Student Comments for Conferences From Michele DeBerry, a second and third grade combination teacher, in Ft. Meade, Maryland: ìTo prepare for parent-teacher conferences, I hand out to my students a worksheet which is divided in half. On one side it says ëProgress Report for ________í and states, ëMy Observations.î Two headings are included for the student to consider: strengths and things to work on. My students fold the page in half and think about themselves and their progress to this point in the year. They write freely about the things they do well and about the things they feel they need to improve. I collect their papers and record my thoughts about the child's progress on the other side of the page under the same headings. At the conference, I share the progress report with the parent as a basis for our discussion. Parents are thrilled to see that their child is thinking about their learning and evaluating their progress. It is also refreshing to see how many of our children really do know themselves. My comments frequently mirror those written by the student, but I am also able to include my observations of the child's academic and social progress. The paper is given to the parent at the end of the conference to display at home as a reminder of the goal(s) set by the student and teacher for the upcoming marking period.î