Student-Led Conferences 2023

Student-Led Conferences will be held:

Thursday, May 26th

8:30 a.m. - 12:00 p.m.

4:00 p.m. - 7:30 p.m.

Friday, May 27th 

8:00 a.m. - 12:00 p.m.

Why Student Led Conferences at NCUJHS?

As of 2020, the State of Vermont, Department of Education is changing high school graduation requirements to include not only proficiency of content standards, but also lifelong skills, known as Transferable Skills.  In order to prepare our students for these requirements, the elementary schools and the junior high of the NCSU are also changing reporting and grading systems.

During the 2016/2017 school year the Personalized Learning Team visited a number of schools around the state – from Bennington to Canaan – to have conversations about the successes and challenges of implementing personalized learning and flexible pathways at their schools. Many themes emerged from those conversations and informed the development of updated resources and a professional learning series that can be found at the Vermont Professional Learning Network. 

NCUJHS recognizes the importance of strong relationships between students’ families and the school in order to build student success. During the 2017/2018 school year NCUJHS held our first Student Led Conference.  During these conferences it was the student’s responsibility to explain his/her progress towards proficiency of both academic and transferable skills.  Through a personalized learning portfolio, students presented evidence and justify their progress in these areas. Even in the first year, students were extremely successful and families gained a greater understanding of their student’s success as a learner.  While we have not held Student Led Conferences for the last two years due to the pandemic, we are looking forward to a new round of student-led conferences this year and anticipate a similar level of satisfaction for all participants.

The NCUJHS Staff sees the objectives of these conferences to:

• Increase student accountability for learning

• Develop better communication and critical thinking skills

• Build open relationships with family members

• Help students meet speaking standards

• Teach students how to persuade by substantiating claims with evidence

Personalized Learning Plans

Creating Personalized Learning Plans (PLP) provides students the opportunity to reflect upon their learning and shape their future, and enables the adults in their lives to better understand each student as a unique individual. However, the actual documentation of the PLP - in any selected format - is only as good as the process that supports its development.  While a clear and thoughtful product is key to ultimate success, students, schools, SUs/SDs must have the freedom to innovate and adapt formats and platforms to provide the process to meet the changing needs of learners over time.

Act 77

Act 77 of 2013 paves the way for schools to “work with every student in grade seven through grade 12 in an ongoing personalized learning planning process that: (A) identifies the student’s emerging abilities, aptitude, and disposition; (B) includes participation by families and other engaged adults; (C) guides decisions regarding course offerings and other high-quality educational experiences; and (D) is documented by a personalized learning plan (PLP).” PLPs should be developmentally appropriate and define the scope and rigor of academic and experiential opportunities necessary for a secondary student to complete secondary school successfully, attain postsecondary readiness, and be prepared to engage actively in civic life.