy-in. (J.K.)

Time to prepare the students for conferences.Getting Best Works into Google Drive.Ensuring all students completed their portfolio.

Recommendations

Ensure you have team members willing to give 110% to see the success of the SLC and electronic portfolios.

Create a conference format that showcases and empowers students, while allowing parents to have academic concerns addressed by content teacher (possibly schedule a short time after conferences to meet with content teachers).

Possibly start with one grade level then role up to include the next grade level the following year.

Questions and Take Poll

To Contact Us

Bridget Piper: bridget.piper@kelsosd.org

Tauni Hatfield: tauni.hatfield@kelsosd.org

Resources including Portfolio Links:

http://amle2014.zerista.com/event/member/139868

CEU CODE

•AO-16