Setting up and managing Parent-Teacher Conferences for an entire school or grade is a straightforward five-step process with flexible options. While it may seem like a lot at first, once you’ve planned your first conference, the process becomes seamless—you’ll simply repeat the same steps for each teacher.
1. Create a SignUp Template for your Conferences
2. Duplicate & Rename SignUps for each Teacher
3. Give Teachers Access to See their Conference Appointments
4. Invite Parents to Sign Up
5. See Who's Coming
See this video (starting at 4:50, we review the steps above)
Determining who will be responsible for planning the conference schedules, and who will have access to the conference SignUps (for editing, reporting and inviting parents) will lead you to the best Plan for your school. This chart explains our plan features and pricing options (including our Basic/Free Plan) for Parent-Teacher Conference Scheduling.
FAST-TRACK OPPORTUNITY: To speed your planning, we also offer a Parent Conference Concierge Service at a nominal fee. SignUp's Customer Success Team will import your entire teacher roster, conference appointments and meeting links within 2 business days. Learn more here
Setting up Conference SignUps for your Whole School
1. Create a SignUp Template for your Conferences
Please see this article including a short video and screen shots for planning a Parent-Teacher Conference SignUp: How to Plan Parent-Teacher Conferences
Use the directions in that article to Create a SignUp that has all the appointment times that most teachers will have. You can name the SignUp "Conference Template". In your template, please leave the Location Field blank and make the Welcome message generic so it will work for all teachers (both fields can be customized later). Here are two example Welcome messages:
Welcome to Fall Parent Conferences! Please click the link below to choose a teacher conference time for a virtual meeting via Zoom. The teacher will send you a personal meeting link before your conference.
Welcome to Fall Parent Conferences! Please click the link below to choose a teacher conference time for an in-person meeting on campus. If you prefer to have a virtual meeting (via Zoom or a phone call), please make a note in the comments box when you sign up.
2. Duplicate & Rename SignUps for each Teacher
Login and on your Dashboard, click the gear () pull-down menu and select Duplicate. Create a new SignUp for each teacher, duplicating the Template and renaming the new SignUp with the teacher's name or class name (e.g. Mr Brown’s 4th Grade Class, AP Chemistry).
Adding Location: Once individual conference SignUps are set up for each teacher, you may edit each Signup to add Location instructions to the Details tab of the SignUp's Organizer view. For in-person meetings add the school address + room number, for virtual, add the teacher's online meeting room link. Learn more: Tour of My SignUps Details Tab
3. Give Teachers Access to See their Conference Appointments
Once your SignUps are set up for each teacher, it's important to plan how they will access their appointment details after parents sign up. You’ll need to choose the best option for each teacher’s conference SignUp and your Plan type:
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Share a Teacher Status Report (Basic Plan) – Enter the teacher’s email address in the Teacher Status Report section of the Details tab of each SignUp. Each teacher will be sent a link to bookmark the Status Report for easy, anytime access in their browser. For more details, see: How to give the teacher access to my SignUp to view who has signed up? (View Only option)
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Make the Teacher an Assistant Organizer (All Premium Plans) – This option allows teachers to log in, run reports, edit the SignUp, and manually assign parents. To add an Assistant Organizer, go to the Details tab of the SignUp’s Organizer View. Learn more: How do I add an organizer to my SignUp? Note: each teacher must have a registered SignUp account with a password to become an Assistant Organizer.
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Make the Teacher the Primary Organizer (Basic or Campus Plans) – If each teacher will manage their own SignUps without a school Admin, you can Pass the Baton to transfer the SignUp to them. They’ll be able to log in, run reports, edit the SignUp, and manually assign parents. Campus Plan members can designate the teacher as the Primary Organizer while staying on as an Assistant Organizer. Learn more about both of these options: How do I change the primary organizer? Note: each teacher must have a registered SignUp account with a password to become a Primary Organizer.
4. Invite Parents to Sign Up
There are several options for inviting parents to sign up for their conference spots, depending on your school's structure, communication platforms, and your SignUp Plan. Please review all of the following options and pick and choose those that will work best for your school's structure.
Post all the SignUps to a Common Group Page
A Group Page is a central SignUp page with links to all the Teachers' Conference SignUps in one place (one URL). It's the easiest way to invite parents to sign up as they will find their own child’s teachers listed and choose their appointment Spots. For more information, please see: How do I set up a group page?
After choosing an appointment Spot with the first teacher, parents with multiple children have the option to go back to the Group Page (Back to All SignUps) to choose another teacher's SignUp.
Invite to Individual Class SignUps with Shareable Links (URLs)
- Invite parents to the various teacher's SignUps using Shareable SignUp links. In this option you will copy/paste a full list of teacher SignUp links in your school newsletter, principal's email, school text message, or post SignUp buttons on the school website.
- For communication to parents within a specific class, post the link to that class' SignUp in an email message, class text message, or on the teacher's website.
- This help article shows how to get the Shareable link or website button (see #2): How do I invite parents to sign up for my conferences?
Invite to Individual Class SignUps with Personal Invitations (Available to all Organizers)
- If you have access to the individual class' parent contact lists, invite parents to each teacher's SignUp using a Personal invitation so each parent gets their own unique link to the SignUp schedule.
- This help article shows how to paste in parent emails to send personal invitations (see #1): How do I invite parents to sign up for my conferences?
Ask the Teacher to Invite Class Parents
- If the teacher is the Primary or Assistant Organizer of their own conference SignUp, they can directly invite parents. They have a few options, please see: Tour of My SignUps Invite Tab / Mobile Share
5. See Who's Coming
Depending on who the Organizer of the SignUp is will depend on how you get information about who's coming when. Please review this help article for guidelines, screenshots of teacher alerts and reports: How Can Teachers See Who Signed Up
If you or the teacher are a SignUp Organizer, you have several options to see who's coming when in the Reports tab of your SignUp's Organizer view. (click the SignUp Title in the My SignUps area of your Dashboard to access.)
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- The Check-in Sheet report has an option to see the student's name, click the checkbox to show Custom Participant Questions.
- The Who's Coming report has an option to show Comments.
- The Interactive report can show both comments & custom questions and can be bookmarked in your browser for quick access.
Additionally:
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- SignUp will send a summary of parent reminder messages to each Organizer and Assistant Organizer via email automatically, including a full status report the Friday before conferences.
- Basic (Free) members can designate another teacher or staff member to receive a View-Only Status Report. Learn how.
- Premium & Campus Plan members can authorize electronic Participant Check-in to keep a roster right on their smartphone. Learn how
See Also: Parent Conference Quick Start Guide: Answers to common questions from Admins, Teachers and Parents.