Setting up & managing Parent-Teacher Conferences for a whole school or grade is a simple four-step process (with a few options).
1. Create a SignUp Template for your Conferences
2. Duplicate & Rename SignUps for each Teacher
3. Invite Parents to Choose Appointment Spot(s)
4. Track Who's Coming (Reporting on Conferences & Attendance)
See this video (starting at 4:53, we review the steps above)
Determining who will be responsible for planning the 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 202_ 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 202_ 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
Use the Tools>Duplicate link on your Dashboard to 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 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.
3. Invite Parents to Choose Appointment Spot(s)
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.com 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.com web 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 teacher 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 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, Remind 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, Remind 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
- If you have access to the individual class parent contact list, 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
- Basic (Free) Plan members can "Pass the Baton" to make the teacher the Primary Organizer and so the teacher can invite class parents using either Shareable or Personal Invitation Links as described above. NOTE: Once you Pass the Baton you will NO LONGER HAVE ACCESS to the SignUp. Please see: How do I change the primary organizer?
- Premium and Campus Plan members can make the teacher the Assistant Organizer of the SignUp so you and the teacher both have access to the SignUp to invite parents, see Who's coming, and run reports. Here's how: Can I add another organizer to my SignUp?
4. Track Who's Coming (Reporting on Conferences & Tracking Attendance)
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 the 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 Who's Coming report has an option to show Comments - click this box if parents wrote their child's names in the comments box.
- The Check-in Sheet report has an option to see custom info fields. Click this box if parents were prompted for their child's name upon registering for their Spot.
- The Interactive report can show all fields (comments & custom info fields) 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
Learn about our Parent Conference Concierge Service. The SignUp Customer Success Team can import your entire teacher roster and conference appointments within 2 business days for a small fee. More information.