Learning Targets: The Little Statement that Could

Accessing Prior Knowledge  When I say Learning Target, you feel: www.hyperboleandahalf.com

Learning Targets… Are derived directly from grade-level benchmarks Statements of what we want students to learn and be able to do Written in student-friendly language- usually ‘I can’ statements

Today’s Targets I can state what a learning target is I can transform a benchmark into learning targets I understand the role learning targets will play in the 2012 curriculum

Big Wig Support Students who can identify what they are learning significantly outscore those who cannot- Marzano The single most common barrier to sound classroom assessment is the teachers’ lack of vision of appropriate achievement targets within the subjects they are supposed to teach- Stiggins

A Target… Takes benchmark language: And makes it student-friendly: 11.4.1.1 Cite strong and thorough textual evidence to support analysis of what the text says explicitly as well as inferences drawn from the text, including determining where the text leaves matters uncertain And makes it student-friendly: I can cite strong and thorough textual evidence and show understanding of: What is explicit and implicit What inferences can be drawn Where the text is uncertain

Another Awesome Example Benchmark: Demonstrate command of the conventions of standard English grammar and usage when writing or speaking: (a) Explain the function of phrases and clauses in general and their function in specific sentences. Learning Target: I can produce compound sentences with the two compound sentence formulas and with varying numbers of subjects and predicates.

Practice Look at nouns and verbs within the benchmark Ask yourself, “What should know or be able to do based on this benchmark?”

Learning Targets and the Future Began with products Created targets Organized targets in instructional sequence: Grade 9 Informative Writing

What they can do for teachers… More focused instructional planning Sharpens teachers’ focus on the learning expectation Strengthens connections with parents related to learning expectations for their child Stephanie

What they mean for our schools… Create equity across the district- all students working toward common outcomes Allow for concrete skills for analysis in PLCs/Data Teams Allows for ELL, SpEd, Reading and ELA to share data

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