Paige Hastings, principal at Grant Elementary, opened a district board presentation showcasing student-led conferences and classroom practices intended to boost ownership of learning and reading fluency.

The presentation included second‑grade teacher Kari Cronin interviewing student Kyla Meyer about goal-setting and how students prepare to lead conferences. Cronin said student-led conferences are scheduled in the fall and spring so children can “tell their parents what they are learning” and practice formal introductions and communication skills. Kyla told the board she felt “kind of scared but mostly confident” when leading her conference.

ELL specialist Beth Schaner described the district’s use of fluency folders — weekly passages timed for one‑minute readings — to strengthen word recognition, pacing and expression for English‑language learners. “Fluency folders build reading fluency,” Schaner said, adding that visual graphs let students see steady growth. A student in Schaner’s classroom, Sofia, told the board that when she looks at her graph she sees it “going up.”

Third‑grade teachers reported using peer editing and one‑on‑one writing conferences to help students self-assess and set concrete goals. Teacher Kayla Shaver said the self‑assessment conferences help students “catch their mistakes faster,” reducing the need for repeated teacher prompts. A parent who attended a student-led conference described being “very impressed” that a second grader could lead the conversation.

Board members asked about frequency of the short informal “parking lot” meetings and writing conferences; teachers said peer editing accompanies every writing assignment while teacher conferences typically occur after a student has produced at least one writing piece. One presenter said parking‑lot check‑ins can occur several times per week to reinforce goals and classroom routines.

The presentation closed with board appreciation for the students and staff; the superintendent and trustees noted the practices aligned with professional‑development goals and district emphasis on student engagement.