This article details the use of an assessment tool entitled, the parent journal. The parent journal is a response to a reading writing exercise in which the students respond in school then bring the journal home for their parents to either respond to the student's writing or craft their own response to the topic. I would then respond to each of the journals, creating a circle of communication. Over the four years the parent journal has been in place, parents have been much more involved with their child's education and subsequently almost all of the students' academic performances dramatically increased.