Parent teacher conferences can seem intimidating, but they don’t have to be! These free parent teacher conference forms can help you guide your conversation and make sure you share everything you need to!
I survived parent-teacher conferences.
Do they have a shirt for that? I WOULD BUY IT.
I mean, I spent hours prepping, worked 7am-5pm, and hardly ate a thing all day!
With that said, I’ve only done 1/3 of my class so far, but I am still so relieved and happy!
This was my first year conducting parent-teacher conferences on my own.
For the last three years I’ve translated for parent-teacher conferences and been a part of numerous conference for intervention students.
However, the student’s classroom teacher would run the conference and I was there to translate or share how the student was achieving during my instructional time.
But this time, I was on my own.
So naturally, I turned to all the amazing and seasoned teachers I work with and to amazing bloggers for advice.
One of my first grade teammates advised me to have students complete a self-evaluation.
She said that in the past, her first graders have been very honest about they are doing in school and it was eye opening to share student evaluations with parents at conferences.
In the self evaluation sheets I created, I asked students to evaluate how they follow school rules, the way they treat others, and the quality of their work. I also asked students whether or not they finish their lunch, if they read at home and if they keep their desks clean. Finally, they added one area they want to improve on this year.
You might be thinking…
I teach kindergarten! There is no way that I my students can fill out such a form!
Wrong! They are totally capable!
This is how I do it with my classes:
We discuss these items verbally for about a week before students put their evaluations on paper.
Each time we discuss it, I tell them that they are going to rate themselves.
They will rate themselves by showing their thumb up (always), sideways (sometimes), or down (never).
After discussing what we are rating, I ask students to think about their answer in their head.
Then, everyone closes their eyes.
With their eyes closed, they show me their rating with their hand/thumb.
After a week of practice, we complete the activity whole group.
I read the expectations aloud. Instead of them closing their eyes and showing me their thumb, they color the picture (of a hand/thumb) that matches their answer.
I’ve rarely ever had a problem using this method!
My students proved to be very honest, and some were pretty hard on themselves!
I really like that it got my firsties thinking about their school performance, rather than someone telling them how they do in school.
So far, it has been great insight for parents and myself alike!
You can download my student self evaluation forms at the bottom of this post!
At first I was really nervous to conduct my conference this way, because I know most parents expect to walk in and have a report card handed to them.
However, I “tested” it out with my first conference and it went so well, I kept doing it.
I spent wayyyyy too many hours prepping for the conferences (good thing the hubs was out of town) but boy oh BOY was it worth it in the end!
Do you want to try this with your students?
I have had many requests for an editable version of these parent-teacher conference forms, so I created one of those as well!
What’s your best parent-teacher conference or tip? Tell me about it in the comments below!
Do you teach children to read? You don’t want to miss this free reading tips brochure! It’s perfect for handing out at conferences and it will teach your students’ parents how they can support them in learning to read.
Download this editable and free back to school reading interest survey and get to know your elementary school students so you can serve them best!
I help elementary teachers streamline their phonics and reading instruction by giving them all of the information and resources they need to maximize every reading lesson and raise their students reading levels once and for all.
Thanks Lauren for the post! Our Parent Teacher Conferences will be the week after Fall Break. I'm going to try these with my SPED babies. I think the wording is perfect for them! Will let you know how it goes.
Hi Lawren. Yes, let me know how it goes!! So far my students' parents are LOVING them. ooo just what I need! PTC are coming up in Oct! Thanks Jen! Your forms look great! Thank you so much for sharing them! Thanks Lori!I love these! They are perfect for my kiddos this year. Google says you've hit your download quota. Are you willing to email them to me? -Kelli
Hi Kelli! If you give me your email, I can email you. If you come back to visit, I've changed the settings and you should be able to download it yourself! Lauren
I teach Bilingual PPCD and today I had my first parent teacher conference and I wish I could have seen your blog before! Thank you for sharing with us!
Love the self-evaluation to share with parents! Thank you for sharing! Sarah from Mrs. Jones Teaches :o)
I love those assessment sheets! Thanks for sharing! I am going to post it on my Student Assessment Pinterest board! 🙂 Shelley
So kind of you to share this resource for free.thank you so much! i'll absolutely be using these during spring conferences … fall conferences were last week. again, thank you!
I just wrote a blog post a few days ago that includes parent-teacher conference tips!!
New Teacher Tips, Part II The biggest thing I've learned is to let the parent speak first!! (Your forms look GREAT!)
Hi Lauren, I was planning on creating parent & student questionnaires this year to address one of my parent communication goals. I came across your student evaluation and jumped up and down! Thanks for sharing and saving me LOTS of time. Any chance you could make the editable? My students don't have desks and I'd like to change that item…and I haven't started sending home my sight words yet either. Thank you so much for sharing with your fellow teachers.
Love your self-evaluation forms! Thank you so very much for sharing them!Wow…..I wished I would have found these a few days ago. They would have really helped, but I will be more than ready for the next one….Thanks.
Loved the website too….saved it in my Teacher Favorites.I've never see a more beautiful view (aside from top of the hub perhaps) of the city. The windows are really high and they go through the length of the room.
This is a wonderful post. I enjoyed the information lot. I will bookmark this page. Thanks for sharing this important information…denver air conditioning repair
During PTC I put out markers, stickers and colorful paper for parents to make a note for their child. I give the notes to the kids on the next school day. (We have 2 non-school days for PTC.) If parents don’t write a note, I write one so that way every student gets one! 🙂
I love that idea Angel, thanks for sharing! LOVE this- THANK YOU!
I help elementary teachers streamline their phonics and reading instruction by giving them all of the the information and resources they need to maximize every reading lesson and raise their students’ reading levels once and for all.
This is no ordinary bundle! When you sign up, you’ll get:
Copyright © 2024 • All rights reserved • Disclosure Policy • Site Design by Emily White Designs
