Students Use Google and Career
Lessons to Create e-Portfolios for
Student Led Conferences
Tauni Hatfield/Technology Teacher
Bridget Piper/Guidance Counselor
Kelso School District
Kelso, Washington
Learning Target
I can have a better understanding of how to utilize
technology along with career and college readiness lessons
to conduct successful student led conferences.
This means I will:
 See how College and Career Readiness lessons are
combined with Electronic Portfolios.
 Appreciate how Google Drive Accounts empower
students.
 Understand the process of using Google Sites Web
Design to provide portfolio templates.
First Let’s Start With the
WHY
The Pressure Is Mounting
US Department Of Education: (Career and College Ready Standards)
It's critical that, collectively, we raise the bar so that every student in this
country—regardless of socioeconomic status, race, or geographic
location—is held to high learning standards that will ensure students
have the skills to compete in today's global, knowledge-based economy.
Common Core State Standards:
CCSS provide clear and consistent learning goals to help prepare students
for college, career, and life.
Still More Pressure:
American School Counselor Association (ASCA):
 A professional school counselor takes a “proactive role in assisting students,
families and staff as they assess student strengths and interests and encourage
the selection of a rigorous and relevant educational program supporting all
students’ college and career goals.”
 A professional school counselor helps students to develop a portfolio to
highlight strengths and interests.
Teacher/Principal Evaluation Project (TPEP):
o Learning Environment: The teacher fosters and manages a safe and
inclusive learning environment that takes into account: physical,
emotional, and intellectual well-being of students.
o Differentiation: The teacher acquires and uses specific knowledge about
students’ cultural, individual, intellectual and social development and uses
that knowledge to adjust their practice by employing strategies that
advance student learning.
Association for Middle Level Education
(AMLE)
Essential Attributes of a
Successful Middle School
Developmentally Responsive
Using the nature of young adolescents as the foundation which all
decisions are made.
Challenging
Recognizing that every student can learn and everyone is held to high
expectations.
Empowering
Providing all students with the knowledge and skills they need to take
control of their lives.
Equitable
Advocating for every student’s right to learn and provide challenging
and relevant learning opportunities.
-ASSOCIATION FOR MIDDLE LEVEL EDUCATION
State Level:
Washington Board of Education
The new Career and College
Ready Diploma requires all
students to pursue personalized
post-secondary pathways.
Options that must be available
are:
 Professional/technical
certificate or degree at a
community or technical
college.
 To pursue a four-year degree
at a college, university, or
college transfer program.
Think, Pair, Share
 What initiatives are happening at your state or local
level that are centered around Career and College
Readiness, Technology, or Student Led conferences
that has prompted you to be at this session?
Now for the
WHAT
A Quick Overview
A Student Led Conference puts the student in
charge of presenting information about their
progress at school to a significant adult in their life.
Through this process students:



Reflect on their learning and accept responsibility for
grades and academic progress
Demonstrate Common Core Speaking and Listening
Standards
Discuss Career and College Dreams and Goals
Why We Switched to
Student Led Conferences
1) Federal and State Initiatives to Increase
Career/College Readiness.
2) To Increase Parent/Community Involvement.
3) It is what is BEST
FOR ALL STUDENTS.
Transitioning
from
Arena Style
to
Student Led
Conferences
 A committee in our district was formed to
review Navigation 101 curriculum that
was being used by numerous districts
throughout the state of Washington.
(Developed by the Franklin Pierce School District in Washington State.)
 The Navigation 101 program is part of a
guidance and counseling program “best
practice”.
As reflected in the American School Counselor
Association‘s (ASCA‘s) National Model for Comprehensive
School Counseling Programs (CSCP),
Navigation 101 Key Elements
PERSONALIZING
Advisories
WHAT IT IS:
•Small groups of
students with an
advisor-educator
•Keep same group until
graduation
BEST PRACTICE:
•Advisories meet 2x per
month or more
•Advisors use guidance
curriculum
PLANNING
Portfolios
DEMONSTRATING
Student-led
Conferences
WHAT IT IS:
•Paper or electronic
•Organized by 3 ASCA
areas: Academic,
Career, Personal/Social
WHAT IT IS:
•Annual conference led
by student
•Focuses on 3 ASCA
areas: Academic,
Career, Personal/Social
BEST PRACTICE:
•Each student keeps a
portfolio and uses it for
student-led
conferences
BEST PRACTICE:
•Each student holds a
conference each year
and uses the
conference to register
for next year’s courses
EMPOWERING
Student-Informed
Scheduling
WHAT IT IS:
•Students are
encouraged to take
courses with a plan
•Course schedule is
based on students’
requests
BEST PRACTICE:
•Each student obtains
the courses selected
•More students take
gatekeeper courses
EVALUATING
Data – Informed
WHAT IT IS:
•Information about
student outcomes
•Collected by each
school
BEST PRACTICE:
•Each school submits
data each year
•Program is improved
based on what we learn
Program Management
Central to the career and college readiness mission of the school as a component of the school improvement
plan with leadership team that includes administrator, counselor and teachers
Comprehensive Guidance and Counseling
Provides sound context for the full development and integration of a comprehensive
guidance and counseling program as a career guidance model
Comparison of
Student-Led Versus Traditional
Teacher Driven
Student Driven
 Longer Time –






conversation
based
High Accountability
Individualized with
Opportunities for Goal
Setting
Samples of Student Work
Authentic Assessment
Appointment Time
96% Attendance at SLC
 Short Time Frame - little






time for conversations
Students Often Do Not Show
Arena Style
Impersonal with Little Privacy
Fragmented
Long Lines
20% Attendance at Recent
Arena Style Conference
Presenting the Information Back to the Staff
You want me to do WHAT?
I have t0o much work
to do already!
Students will not care anyway and
arena style has always worked here.
Why change it?
Staff
Buy-In
Trying to build
consensus
within our
building.
Planning for the
next school
year.
After professional development centered
around student led conferences, our staff
came to an agreement of what they were
willing to do the next school year.
 Take their 4th period class to Tauni for a
week to set up the electronic portfolios.
 Three lessons to prepare students for
SLC.
 Help students to identify their best
work.
 Check their 1st period’s portfolios for
completeness and refer students who
are not finished down to the counseling
office.
Once Consensus was Made
the Real Work Began
 Calendar for conferences had to be adopted by board
to allow more time for student led conferences.
 Create a schedule to prepare students school wide for
conferences outside the three classroom lessons.
 Counselors gathered Career and College readiness
lessons together to teach in social studies classes that
would help with portfolio creation.
 Tauni volunteered to see if we could create paperless
portfolios.
How We Felt
 http://safeshare.tv/w/qtPCPTdMZf
We Were Building the Plane
as We Were Flying
 Everything was so new and we were adapting






everything to meet the needs of our middle school
students.
Plans needed to be made and details ironed out.
Portfolios created and decisions on what to put into
portfolios.
Student logins and passwords created.
Career Guidance Lessons adapted.
Collaboration with our neighboring middle school.
Training the staff and students.
HOW
PART
1:
PORTFOLIOS
Portfolios–What’s in it?
Career and Guidance Lessons
Goal Sheets
Academic Records
Examples of Work
Reflections/ Plan for Next Year
Our Portfolios Take on a Life of Their Own
 “Hey Tauni do we have to use paper portfolios?”
 “Can we have electronic portfolios?”
Over the process of a summer, Tauni took a question
and turned it into an amazing resource for students to
use and make their own.
Google Apps for Education
Google Diagram
Google Drive Log-In Form
Live Grade Level Portfolios
6th Grade Portfolio
7th Grade Portfolio
8th Grade Portfolio
Where Am I Now? (Poster)
My Goals
Where Am I Now
Time Management
Best Work Defined
 Students are required to have a “Best Work” from each





core class and one from an elective class of their choice.
“Best Work” can be scanned, a picture of work, or a
video.
Students are trained to use their handheld devices to take
pictures and upload to their Google Drive account.
Students decide what constitutes their “Best Work”.
Teachers will remind students when they have created
something that could be a “Best Work”. (BW)
Students all have a file folder in the counseling office that
they can put their “Best Work” until they get a chance
to upload to their drive.
Best Works
(Posters)
Social Studies Best Work
How
PART
2
ORGANIZING SLC
Organizing
for the Student Led Conferences
 When to hold? Match time to purpose.
– Fall: Goal setting for the year (first year we knew we could not
accomplish a Fall conference)
– Spring: culmination of year - future plans
 Decide on overall organizational plan.
– By individual teacher
– By team
– School-wide
 How will Elective/PE teachers be involved?
Options:
– Conference Facilitators
– Set up for Demos
– Drop-ins
-- Each Teacher in our building had 19 conference
students
How Student-Led Conferences Were Organized
 Each SLC advisor was listed on a students schedule
in Skyward (our student management system).
 Parents scheduled the conferences electronically
through Skyward or with the office staff.
 Student-led conferences lasted 20 minutes.
 There were two conferences per hour.


Ten minutes allotted at the end of each conference for
transition time with intercom announcements.
Secretary announced the end of conferences and helped with
transition time.
Director of Student Services:
SLC
A team effort
was used to
making a
successful
Student Led
Conference for
both middle
schools in our
district.
Worked with school board and
superintendent to get support for SLC,
compiled a video for teacher lesson, and
helped communicate to families about
upcoming student led conferences.
Administrators: Taught numerous
lessons about student led conferences in
school wide assemblies (Cougar Council and
Husky Huddle), held overflow conferences
or conferences of high needs families,
worked with district office to create a
schedule that allowed enough time, worked
out union issues with comp time,
communicated with parents about
upcoming SLCs, greeted parents as they
came into conferences and provided coffee
and cookies.
SLC
Team Effort
(Continued)
 District Technology Person:
Made sure all projectors were working
and computers could access Google
Accounts, and stayed at the school during
conference times in case there were
technology issues.
 Secretaries: Worked with parents to
schedule conferences, coordinated with
teachers and counselors to meet the needs
of each staff member and student, helped
with Google Drive passwords and accounts,
helped students to scan and upload best
works, organized bells and transition times,
warm welcome to parents, and
communicated to families about SLCs.
 Custodians: Helped to set up our
facility for conferences and welcomed
parents into building.
SLC
Team Effort
(Continued)
 District Technology Person:
Made sure all projectors were working
and computers could access Google
Accounts, and stayed at the school during
conference times in case there were
technology issues.
 Secretaries: Worked with parents to
schedule conferences, coordinated with
teachers and counselors to meet the needs
of each staff member and student, helped
with Google Drive passwords and accounts,
helped students to scan and upload best
works, organized bells and transition times,
warm welcome to parents, and
communicated to families about SLCs.
 Custodians: Helped to set up our
facility for conferences and welcomed
parents into building.
 Counselors: Taught career and
SLC
Team Effort
(Continued)
college readiness lessons to all
students to prepare them for the
portfolios, scheduled conference
classes and assigned advisors,
helped with technology and Google
Drive, communicated to teachers
about lessons they needed to teach,
coach/cheerleader for SLC model,
coordinated with administration and
district about SLC needs, checked
portfolios and worked with students
who were in danger of not
completing them.
Cougar Council
Students had whole school presentations (Cougar
Council) throughout the school regarding student led
conferences.
Cougar Council
Last but not least:
 We broke students into grade level groups and they
were able to see conferences modeled by their peers.
Teachers role played parents while their peers went
through their portfolio and conference.
Teachers:
 Become familiar with the portfolios and how
student-led conferences are organized

Tauni and I will have a SLC help session of February 19th early
release day for anyone who would like more time and
information
 Prepare your classroom
Projector in working order and computer attached for students
to pull up online portfolio
 Internet access

 Let us know of any technology concerns now so we
can have Brock address them
 Teach 3 lessons to SSR class

Modeling, Planning, Practice
Teacher Lessons
Teacher Lessons
 How do parents schedule
Details,
Details,
and still
more
Details






conferences?
What do you do for no shows?
Time to allot for conferences?
How do you transition between
conferences?
What happens if a student is
unprepared?
What if a teacher cannot make
conference times?
How do you assign students?
Students:
Before Conferences:
 Complete Navigation 101 packet.
 Create Electronic Portfolio.
 Upload best works.
 Help parents register for conferences or find an alternate adult to watch
SLC.
During Conferences:
 Introduce their guest
 Explain the purpose of the conference
 Discuss the different sections of the portfolio



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
Who Am I- Cover Page
Where Am I Now- Skyward, Goals, Mid Year Check Up, Best Works
Where Am I Going-Future Plans and Goals
Class Registration
High School Plan (8th Grade Only)
 Close
What Does a Student-Led Conference
Look Like at CMS?
 Parents will come to your classroom at their
scheduled time.
 Students will sign in to their Google Drive and
present their portfolio.
Students are in the Process of Learning
What a Great Conference is:
A Great Conference
 Organized
 Has a complete
portfolio.
 Rehearsed and ready.
 Has lots of
information to share
about what they have
accomplished this
year.
Student Outline for their Conference
Student-Led Conference Outline
Introduction


Introduce your guest to your advisor.
Thank everyone for attending.
Explain the Purpose of the Conference

Explain that the purpose of the conference is to answer the question, What will I do with my life?
To make the question easier to answer, you’ll focus on three personal statements:
1. Who I am.
2. What I have accomplished.
3. What I plan to do with my life.
The Who Am I Section
Show and Discuss the First Page of Your Google Site

Take this time to share with your guest information about you:
1. What you like about school
2. Challenges
3. Future Goals and Plans for yourself
Where am I now
Click the Link under Your Grade Level Tab




Click the Skyward Link to go over your grades.
Discuss your Goals from the beginning of the year.
Show them the Midyear Checkup and talk about how you are progressing towards reaching your
goals.
It is your time to shine. Show your guest your Best Works.
Outline Continued
Where am I going
Click the Link Where am I going



Discuss with your guest your future plans
Click the link Who I will be in the future make sure you explain:
1. Educational goals
2. Work Goals
3. Personal Goals
Go over the questions you answered at the bottom of the page.
Class Registration
Click the Class Registration Link


Show your guest your registration page and discuss classes you chose for yourself
Relate your class choices back to your goals and future
High School Plan (8th Grade Only)
Click the High School Plan Link


Talk to your guest about your High School Plan
Discuss how your High School Plan prepares you for your future educational and career
goals.

Thank your guest for coming and let them know that is the end of your student led
conference
Ask if your guest has any questions
Thank your teacher sign out of your Google Account
Closing


On The Flip Side They Know…
A Not So Great Conference
 Lack of preparation
and effort will show.
 An incomplete portfolio
will make it hard to
find things to talk
about.
 The success of the
conference is up to the
student (not the
teacher).
What Teachers Said:
 “I love student led!!! More time to connect with parents
and show our students off!!!”
 “SLC is better than the arena style. I think it is good for
the students and the parents and really far more
informative.”
 “I love student-led conferences because it takes the focus
off the teacher and puts it on the student.”
 “I like the student led portfolios because it gives the
students time to explain what they have been working on
and what they have been doing or not doing. I also think
the parents like having a set time they are there for.”
What Parents Said:
 “Even with taking this survey, I was here a total of 30 minutes.
I liked that the student is more involved and had to take
responsibility ;) Much more quiet and I felt more was
accomplished. Love the new system. Please consider keeping
it!!!”
 “I LOVE THE STUDENT LED CONFERENCE.” It definitely
gives the children a leg up in public speaking and also holds
them accountable for their progress. I liked hearing the
children describe their progress in their own words and liked
hearing what they thought they could do to actualize their
goals. Having them write it down makes it twice as likely to
succeed.”
 “No lines!! YAY! And my son presenting his work gives him
something more to be proud of and helps boost confidence.”
What Students Said:
What does the DATA Say?
Conference attendance:
 SLC above 95% at both middle schools
(around 20% for arena style conferencing).
Parent satisfaction (according to survey of 595
parents):
 58.7% very satisfied
 36.6% satisfied
 3.2% dissatisfied
 1.5% very dissatisfied
Student Data
More Student Data
Even More Student Data
Challenges
 Some teachers, parents, and students prefer traditional


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


style conference.
Communicating SLC information to all stake holders.
Paradigm shift.
Not every staff member had the same buy-in. (J.K.)
Time to prepare the students for conferences.
Getting Best Works into Google Drive.
Ensuring all students completed their
portfolio.
Recommendations
 Ensure you have team members willing to give 110% to
see the success of the SLC and electronic portfolios.
 Create a conference format that showcases and
empowers students, while allowing parents to have
academic concerns addressed by content teacher
(possibly schedule a short time after conferences to meet
with content teachers).
 Possibly start with one grade level then role up to include
the next grade level the following year.
Questions and Take Poll
To Contact Us
 Bridget Piper: bridget.piper@kelsosd.org
 Tauni Hatfield: tauni.hatfield@kelsosd.org
 Resources including Portfolio Links:
http://amle2014.zerista.com/event/member/139868
CEU CODE
•AO-16