Students take the reins during conference

Accountability stepped to the front of the classroom last month as students reflected on the school year, communicated goals and pondered life beyond academic walls.

In an effort to engage students in their education, secondary schools in the Stanwood-Camano School District held student-led conferences. Parents and teachers gathered to listen as students presented a portfolio of collected work for discussion.

For the past two years, Stanwood High School (SHS) students volunteered to run their conferences in a pilot program, said Principal Christine Gruver.

The positive feedback from students, parents and staff encouraged Gruver to expand the program schoolwide.

Stemming from materials and resources released through the Navigation 101 grant and Washington’s Office of Superintendent of Public Education, students organize their 10- to 15-minute presentations in three sections.

First, the student looks inward to answer the questions “Who am I?” and “How do I contribute to society?” said Gruver.

Each student provides examples of extracurricular activities and volunteer work and explains how the activities promote good citizenship.

The second section focuses on academic development.

Again, another question is answered.

“What have I accomplished?” is examined through a portfolio of “best works” — assignments, essays, tests and extended projects provide discussion prompts, said Gruver.

Once the portfolio is shared, the student focuses on life after school by explaining “What I want in the future?”

This final section leads to career development and ties into student requirements for a 13th-year plan.

Since the closure of the career development program at SHS due to budget cuts, the online materials provided by the Navigation 101 grant help students prepare this section of the conferences, said Gruver.

“We’ve had an overwhelming positive response from the conferences,” she said. Post-conference comments from students included, “Let’s do this again.”

Seventy percent of the high school students thought the student-led conferences were a good thing, said Mike Olson, assistant superintendent and principal of Port Susan Middle School. Positive ratings from parents came in at 90 percent.

“This is a powerful program,” said Olson. “Students are sharing in a structured and organized manner.”

The program is an extension of the district’s strategic plan to instill life skills, effective communication and parent involvement.

Port Susan and Stanwood middle school students also run conferences. As they find confidence in analyzing their academic career, students’ awareness and ownership of their education grows, said Olson.

Every subsequent school year, a student’s portfolio expands and provides a long-term glimpse of past accomplishments.

By the time a student in the district graduates from high school, the portfolio becomes a tool to build a résumé or to finalize college applications and scholarships, said Gruver.

Despite initial positive feedback, the twist on conferences did raise one issue.

“We discovered the need for translators during the conferences,” said Gruver. Some parents in the community communicate with their children in their native language, most commonly Spanish. In these instances, advisory teachers had to communicate with parents through the student, and presentations in English may not have been fully comprehended.

As with any trial run, “you learn different things” about the program, said Gruver.

Future plans also include combining requirements for senior and culminating projects in conjunction with the conferences.

Staff Reporter Adam Stewart: 629-8066 ext. 115 or astewart@scnews.com.