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Described as a research based formula for producing reading comprehension. The formula is Decoding (D) x Language Comprehension (LC)= Reading Comprehension (RC). Without both parts of the formula, reading comprehension cannot occur.

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A more detailed model of SVR. Scarborough's Reading Rope breaks down each part of the formula and identifies skills within each section such as decoding (phonemic awareness, phonics, etc). Both sides still need to work together to produce reading comprehension skills.

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The NRP is a U.S. government council formed in 1997 with the goal of analyzing the effectiveness of utilizing different strategies and approaches for teaching reading to children. The five key areas for effective reading instruction are phonemic awareness, phonics, fluency, vocabulary, and reading comprehension.

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A complex body of research expanding through years of knowledge utilizing contributions from experts describing how we learn to read. In the field of education, it is imperative to understand cognitive processes for acquiring successful reading skills.

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Phonemic awareness is one small part of multiple that help make up phonological awareness. It is described as listeners hearing, identifying, and manipulating the smallest units of sound in a word (phonemes). Ex: c/a/t

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Research shows that phonemic awareness is critical for learning to read the alphabet system and reading skills. If a student has difficulty with phonemic awareness and other phonological skills, this is an indicator for poor future reading development.

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-Syllabication
-Rhyming
-"Tap it Out" (arm tapping each sound of a word)

A few good Phonemic awareness programs include Orton-Gillingham, Sonday Systems, and Heggerty Curriculum.

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Phonics First® Orton-Gillingham in Action

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Phonics is a method for teaching people how to read and write the alphabetic language. It is the relationship between sounds and written symbols and letters.

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Phonics instruction plays a key role in helping students learn to read and comprehend text. It allows students to match sounds to spelling enabling them to decode words. Phonics instruction improves spelling ability by emphasizing spelling patterns found in reading. Phonics instruction should be taught explicitly instead of implicitly.

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-Sound and picture match-up
-Sing alongs that teach specific sounds
-Hands-on Kinesthetic letter activities

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TPSD Kindergarten, Phonics First, Lesson 16 Level 1

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Fluency is described as the ability to read with speed, accuracy, and expression smoothly. For students to comprehend what they are reading, they must read fluently whether it be aloud or silently.

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Fluency is an important aspect of reading instruction and also inspires motivation. When students hear themselves reading fluently, they gain self-confidence for future reading attempts. Fluency is important to reading skills because it provides a relationship bridge for word recognition and comprehension.

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-reread stories/text multiple times
-track reading with fingers or pointers
-utilize read loud books and have students follow along with fingers
-parent/teachers read aloud to model expression for students

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K-3 Essential 3, Bullet 3: Small Group Fluency Instruction Sample Video

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Vocabulary is described as a body of words used in language to define meaning. There are 4 types of vocabulary including listening, reading, speaking, and writing.

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Most vocabulary is learned indirectly and that same vocabulary must be taught directly. Using both direct and indirect approaches are beneficial for teaching vocabulary instruction. Beginning readers should use the words they hear orally to make sense of words in print. Vocabulary is very important to for comprehension, because if a reader cannot understand what they are reading if they don't know the meaning of the words.

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-Flashcards
-Semantic Maps
-Concept Cubes

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Comprehension is defined as the action of ability to understand something. To accurately understand written material by decoding, make connections between what they read and what they already know, and think deeply about what they read.

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Proficient reading comprehension requires many different abilities and skills such as phonological awareness, phonics, fluency, and vocabulary. Drawing on prior knowledge, inferencing, and self-monitoring can help aide students in comprehension. Teachers should recognize and possess the ability to apply comprehension strategies to appropriate texts.

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-Utilizing background knowledge
-Asking and answering questions
-Inferencing
-Predicting
-Summarizing
-Visualizing

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Break down comprehension strategies by subskills

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PowerMyLearning is a great resource for educators and families. It provides research and strategies for creating culturally responsive environments, social emotional learning, family engagement, etc.

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Use this Framework to learn best practices around equity, family engagement, social-emotional learning, and culturally responsive teaching.

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This resource gives the reader 5 ways to make their classroom culturally responsive.
1. Knowing your students well
2. Always build on the student's life experiences.
3. Encourage a classroom learning community
4. Hold all students to high academic standards and expectations
5. Be aware of your own cultural identity.

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1) Commit to knowing your students well - academically, socially, and emotionally. Learn about their families, cultures, and interests. Ask questions, talk with parents, community members and colleagues, read books, watch movies, listen to music. Make home visits, or create opportunities for students to share and celebrate their family traditions and cultures (and never underestimate the power of the positive phone call home). Be aware of different worldviews, and learn about the 'collectivistic-individualistic continuum'. Be explicit and talk to your students about 'code-switching' - the choices we make in how we talk and present ourselves. Help students to know when and why it is appropriate, while valuing their home culture and language.

2) No matter the subject matter, build on your students' life experiences and consistently bring them into the classroom. Current, real world examples help students connect to the curriculum, allow for deeper engagement and help students make connections with their individual, community, national, and global identities. The classroom can be a space for students to develop and explore their 'socio-political consciousness' (Gloria-Ladson-Billings, 1994).

3) Create a classroom learning community. Encourage students to care for one another and be responsible for each other inside and outside of the classroom. Provide consistent routines that help students feel valued and safe, and accountable to one another. Design a safe and welcoming classroom environment-students respond cognitively and emotionally to classroom aesthetics. Whenever possible, aim for natural light, moveable chairs and desks, and ample space to highlight student work and cultural artifacts. Let students know that the classroom space is theirs to create together.

4) Hold high academic standards and expectations for all of your students, and enthusiastically encourage all students to reach those standards and beyond. Treat all students as competent and developing-focus on fostering a 'growth mindset'. Design lessons with your most underserved students in mind.

5) Understand your own cultural identity, and its consequences. Rigorously examine your cultural behavior patterns, especially when it comes to classroom management and discipline. Be yourself with your students - honest, caring, and human.

"All instruction is culturally responsive. The question is: to which culture is it currently oriented?" - Gloria Ladson-Billings

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5 Ways to Create a Culturally Responsive Classroom - National Equity Project

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1) Commit to knowing your students well - academically, socially, and emotionally. Learn about their families, cultures, and interests. Ask questions, talk with parents, community members and colleagues, read books, watch movies, listen to music. Make home visits, or create opportunities for students to share and celebrate their family traditions and cultures (and never underestimate the power of the positive phone call home).

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Getting Started With Culturally Responsive Teaching

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Understanding students’ lives can help teachers foster a sense of belonging and ensure that all students feel respected and challenged.

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What the Science Says About How Kids Learn to Read

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Explore reading basics as well as the key role of background knowledge and motivation in becoming a lifelong reader and learner. Watch our PBS Launching Young Readers series and try our self-paced Reading 101 course to deepen your understanding.

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George Lucas Educational Foundation

The benefits of movement in the classroom aren't limited to younger students. Pairing new words and concepts with gestures or dance moves locks in understanding-and active brain breaks prime students to learn even more.

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A free source of information, inspiration, and practical strategies for learning and teaching in preK-12 education.

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Being a proficient reader has an impact on a student's entire education. Teaching students to read is the work of educators. While some educators are well-equipped to take on such a significant task, others wish they were better prepared and supported to make an impact that could change a child's life. IMSE makes it easy for teachers to access and understand the core principles of Structured Literacy and the Science of Reading (SoR) through their professional development trainings and programs. IMSE programs are delivered by experienced teachers, all with a master's degree, who know how to ensure that teachers feel knowledgeable and supported in their ability to teach literacy.

Notably, over the past years, the Science of Reading has compiled information that holds important implications for empowering teachers with the knowledge to help students succeed in reading. In addition, intervention research estimates that the use of evidence-based prevention and intervention approaches in literacy, such as what IMSE offers, could decrease the number of below-level readers from 30% to 5%.

The Science of Reading: What it is

The Science of Reading is a comprehensive body of research that encompasses years of scientific knowledge, spans across many languages, and shares the contributions of experts from relevant disciplines such as education, special education, literacy, psychology, neurology, and more. The Science of Reading has evolved from a wide span of research designs, experimental methods, participants, and statistical analyses. This conclusive, empirically supported research provides us with the information we need to gain a deeper understanding of how we learn to read, what skills are involved, how they work together, and which parts of the brain are responsible for reading development. From this research, we can identify an evidence-based best practice approach for teaching foundational literacy skills called Structured Literacy.

David Kilpatrick stated, "We teach reading in different ways; they [students] learn to read proficiently in only one way." The Science of Reading (SoR) has demystified any wonder of how we learn to read and offers evidence backed by science to confirm that there is one right way to teach reading. In addition to this, the SoR provides vital information to drive IMSE's approach to instruction and to reach all learners.

The Science of Reading: What we know

The SoR helps us to understand the cognitive processes that are essential for reading proficiency. It describes the development of reading skills for both typical and atypical readers.

The SoR has debunked various methods used over the years to teach reading that were not based on scientific evidence.

Most reading difficulties can be prevented in young, at-risk students. In other grades, studies have demonstrated the effectiveness of intensive phonemic awareness training, intensive phonic decoding training, and opportunities for repeated practice with reading controlled text. Intervention in these skills leads to efficient orthographic mapping and the highest degree of success.

Teaching whole word memorization is limited, and learning phonics empowers students with an exponential effect.
If a child memorizes ten words, then the child can read ten words. But, if the child can learn the sounds of ten letters, the child can read...

350 three-sound words

4,320 four-sound words

21,650 five-sound words

Reading development can be divided into three stages:

Letters and sounds: Letter-sound knowledge is essential for both phonic decoding and sight-word learning.

Phonic decoding: Early phonological awareness skills enable the development of letter-sound knowledge and should be targeted for direct instruction through first grade. Advanced phonological awareness skills should continue to be assessed and practiced through third grade to ensure that a solid orthographic lexicon is established.

Orthographic mapping: Understanding orthographic mapping allows for teachers to support students who struggle to read. Orthographic mapping is the process that occurs when unfamiliar words become automatic sight words. The research on orthographic mapping explains how students develop this vast sight word bank for accurate and automatic word retrieval and also why students with reading problems struggle to develop this skill.

Phonics and phonemic manipulation must be proficient to allow for students to build a sight word bank or orthographic lexicon. To support this, students need sufficient practice and review in decoding and encoding, knowledge and application of concept skills, and exposure to decodable text.

Comprehension is the ultimate goal for reading. It is driven by two broad skill sets that are identified in the Simple View of Reading (SVoR).

The Simple View of Reading (SVoR) is further detailed in Scarborough's Reading Rope, which highlights the essential components of reading.

Phonics is an important component in early, effective literacy-based instruction.

Learning to spell is far more complex than just memorizing words. Encoding (spelling) is a developmental process that impacts fluency, writing, pronunciation, and vocabulary.

Most teachers have received little knowledge about language structures that are used in reading, speaking, and writing. The SoR has compounded information but has yet to make it into the professional development of all teachers.

Students with reading difficulties present on a continuum of severity and require highly skilled teachers who have the knowledge and expertise to provide intervention based on the SoR.

The findings of the SoR translate into practices called Structured Literacy™. Structured Literacy is an approach to teach reading that is based on the Science of Reading.

Structured Literacy: How we teach

Through Structured Literacy (SL), teachers implement methods that are appropriate for all students and particularly necessary for students with learning differences.

Orton-Gillingham is an evidence-based SL approach that uses research from the SoR and incorporates recommended multi-sensory instructional techniques. SL supports instruction that is explicit, sequential, systematic, prescriptive, diagnostic, and cumulative.

Instruction is assessment-driven. The diagnostic aspect of SL requires continued progress monitoring to measure outcomes and guide differentiation.

Students are provided repeated opportunities with decodable text that have ample representations of the phonetic elements for code-emphasis.

Through regular dictation of words and sentences containing the phonetic concept, students become skilled in spelling words within and outside of the text.

Structured Literacy: What we teach

The SoR identifies five essential components that make up the Simple View of Reading. Structured Literacy incorporates all five:

Phonemic Awareness

Phonics

Fluency

Vocabulary

Comprehension

Students who have difficulty decoding need a focus on phoneme-grapheme and blending automaticity for both real and nonsense words. Teachers are skilled at differentiating instruction based on assessment results.

Orthography helps students to understand why words are spelled the way they are spelled. Students learn to identify the overlapping features of words including word origin, phoneme-grapheme correspondence, position constraints, and patterns and conventions. This helps them to acquire the alphabetic principle.

Phonemic awareness is emphasized as a necessary pre-reading skill and teachers recognize and target the sequence of skills to build phonological awareness from early to advanced skill levels.

Regular words are taught according to phonetic patterns and irregular words are analyzed for their irregularities. When proficient readers encounter new words, they phonemically analyze the word for the regular grapheme-phoneme patterns and are able to identify the irregular element(s) with ease. Teaching weak readers to activate this process allows them to align the letters to the phonemes in their memory.

Morphology is the study of meaningful units within words. Students are able to expand their vocabulary when they are directly exposed to the study of root words, prefixes, and suffixes.

The Science of Reading has proven that a Structured Literacy approach is a necessary foundation for reading success. As teachers, we make a commitment to continue our education to support the learning of every student. IMSE's Orton-Gillingham training and programs make it possible for teachers to integrate evidence-based and research-based reading instruction and intervention strategies into Multi-Tiered Systems of Support (MTSS) to empower all students in every classroom.

Sign up for our LIVE virtual Orton-Gillingham training! We are now offering half-day, evening, and weekend options to best fit your schedule.

To learn more about the Science of Reading and Structured Literacy, check out the following great reads:

IMSE's approach allows teachers to incorporate the five components essential to an effective reading program into their daily lessons: phonemic awareness, phonics, vocabulary, fluency, and comprehension.

The approach is based on the Orton-Gillingham methodology and focuses on explicit, direct instruction that is sequential, structured, and multi-sensory.

It is IMSE's mission that all children must have the ability to read to fully realize their potential. We are committed to providing teachers with the knowledge and tools to deliver proven literacy education to students of all ages and abilities.

About The Author

Dr. Kirstina Ordetx is a Level 4 Master Instructor with The Institute for Multi-Sensory Education (IMSE). She holds a doctorate in Counseling Psychology with a concentration in pediatric neurology. Dr. Ordetx is an educational specialist with over 25 years of clinical experience, research, and consultation. She is a certified Structured Literacy Dyslexia Interventionist through the Center for Effective Reading Instruction, a Certified Nutrition and Wellness Consultant, Executive Functions Coach, and a registered Licensed Mental Health Intern. Dr. Ordetx has published two books that compile her research and practice in Theory of Mind. She has served on accreditation committees for the Florida Council of Independent Schools, is a university adjunct professor in developmental and child psychology, and presents at various national and international conferences. Dr. Ordetx is head of school for a private academy in Lakewood Ranch, Florida specializing in the multi-sensory education of students who have language and learning-based differences. She is the Executive Director of the Pinnacle Pediatric Therapy Group, a multi-disciplinary, pediatric therapy clinic.
Please connect with us on Facebook, Twitter, and Pinterest to get tips and tricks from your peers and us. Read the IMSE Journal to hear success stories from other schools and districts, and be sure to read the OG Weekly email series for refreshers and tips.

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Being a proficient reader has an impact on a student's entire education. Teaching students to read is the work of educators. While some educators are well-equipped to take on such a significant task, others wish they were better prepared and supported to make an impact that could change a child's life.

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Helpful Hints: MULTISENSORY TEACHING AND ORTON-GILLINGHAM

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Orton-Gillingham Activity: Welded Sounds Building Blocks

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Learning doesn't end in the classroom, yet most parents are at a loss when it comes to supporting their children's intellectual development. Many try to do too well and hover around them when they do homework, which can stifle creativity and self-development. Others let them roam free and hardly monitor their progress.

Yet, studies are unanimous : children are more successful at school when parents are involved. Better yet, teachers, too, are positively affected when parents take interest.

That's because involved parents promote positive classroom behavior, make sure children do their homework, help them be more organized, enforce disciplinary measures, and validate their effort.

For teachers, involving parents boosts positive self-perception and job satisfaction.

The challenge is to help them understand how they can help their child succeed.

Here are three strategies to involve parents in children's education.

Help parents find a balance that works for their child.

Provide information and ideas about how to best assist with homework and other curriculum-related activities.
Encourage reading at home by creating a custom reading list based on the child's personality, interests, and level.

Set up clear homework policies.

Detail how parents should be involved and revise them on a case-by-case basis depending on the student's progress.
Ask parents to stick to a study routine and set up a homework-friendly area where distractions are kept to a minimum.
That means enforcing a no-TV, computer, or phone environment.

Suggest enrichment activities.

This will help parents build constructive relationships with their child as well. Some good ideas include fun
science experiments, DYI activities, family trips to the library, age-appropriate museum exhibitions, and theatrical plays.

As teachers, we're often wrongly seen as the nameless beings that unfairly grade children's papers. Yet, above all, we're parents' partners in education. It's critical to build a bridge and maintain an open door policy so parents can understand what you're trying to achieve. Only then will they be able to complement your efforts outside the classroom.

A good way to do this is to communicate about school programs and child's progress on an ongoing basis.

Start by introducing yourself at the beginning of the school year.

Keep a notebook of classroom facts, the curriculum, study resources, contact information, key terminology, and tips detailing how parents can support their child's progress. Establish a homework hotline where families can call to retrieve forgotten or missed assignments.

Talk with parents, not at them.

Establish a rapport of equality and create a comfortable atmosphere. Place the student at the center of all communications, making sure that parents understand they are the priority. Avoid the education jargon and be concise. Don't come with fixed answers. Rather, ask parents for their input and suggestions.

Ask families about their communication preferences.

This includes desired frequency and preferred medium of communication. Send class newsletters and performance reports accordingly. Not every parent likes to receive email updates every week. Don't forget to share good news, too. It's important that parents know that you're not criticizing their children, but looking to make a difference.

Start a blog.

This can be a fantastic tool to share classroom updates and involve parents you throughout the year. Public or private, your blog can become the place where you discuss study activities, your personal philosophy on teaching, field trips, and more. or feature a wide array of easily customizable templates to get you set up with a professional-looking blog for free.

Record videos.

Seeing your face is a good way to humanize communications and to help parents to connect with you more effectively. This can be a friendly way for you to share major updates and methodologies with parents if you can't do it in person. You'll love or iMovies: they are incredibly easy tools to create and edit your own videos.

Encourage volunteering.

Ask families to participate in bake sales, lemonade stands, or car washes to raise funds for school supplies. It'll provide an opportunity for them to spend time with you, ask questions, and see you in your element. Another good idea is to invite parents to talk about their careers and skills. This will enable them to connect with their child's classmates and to become an active participant in the classroom.

Include them in decision-making.

Empower parents by creating a parent-teacher group. This will promote open communication and understanding between parents and school staff. Ask the group for their feedback about classroom activities, school programs, field trips, and events.

Get to know them better.

Organize parents-teacher workshops where you can discuss homework, tests, and study skills. Make these events fun and unique: turn "Mother's days" and "Father's day" into an opportunity to celebrate matriarchs and patriarchs and how they can respectively make a difference in their child's progress.

Eva du Monteil has been teaching French to children and adults in South Korea and the United States for 10 years. Passionate about connecting the world through languages, she holds a master from Sciences Po in Paris.

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3 Strategies to Involve Parents in Children's Education

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Learning doesn't end in the classroom, yet most parents are at a loss when it comes to supporting their children's intellectual development. Many try to do too well and hover around them when they do homework, which can stifle creativity and self-development. Others let them roam free and hardly monitor their progress.

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Parents are teaching their children from home; some are doing so voluntarily, like those who homeschool their children throughout the year, and some are solicited to teach by circumstances, like those facing school closures due to the COVID-19 pandemic. Teaching from home is a feat that brings a plethora of emotions like stress and anxiety, especially for parents who are new to teaching.

Six proven tips can allay the anxieties and stress and make way for physical and emotional control so parents and students succeed on their journey of teaching and learning from home.

Establish a Dedicated Learning Space

Do you as a parent have a special place for meditating, working from home, reading, watching your favorite Netflix series, sleeping, etc.? How do you feel when you step into that space? You probably feel driven to engage in the named activity because the environment has become a trigger for the particular habits that often occur there. You can foster work and learning habits in your child by having your child use a dedicated space for learning. For a learning space that is most appropriate, make the space comfortable, eliminate distractions, and provide the required learning tools.

The optimal learning space is one that is flexible and comfortable for your child. Does your child like to lie down or sit up to work? What temperature and lighting are favored by your child? Having choices within the space makes the space flexible for your child, which is motivational and comforting. A learning rug, sofa, child-sized desk, and/or s table are pieces of furniture to consider when creating your child's learning space. Also, your child may be most comfortable with a blanket, a fan, bright and dim lights, a variety of lamps, etc. that will allow him or her to adjust the space as needed or desired.

Maximizing the space and time for learning requires eliminating distractions. Some typical distractions include television, gadgets, toys, clutter, various extreme colors in one space, etc. Remove or unplug any distractions to increase your child's focus and learning.

Having learning tools readily available in the dedicated space will decrease time spent searching for the tools and will maximize learning time. Provide appropriate learning tools such as pens, pencils, appropriate technology, paper, required books, learning games, or other required materials.

With a dedicated learning space, your child will begin to associate work and learning with this area and learning time will be maximized.

Establish a Routine that Works

Children's emotional control, choices of behavior, and tendencies toward learning improve with a consistent routine or schedule. When creating a routine or schedule, it is important to "put pen to paper" because a routine needs to be clearly established and communicated. Start with big pieces of the day that are already in place such as mealtimes and bedtime. Then build other timeslots into the schedule like computer time, reading time, etc. A routine that works requires you to know your child. When does he/she focus best? This will be an optimal time for tasks requiring the most attention and deliberation. When is your child more sluggish? This time of day will be ideal for brain breaks, play, or activities that interest your child.

Once you've created a routine or schedule, post the schedule for all to see. Place it on the refrigerator, send it electronically, or use whatever method for communication that works for your child and your family. A routine promotes positive habits, decreases anxiety, and promotes security for children; learning is more likely to occur in these right conditions.

Check-in Frequently

"How do you feel? Tell me something new." Doesn't it feel good for someone to take such interest in your feelings, thoughts, and well-being? It feels good to children, too. Safety, security, and emotional well-being are reinforced through frequent check-ins, so ask your child questions regularly throughout each day.

Another purpose for frequent check-ins involves a correlation to the effective teaching-and-learning cycle. The cycle requires feedback or, simply stated, helping your child understand what he/she did right and what needs improvement or correction. Check your child's work and talk with him/her about great efforts and about improvements needed.

Provide Ample Brain Breaks

Have you ever been in a meeting and had to excuse yourself for a drink of water so you could refocus? Children, like adults, need breaks too. Brain breaks are breaks from the task at hand and are essential for focus, concentration, processing information, and memory. Breaks may be brief, like stretching, or extended, like engaging in some type of physical activity. They can be scheduled or can occur after the completion of sets of activities or tasks. A scheduled break, for example, would be a 3 minute stretch break every 30 minutes of work. A break after completion of tasks, for example, would be a 10 minute break after all math problems have been completed.

Build in Time for Interests and Play

Play and engaging in personal interests yield benefits for children; they foster creativity, support children in processing the world around them, and increase motivation. Play can occur in a variety of ways and spaces. It can include toys, games, drawing, dancing, swinging, pretending, imagining, dreaming and discussing dreams, sharing, and the like. Personal interests may be involved daily in book choices, choices in games or music, research on chosen topics, etc. When the benefits of play and interests are facilitated in the lives of children at home, growing and learning are more likely to occur.

Encourage Challenging Work

Engaging only with easy tasks leads to stagnation in growth and learning. Instead, encourage children to take on a challenge. Challenges encourage risk-taking and require persistence to be accomplished; thus the fostering of real-world skills is at hand. Challenges become easier through repetition, and one graduates from one level to the next on the continuum of growth and learning.

Like teachers in classrooms, parents that teach from home want security and success in emotional and academic growth for their children. Teaching your child at home is not easy, but the six tips will guide you to a more successful journey in the charted or uncharted territory you are facing at home.

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Tips for Parents Teaching from Home - TeachHUB

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Parents are teaching their children from home; some are doing so voluntarily, like those who homeschool their children throughout the year, and some are solicited to teach by circumstances, like those facing school closures due to the COVID-19 pandemic.

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Conducting effective parent-teacher conferences can boost family involvement in your classroom and help promote positive outcomes for you, your students, and your school.

A parent-teacher conference is a great opportunity to:

share academic progress and growth based on classroom observations, testing data, assessments, portfolios, and assignments

learn from parents or guardians so you can be better informed about students' strengths, needs, behaviors, and learning styles

discuss enrichment or intervention strategies to support students' learning

discuss issues that may be interfering with students' learning and growth

The Basics

Parent-teacher conferences are usually once or twice a year at progress reporting periods. They are brief meetings, lasting about 10-30 minutes. Conferences are typically scheduled 1 to 2 months in advance. Some middle and high schools only request parent conferences to discuss problems. Most schools set aside specific dates and times for conferences, but if school schedules conflict with family schedules, it's worth the effort to find a mutually convenient time, or even schedule a phone or video conference. Be mindful of special situations, such as divorced parents, single parents, or guardianships. Some divorced parents, for example, may prefer separate conferences.

While the main focus of parent-teacher conferences should be learning, it's also important to discuss factors that can affect learning, such as students' behavioral and social development. Other topics might include standardized test results, individualized education programs (IEPs), 504 education plans, peer relationships, classroom behavior, motivation and work habits, as well as students' strengths and challenges.

School staff who support your students' learning may attend the conference, too. An administrator might attend at your request, or the request of a parent or guardian. Some teachers like students to attend part of the meeting to show that parents and educators are both part of the instructional team.

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Here are a few tips on getting the most out of your conferences:

Before the Conference

Get informed. Make sure you're familiar with your school's or school district's protocols on progress reports or report cards, grading policies, and any other student assessment tools. As you move through the conference, the report card or progress report can be a springboard for discussion and help guide you through the meeting. Also, have any local or state standardized tests results available to share, if possible. Make sure you know how the standardized testing data will be used to customize or differentiate instruction for students.

Prepare your materials. Preparing materials well before the conference will make you feel more at ease when families show up at your classroom door. As you're teaching during the school year, keep in mind which assessments will be shared and reported at conferences. Review student data, assignments and assessments that you'll be sharing with parents, and make notes about what you'd like to ask parents about their children to support learning.

In addition to progress reports, you may want to set aside separate conference folders with three to five student documents that support grades and progress, as well as any test results that are available.

You can also prepare an outline or agenda for conferences and share them with parents so they know what to expect. Some teachers keep worksheets with strengths, needs, and social or behavioral notes to guide them through conferences.

If you'll be discussing any problems, make sure to have documentation, such as examples of misbehavior or missed assignments. Also, make sure to inform parents about any problems before the conference. If a parent knows about a concern before the conference, chances are you'll both be better equipped to discuss possible solutions during the conference.

Send informative invitations. Be sure to communicate the importance of attending conferences at back-to-school night and other parent forums, and let parents know that they are a critical part of their child's instructional team. When you send home information about conference dates and times, give parents several meeting times to choose from. On the invitation, remind parents that they'll be able to ask questions, because an effective parent-teacher conference is a two-way conversation about students. You might also want to remind parents to be respectful of other parents' time, and be clear that time slots won't be extended if parents arrive late.

A week or so before the conferences, send home reminders of where and when the conference will be held, as well as the meeting agenda. If a conflict arises and an in-person meeting is not an option, try to schedule an alternative way to meet, via phone or video. If you'll be phone- or video-conferencing, send home copies of materials ahead of time so parents can have them in hand while you talk.

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During the Conference

Create a welcoming environment. Make your classroom inviting by displaying students' work, and making space for the conference with an adult-sized table and chairs. If parents need to bring their child or other siblings, have an area set aside with puzzles, games, worksheets, or computers to limit distractions. Also consider offering healthy snacks or beverages to families. Remember to have paper and pens available so parents can take notes. You also might want to have a box of tissues available for when you have to deliver bad news.

Open with positives. When you start the conversation, remind parents that the goal of this meeting is to share information about students' academic progress and growth and how their child interacts in the school environment. All parents are proud of their kids and want to hear about their child's strengths as well as challenges, so be sure to discuss both - but start with the positives.

Discuss progress and growth. Inform parents about their child's ability levels or grade levels in different content areas, using demonstrative work examples or testing results. Many parents want to know how their children compare to their peers, but remind them that you're discussing their child's individual instructional levels, not their standing in class. You should, however, inform them about grade-level expectations and how the student is doing in that context.

It's all too easy to let discussions veer off-task during conferences, so try to limit all talk to learning and how to support the student's instruction.

Avoid teacher-talk. K-12 education is loaded with jargon and acronyms, but a parent-teacher conference is not the place to use them. Be sure to explain any terms, curriculum titles, or even words on progress reports that aren't commonly used outside the school setting.

Ask questions and listen. Ask parents or guardians for their input about students' strengths, needs, and learning styles, as well as their hopes and dreams for their children. Don't forget to ask these simple but important questions: "Does your child like school?" and "Why?" or "Why not?" That single line of questioning can give you a lot of information that can be helpful in the classroom.

Make a plan. Provide suggestions for activities and strategies to support learning at home. Spend the last few minutes of the meeting on your specific goals for the student. Note the kinds of strategies you'll use, the length of time you'll use them, and when you'll communicate to parents next.

Be honest and have a thick skin. It's your responsibility to give parents or guardians an accurate assessment of students' academic progress. Sometimes this means delivering bad news. Sugar-coating the facts defeats the purpose of the conference.

In addition, you may see some of your students differently than their parents do, and some parents may take your evaluation of their child in a negative or defensive way. While you should be open to constructive criticism, remember that you're in charge of the conference, and if the discussion becomes too heated to be effective, or goes awry in other ways, you should conclude the meeting and ask to reconvene at another time. If you have reason to expect such negative interactions before the next conference, ask an administrator to attend.

If you suspect a student may have a learning disability, however, you don't need to say that specifically. You can just tell the parents or guardians that you recommend they have their student get an educational evaluation to determine his or her learning style.

After the Conference

Follow up. A little thank-you can go a long way. Many parents have to take time off work or hire babysitters to attend conferences, so consider taking the time to thank parents in a letter or email. You can also have students write thank-you notes to their parents or guardians for attending and supporting their learning. In the notes, remind parents to contact you if they have any further questions or concerns.

Be sure to contact parents who did not attend and offer alternative ways to communicate about their child's progress.

Communicate regularly. Let parents know what's going on with their child in an ongoing fashion. Keep families informed about class projects, homework and other assignments, students' accomplishments, and any problems or concerns that may arise.

Enhance your instruction. Now that you know a little more about your students, use that information to make instructional decisions that will help your students achieve and grow in the classroom.

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Parent-Teacher Conferences: Tips for Teachers

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Conducting effective conferences can boost family involvement in your classroom and help promote positive outcomes for you, your students, and your school. Here's what to do before, during, and after the meeting. This article is for educators.