Parent Workshops - Back-to-Basics Presentations

Presentations in the Back-to-Basics series available for parents, school staff or others to use!

The Back-to-Basics bilingual English and Spanish workshop series was developed by the MGI/ GEAR UP Parent Advisory Council (PAC). The PAC is a group of dedicated volunteer parents of our students that are critical in the shaping of our parent services. For the 2008-2009 school year, the PAC chose to focus our workshops on basic high school topics and policies and college readiness because many parents are either new to our educational system or would like some guidance on how to better communicate with school staff.

We offered these workshops throughout our partner schools and communities and you can too! Although we are based in NYC, most presentations can be tailored for your context very easily, as they touch upon many issues that every family with a high school student experiences.

Session 1: The Grading Process, Report Cards, Transcripts & Parent-Teacher Conferences

Presentation -- Click here for PowerPoint: Samples of a New York City Department of Education report card and transcript, guiding questions for parent-teacher conferences and a brief introduction to the idea of parent advocacy are included.

Supporting documents:

Session 2: Standardized Exams & Study Tips

Presentation -- Click here for PowerPoint: New York state and college entrance exams are introduced in this presentation. Study tips and television, internet, and community resources are included. The community and television resources are specific to the NYC area.

Supporting documents:

English Regents
English Regents Dictation Copy. Suggestion: read an excerpt of the oral portion to parents and ask them two corresponding questions during the discussion of NYS Regents exams for a taste of the testing experience.

Session 3: Helping Your Child Graduate from High School

Presentation -- Click here for PowerPoint: This presentation focuses on graduation requirements for NYC high school students. Required credits and exams are detailed for the two principal types of diplomas that the NYS Education Department offers. Individualized Education Plan (IEP) diplomas are briefly mentioned. The "credits" requirement can easily be changed to "units" for those living in other parts of NY state.

Supporting documents:

Diploma requirements worksheet. This document was downloaded from the NYC Department of Education's website and is provided here for your convenience.

Session 4: Planning for Your Future Begins Now! Preparing for College

Presentation -- Click here for PowerPoint: This presentation is suitable for middle and high school parents because it provides a brief overview of all the topics involved in the college planning process.

Supporting documents:

College Goals Plan