Goal Setting: Strategies to help Students Develop and Achieve their Goals

Goals for Today Identify 10 principles that support the use of assessments for learning Examine strategies for successful goal setting Locate reports and resources for grade level, class, and student goal setting A Garden Road Model: Starring the Third Grade Team Work in grade level teams to identify grade level and class goals Write sample action steps for our goal area RIT ranges Develop our Personal Goal Setting Makeovers

Goal Setting 101 Some are running full speed…in the wrong direction. Some are fearful. Some are sure it won’t work for them. Others are confident and eager. We have the honor of helping students build connections, discover hope and begin taking steps toward success in academics and life.

Setting the Stage Create an environment where students feel comfortable discussing their strengths and weaknesses and are willing to take risks to grow Create an emotionally safe classroom Focus on growth for all students Keep all conversations focused on the REAL issues Consistently honor individual strengths Core Classroom Value: we all believe that everyone in our room has valuable strengths. What strategy could we implement to ensure every student will be honored for what he or she contributes? How do we provide opportunities for all students to contribute? (no sarcasm, labeling, threats, or bribes) Focus on the real problem. Instead of saying, “You are so lazy” try “What will you do first on this assignment?” or “What is keeping you from starting your work?”

Addressing Concerns Creating a class perspective on “mistakes” or discussing “weaknesses.” “I’ve missed more than 9,000 shots in my career. Twenty-six times I’ve been trusted to take the game winning shot and missed. I’ve failed over and over again in life. And, that is why I succeed.” ~Michael Jordan If you have students who feel they’ve never been successful before and aren’t sure they want to start trying now or those who struggle with anything less than perfection, you might want to share this quote:

Clarifying our Terms Most of us confuse dreams and goals so it is a great place to begin our discussion “The difference between a dream and a goal is action.” Dreams often stay dreams until we make up plans to reach them Sports examples connect this idea for many students

Begin with Grade Level Goals In the NWEA Grade Level Report or in the Grade Level view in the Ladder, determine the highest and lowest goal areas by looking at the mean for each Determine resources and strategies you’ll implement Determine how you’ll monitor your success

Setting Classroom Goals Model goal setting by setting class goals first. Use your class goal area “means” that can be found on the Learning Ladder in TIM by clicking on: Class Report for _______” Click here to open your class report

Choosing Your Classroom Goal Honor class strengths by noting the goal areas with the highest mean scores. Find the lowest mean to determine the best standard strand for your class goal. (You’ll want to simply post the mean score for each goal area when using this with your students) What strength do you note for this class? What would be the best goal?

Choosing a Range Knowing DesCartes will give us three ranges, we can use our class reports to choose the best range to guide our instruction. Which would you choose for this class?

DesCartes Login to NWEA using your current password Choose DesCartes from the left hand navigation Select your subject, goal area, and the range. (If your lowest goal area mean is 191, choose 191-200)

Narrowing our Focus Print the range for your class goal Highlight areas you know you’ll address with one color; then go back and circle or highlight concepts you need to add to your curriculum with a different color. You may want to cut and paste just one range to display on the overhead or doc-u-cam during the class discussion of your goal

Setting Classroom Goals A great goal includes what students need to learn, a plan of action, a list of necessary resources, and a realistic timeline. (Think S.M.A.R.T. Goals: Specific, Measurable, Attainable, Realistic, and Timely.) Examine the following examples from classes in our district:

Monitoring Classroom Goals Some teachers prefer to post magnified Student Goal Setting charts to help students monitor class growth by goal area during the year.

The Power of Student Reflections Students’ reflections when developing and monitoring goals help them discover what limits or contributes to their success. Sample prompts posted at www.pusdmap.com

Goal Setting in Action

In Action #2

Gathering Resources for Student Goal Setting Focus on positives, strengths, and growth first Many teachers use the Individual Student Report Students note their score growth and reflect on their strengths using the text version Using the graph version, students connect their first test point to the most current to visualize their growth

Setting Student Goals Use the age appropriate planning sheets students filled out during testing to choose the best goal area and support academic vocabulary

Learn to Write Specific Action Steps Students often struggle to write these steps. (Work with your team to personalize Amy Huff’s sample action steps for your students’ RIT ranges) If they are stuck, ask them to reflect on what they think they’d have to do differently in order to reach their goals. Then ask why they don’t do that now and you’ll find additional insight to get closer to the real issues

Student Example The following slide is a student’s first attempt to write goals to improve his primary study skills. How would you help this student break these ideas into more specific action steps?

Student Sample 1 Listen better in Class Sit in a different location in class Take good classroom notes Participate in classroom discussions Ask more questions when I don’t understand something in class Learn how to preview chapters before reading them Read chapters before doing my homework Write down questions when I don’t understand something I’ve read Write down my assignments correctly Learn how to study for tests Ask someone to help me study Hand in homework on time

Sample Format What would you change? Challenge: I want to improve my reading comprehension skills Goal: I will read a book each month Action Steps: I will go to the library each week I will choose a book in my Lexile range I will find magazines on subjects that interest me and will read them during my free time each day I will find 30 minutes each day to read I won’t watch TV or play video games from 6:30-8:30 each night I won’t get on IM or take phone calls from friends between 6:30 and 8:30 pm each night What would you change?

Self Monitoring is Critical Self-monitoring is a critical skill set if we want students to develop intrinsic motivation Some models that work: Graphs of progress Daily goals on desk (dry erase marker) Weekly reflections Weekly evidence

Choosing a “Goal” Quote Students have shown us that inspirational quotes are great tools to help them stay focused on their goals and to re-focus their thinking when the going gets tough. They especially liked many under “Excuses,” “Goals,” and “Action.” Here’s a sample from the “goals” category http://www.goal-setting-guide.com/quotes.html In life, as in football, you won't go far unless you know where the goalposts are. Arnold H. Glasgow

Helpful Resources Classroom Assessment for Student Learning: Doing it Right-Using it Well, by Richard J. Stiggins, Judith A. Arter, Jan and Stephen Chappuis, Assessment Training Institute, c.2004 Goal setting for Students: A Success Tool for Grades 5-12 by John Bishop. Around $10.00 on Amazon Website: http://www.goal-setting-guide.com