Parent-teacher conferences

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• Worksheets to help you get ready

  Parent-teacher conferences can feel rushed, especially if there are some things you want to bring up about your child’s IEP. But a little planning can help you make the most of the time. These two worksheets can help you get ready:

  • For you to fill out: Understood’s parent-teacher conference worksheet can help you figure out what you want to talk about and which questions you want to ask. There’s also room to take notes during the conference. Be sure to look at the last page, which suggests questions to ask about your child’s IEP.

  • For your child to fill out: Understood’s 2-minute student survey can give you more ideas on what to talk about during the parent-teacher conference.

• Ask high-priority questions first

  Remember that you only have a short time together. So try to cover your most important questions and concerns first. If you have time before the meeting, make a list that starts with your highest-priority questions.

  But try not to worry if you don’t get to everything. You can send an email or ask for a follow-up meeting. Follow-up matters most if you realize after the meeting that you didn’t understand something the teacher said. You can always ask for an explanation.

• Ask about next steps

  Save a few minutes at the end of the conference for next steps. For example, maybe you want to come up with a plan for staying in touch. You could ask toward the end of the meeting: “How can we keep talking about this? Could I get weekly feedback for the next month — maybe a quick email on Fridays?”