G E M - Gateway to Educational Materials

GEM is a sponsored by the U.S. Department of Education and is a special project of the ERIC Clearinghouse. Its mission is to provide teachers with an easy, "one stop" access to educational materials on the Internet.

"Spots" : Just click on any logo.

free sources for all kinds of info !

 

Link to a website dedicated to helping children succeed in school - resources for teachers!

 

 

 

MAT 7 - Interpretation of Scores

Teachers sometimes want additional information about the various types of scores reported on the MAT 7 and Otis-Lennon results. That information is summarized for parents on this webpage.

Click here to view MAT 7 Interpretation.

• Set the climate.

  Prepare a comfortable seating area away from your desk.

  • Try to avoid being too close to the door - confidentiality is important and there are many people in the hallways during the conference times.

    Have work samples, notes on conference topics, and any other materials organized and ready.

  Greet the parents with a friendly voice and a smile.

  • A brief opening comment to help the parent relax is useful.

    (To help yourself relax, remember that most parents have some anxiety about meeting with their child's teacher. They're not sure what they will hear and what you might think of them as a parent.)

• Conduct the conference in an organized manner.

  Keep the discussion focused and moving along. Be aware of the time allottments so that other parents are not kept waiting too long.

  Take a problem-solving approach rather than spending too much time analyzing the causes or reasons. Whatever the reason, your goal is finding ways to make things better.

  If there are many problems to be resolved, choose one or two and save the others to deal with later.

  Have a suggestion or two in mind for addressing any problem that you bring to the parents' attention. On the other hand, don't feel that you need to be an "expert" with all the answers. None of us is! Encourage the parent to problem-solve with you.

  Provide opportunity for the parent to raise questions or concerns.

  If you are not sure, offer to find out or refer the parent to the appropriate person for dealing with the concern. Be careful that you don't make commitments for others.

  Make notes of any follow-up that may be needed and the details of any strategies that result from your discussion. Try to be very clear about what will happen and who will be responsible.

  Encourage the parent to take responsibility for any contacts needed with other school personnel, unless you are the one who is suggesting their involvement. Be as helpful as you can in providing schedules or phone numbers for that purpose.

  Conclude the conference with a brief summary of the highlights. Thank the parent for taking the time to meet with you and for his willingness to work with you on any plans you developed during the conference.

   

• Follow-up

  Carry out any plans you made for classroom strategies.

  Make any needed contacts with other school personnel.

 

 

 

Copyright by School Counselors, Altoona Area School District
clange, Webmaster
gsprankle, AASD Website Coordinator
Revised: February 12, 2003