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
Start by Choosing the Best Plan for Your School's Conferences
Deciding who will manage conference scheduling and who needs access to SignUps (for editing, reporting, and inviting parents) is key to selecting the right plan for your school. Review this comparison chart (click here) to explore our plan features and pricing options—including our Basic/Free Plan—to find the best fit for your needs.
Fast-Track Option: Concierge Service
Need a quick and hassle-free setup? Our Parent Conference Concierge Service can handle everything for you! For a nominal fee, our Customer Success Team will import your entire teacher roster, conference schedules, and meeting links and turn around your whole school's set up within 2 business days. Learn more here and streamline your scheduling today!
Setting up Conference SignUps for your Whole School
1. Create a SignUp Template for your Conferences
Start by creating a SignUp Template with the standard appointment times most teachers will use.
📌 Check out this step-by-step guide—complete with a short video and screenshots—on How to Plan Parent-Teacher Conferences - click here.
Follow the instructions in the article and use the Planning Wizard to set up your template efficiently. Here’s what to do next:
Step 1: Provide Details
- Set the SignUp Kind as Single or Multiple Days
- Set the Category to Parent Teacher Conference
- Enter the Name as Conference Template
- Add a generic Welcome Message (*example below)
- Leave Location blank for now (you'll update it later for each teacher)
- Uncheck the option Allow Participants to see who else has signed up
- Check the option Hide comments from Participants
- Add a Custom Participant Question as a required text field labeled Student Name.
Step 2: Add Spots
- Enter the Spot Name as Parent Conference and use the Add Shifts option to create the appointment schedule with one person allowed to sign up for each appointment.
Step 3: Choose Theme
- Upload your school Logo and select a complementary Background Theme.
Step 4: Invite (skip for now, click Next to continue)
Once you complete the Planning Wizard steps, go to the Settings tab and set Email Preferences for getting notified when parents sign up or cancel.
*Example Welcome messages:
It's time for Fall Parent-Teacher Conferences! Please click the link below to choose an appointment 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 to create a new SignUp for each teacher.
- In the New SignUp Name field, enter the first teacher's name or class name (e.g. Mr. Brown’s 4th Grade Conferences, AP Chemistry Conferences).
- Select the Duplicate All Spots option then click the blue Duplicate button at the bottom of the pop-up window.
- Repeat for each teacher.
3. Give Teachers Access to See their Conference Appointments
After setting up SignUps for each teacher, it’s essential to plan how they will access their appointment details once parents sign up.
📌 Choose the best access option for teachers based on your Plan type, then enter this information in the Details tab of each SignUp's Organizer view.
On the same screen, you’ll also add a conference Location for each teacher. This can include:
- School address + room number
- Virtual conference link (Zoom, Google Meet, etc.)
- Both in-person and virtual options
Teacher Access Options
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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
📌 Please review and bookmark our Parent Conference Quick Start Guide with answers to common questions from Admins, Teachers and Parents.