Lesson 2: How to get parents on board

Objectives

In a written response, the learners will work in teams to create an informational newsletter to parents explaining the implementation of flexible grouping in their classroom with 80% accuracy as graded by a rubric.

Tasks

The learners will choose appropriate wording to define flexible grouping to parents in a non-threatening way.

The learners will create a letter to send home to parents in order to explain the introduction of flexible grouping to the classroom.

The learners will review and comment on the letters of classmates.

Learn

Parent involvement and support is essential in any successful classroom. When you mention "grouping" students, you may run into some opposition. You can minimize this by using these simple strategies.

1. Begin the year with a positive tone. Contact parents by phone or personal email letting them know that you are partners in this educational journey and you value their input and support.

2. Make the grouping methods clear to parents before beginning. Emphasize the flexibility and the purposes for the use of this strategy. Be sure to note that they are data driven and re-assessments will be done periodically throughout the year. The groups are not static and will change when appropriate.

3. Explain the criteria and goals for each group.

4. Listen to the parental concerns.

5. Be clear that you feel this is the best way to help their child get the most out of their educational day.

Communication is the key. You can choose to address these issues during a parent conference, over the phone, or through a newsletter.

I find that a newsletter is the easiest way to start. If parents continue to have questions or concerns a conference can be arranged to discuss it further.

During this lesson you will create a letter to parents notifying them of the use of flexible grouping in your math lessons.

You can refer to this sample as an example.file:

File:Flexiblegroupingletter.pdf

Use this checklist to ensure you have all necessary elements included in your parent letter.

___ Professional Greeting

___ Note about supporting student learning

___ Note about parents and teachers being partners in education

___ Describe benefits of flexible grouping in math

___ Explain how flexible grouping differs from traditional ability grouping

___ Identify team teachers that will be involved

___ Encourage volunteer time

___ Provide contact information for further questions/concerns

___ Professional closing

___ Signature

What's Next?

Go on to Lesson 3: Tier Organization - Lesson_3:_Tier_Organization

Return to the Flexible Grouping Intro page - Flexible_Grouping