From Anne Bezner, Elementary Principal
Student-led Conferences Videos
Videos (in Japanese) explaining the concept behind Student-led Conferences and providing an example of a conference are available! See the OCSI YouTube channel.
After-School Program
K4 - 5th Grade Students :: 3:00 - 6:00pm Every Full School day :: No bus service available (students must be picked up by parents) :: Snacks, Activities, and Homework Assistance available
After-School Program Flyer (download PDF)
Information Letter & Application (download PDF)
From Anne Bezner, Elementary Principal
Welcome Back Parents and Students! Welcome to our new families! We are so excited to begin the 2011-2012 academic school year! Please use this site frequently to view the elementary calendar, access your child's Accelerated Reader information, Mathletics, and classroom web site. We are looking forward to an outstanding year!
Ongoing Curriculum Focus
Student-Led Conferences -
For the second year, students from kindergarten to 12th grade will take the lead in reporting their academic progress and learning goals to parents during our March conferences. This year, students will collect samples of their work and build their learning portfolios from the very beginning. To read more about the rationale for implementing student-led conferences at OCSI, please see the following information and check "General Downloads" for research articles on this topic.
There are many important components to effective evaluation of student progress, or assessment. Assessment should be both formative (a "check" during learning) and summative (a "check" of learning at the conclusion of a unit.) Assessment should provide constructive feedback that gives the learner a clear picture of his or her strengths and weaknesses. “When students ask, ‘How many points is it?’ or ‘Did I do well?’ they reveal two fundamental errors about assessment: that assessment is synonymous with GPAs, dean's lists and honor rolls...that assessment is about measurements and reports generated by a teacher or another external body” (Shulkind, 2008, p.54).
Often times, students have little or no understanding of how they were assessed, which skills they demonstrated effectively, and which areas might still be lacking in growth. Their lack of understanding is demonstrated in the kinds of questions that they ask regarding their progress. “Traditionally, achievement information has been known by teachers and not shared with students” (Taylor-Patel, 2007, p. 9). Formative assessments have no effect in the formation of student skills when substantive information is not shared in a meaningful way with the student. It is the students who must understand what the learning goals are, where they are in relation to the learning goal, and how they should proceed in order to reach the goal.
Sadly, “In a traditional teacher-centered classroom students have been offered little, if any opportunity to participate in the decision-making process regarding their academic instruction” (Lewis, 2006, para.1). Students are the most important participants in the educational process, and yet, most assessment and reporting practices leave the students in the dark in regard to their own learning and incapable of making informed choices about how to progress. In response to this problem, many schools are implementing a new method of assessing and reporting student progress that puts the student in the driver’s seat–-student-led conferences.
“Student-led conferences are emerging as a positive alternative to parent-teacher conferences by those who advocate active student engagement in the learning process” (Dunne, 2001, Growing in popularity section, para.1). Student-led conferences are more than a once a year conversation between parents, teachers, and students. Effective student-led conferences represent a substantive shift from teacher-centered to student-centered instruction and assessment.
Student-led conferences are gaining in popularity as many more schools are discovering the power of student understanding and engagement in personal goal-setting. “Although the format and content of student-led conferences may vary from school to school, the concept remains the same: the student is in charge of the academic conference with the parents” (Hackmann, 1997, Student-led conference model section, para.1 ).
Implementing student-led conferences as an assessment and reporting tool offers the opportunity for assessment to be truly valuable to the most critical stakeholder in the learning process, the student. In preparation for articulating their goals and progress with parents, students develop critically needed evaluation skills and are given tools that will enable them become reflective lifelong learners. In addition, intrinsic motivation to set and achieve goals increases along with the confidence that success is attainable. In reflecting on the experience of participating in his first student-led conference, Shulkind (2008) shares the story of an eighth grade student who wrote, “It was a great experience. While I was sharing with my parents my growth over the past semester, I realized it myself” (p. 57).
- Dunne, D.W. (2001, January 31). Student-led conferences hold students accountable. Education World.
- Hackmann, D.G. (1997). Student-led conferences at the middle level. Clearinghouse on Early Education and Parenting. EDO-PS-97-19.
- Lewis, C., Scholes, K., Renee, R. (2006, December 22). Students' perceptions of student-led conferences. Academic Exchange Quarterly (4) 1-6.
- Shulkind, S. (2008, September). New conversations: Student-led conferences. Principal Leadership, 9(1), 54-58.
- Taylor-Patel, C. (2007). Student-led conferences: How effective are they as an alternative reporting method? [Brochure] Auckland, New Zealand: AUTHOR
Academic Vocabulary - In pursuit of the highest standards in educational excellence, our department has made grade level specific academic vocabulary a curriculum focus. This means that each student in elementary from K4 to 5th grade will build an academic vocabulary notebook as they progress through the year and work through the essential vocabulary that has been targeted for their grade. You can download your child’s vocabulary list by clicking on the link to the right of the screen.
Mathematics - Two equally important pillars of our mathematics instruction are 1) the building of critical thinking, reasoning, and problem solving skills through Everyday Mathematics in the classroom, and 2) the increased speed and recollection of basic math facts gained through student practice on the Mathletics web site. Mathletics can be accessed online from home by clicking on the link at the top of your screen. Please help to reinforce concepts learned in the classroom and make “Mathletics time” a part of your child’s daily homework routine.
Renaissance Place Home Connect - Do you wonder how many Accelerated Reader points your child has earned? This information is accessible due to our purchase of an online license for Accelerated Reader. You can click on the link located at the top of the page, log on with your child’s username and password, and keep current with all of the latest test results. Students and parents can also check the AR database for book titles, levels, and points available within the Accelerated Reader system. A portion of the funds earned from the ADVANCE Campaign helped to purchase this service for you last year.
Sincerely,
Anne Bezner, Elementary Principal
Kindergarten and Elementary Faculty List
K3 Mrs. Ammie Rulida K4 Mrs. Aidy Cruzado
K5.1 Mrs. Davenport K5.2 Mrs. Debe Pallmann
1.1 Miss Heidi Benson 1.2 Mrs. Lynsey Gosin
2.1 Miss Alyssa Goodwin 2.2 Mr. Kazuhiro Kitaoka
3.1 Miss Dibbie Adkins 3.2 Miss Ashley Ford
4.1 Miss Lisa Sorley 4.2 Mrs. Cessily Kimberling
5.1 Miss Bethany Gross 5.2 Mr. Don Eykelbosch
Japanese
Mrs. Manami Aoki Miss Hitomi Yabe Mrs. Katsumi Metz
Physical Education
Mrs. Carrie Williams Mr. Jason Meredith
Art
Miss Carolyn Froggatt
