SMART Goals 8 th Grade Skills Needed for Middle School and Postsecondary Success #2 Microsoft, 2011

Objectives Today’s objectives are to: Review SMART goal setting Review your 6 th and 7 th grade Postsecondary Plans, PREP Profile, and Readiness Rubrics Review your SMART goals from 6 th and 7 th grade Develop SMART goals for 8 th grade

Review: Why Set Goals? When do you set goals for yourself? Why do you set goals? How does setting goals change your performance or how hard you work on something?

Review: Types of Goals Short-term goals are ones that you will achieve in the near future (e.g., in a day, within a week, or possibly within a few months). Long-term goals are ones that you will achieve over a longer period of time (e.g., one semester, one year, five years, or twenty years). Weinstein & Awalt, 2001

Review: SMART Goals SMART Goals are:  Specific  Measurable  Achievable  Relevant  Timely Adapted from Doran, 1981 Microsoft, 2011

Career Goal Example Goal: to be a doctor – What is something I need to do to get there? I will need to go to college and then medical school I can write a long-term goal for graduating from medical school Microsoft, 2011

Long-Term SMART Goal Example What do I want to accomplish? – I want to graduate from medical school. How will I know when I achieved my goal? – I will graduate. Is this goal realistic? Do I have the right tools? – If I work hard, take the right classes, have support from my friends, family, and teachers, I know I can do it. Why is this goal important? – I can’t become a doctor unless I graduate from medical school. When can I achieve this goal? – I’m in 6 th grade - I have 6 years of middle and high school, 4 years of college, and 4 years of medical school. – I can achieve this goal in 14 years

Long-Term SMART Goal Example My goal: I will graduate from medical school in 14 years. Microsoft, 2011

Your SMART goal Think of your own career goals and dreams for the future. – If you need help, refer to your Postsecondary Plan Write one long-term SMART goal – The long-term goal can be the same as the one you had in 6 th or 7 th grade, or could be new if you have new thoughts about your future. Share with a partner to check that the goal meets the SMART criteria

Directions Now, write 3 short-term goals (that you can accomplish this semester) that will help you reach your long-term goal. – Look at your past goals. Have you accomplished them? If so, great job! If not, are they still appropriate goals? Turn them into SMART goals! If they’re no longer appropriate, come up with new goals.

Preview Next class we’ll talk more about the skills and knowledge you can start building now to prepare you to achieve your college and career goals!

References Doran, G. T. (1981). There's a S.M.A.R.T. way to write management's goals and objectives. Management Review, 70(11), Microsoft Office Images. (2011). Retrieved from us/images/ us/images/