1. Beg, Steal & Borrow A Highlight Reel (see sources on the final slide)
SGOs
Beg, Steal & Borrow A Highlight Reel (see sources on the final slide)

2. What is a Student Growth Objective?
A Student Growth Objective must be:
Annual, specific and measureable
Based on growth and achievement
Aligned to NJ/CC curriculum standards
Based on available prior student learning data
A measure of what a student has learned between two points in time
Ambitious and achievable
A collaborative process between teacher and supervisor
Approved by the principal 2 2

3. Measures of Student Growth
A Student Growth Objective is a long term academic goal that teachers set for groups of students and must be:
Specific and Measurable
Ambitious and Achievable
Aligned to New Jersey’s curriculum standards
Based on available prior student learning data and is Results driven
A measure of what a student has learned between two points in Time

4. What does it mean to be… S ? M A R T

5. Introduction to SMART…:
SGO

6. S.M.A.R.T. SGOs are…
S… Specific M… Measurable A… Attainable/Ambitious R… Results-drive T… Timed

7. Attainable/Ambitious
S.M.A.R.T. SGOs are…
Specific
Measurable
Attainable/Ambitious
Results-driven
Timed
The SGO should be simplistically written, and clearly defined.   
The SGO should be measurable and provide tangible evidence that you have achieved the objective.
The SGO should be attainable; reasonably challenging both you and your students, but clearly defined
so that it can be achieved.
The SGO should focus on measuring outcomes, not activities.
 The SGO should be organized around a timeframe that presents a reasonable sense of urgency.

9. 6-Review Results & Score
Review student data to identify areas of need; choose or develop a quality assessment aligned to state or national standards to determine baseline
Identify student population
Identify evidence sources to measure student growth
1-Prepare
Establish students' starting points and goals for growth
Determine teaching and learning strategies for goal attainment
Design a SMART SGO statement
2-Develop
Conference with evaluator
Revise SGO statement as needed
3-Submit for Approval
Implement identified strategies
Collect evidence through ongoing assessment to monitor student progress and tdetermine effectiveness of instructional strategies
4-Implement & Monitor
Midway through academic cycle, review collected evidence with evaluator
Revise and adjust teaching & learning strategies as needed
Make adjustments to SGO if necessary with evaluator's approval by Feb.15
5- Mid-point Review
Adminster post-assessment at end of academic cycle
Review results & SGO scores; determine whether SGO has been met
Discuss results and SGO scores with evaluator
6-Review Results & Score

10. IMPLEMENT AND MONITOR SGO
PREPARE
SGO
SGO REVIEW
and EDUCATOR SGO SCORE
PRE-APPROVAL STAGE
STUDENT
GROWTH
OBJECTIVES
PROCESS
SCORE
SGO RESULTS
DEVELOP
SGO
SGO
SUBMISSION
& APPROVAL
IMPLEMENT AND MONITOR SGO
EVIDENCE COLLECTION
FOCUSED
STRATEGIES
The SGO Development Process
MID-YEAR SGO REVIEW

11. Teachers: SGOs from Beginning to End

16. Principals/Supervisors as Instructional Leaders: Guiding the SGO Conversation

17. PREPARE SGO
Is there a viable curriculum in place that is standards-based and connected to daily instruction?
What assessment data is available? What does the assessment data tell us about our students? Are additional assessments needed? If so, can these be procured or will teachers need to collaboratively create them?
Are the assessments aligned to the standards?

18. PREPARE SGO
Are the pre-assessments, formative assessments and post-assessments aligned?
Are PLCs/teams established and working effectively to analyze student data and identify areas of student need?

19. DEVELOP SGO
What student learning objectives will be the basis of my SGO?
What kind of SGO will I develop?
Progress and/or achievement?
General or General-tiered?
Specific – student group?
Specific- content/skill?
If PLCs/teams have identified an area of student need, have individual teachers developed growth goals specifically for their students?

20. DEVELOP SGO
Are PLCs/teams established and working effectively to identify the most effective teaching and learning strategies to maximize student achievement and meet the SGO?
Do teachers and/or PLCs/teams need targeted professional development regarding specific strategies or the diverse needs of learners?

21. IMPLEMENT and MONITOR the SGO
Is student assessment data shared among colleagues so that the needs of students can be more effectively met?
Are PLCs/teams collaboratively reflecting on and revising teaching and learning strategies and instructional resources in response to analysis of assessment data?

26. TYPES OF SGOs Type of SGO Definition General
Focused on the teacher’s entire student population for a given course. Includes a large proportion of curriculum standards
General –
Tiered
Same as above, but with student goals tiered by student preparation levels.
Specific –
Student Group
Focused on a subgroup of students that needs specific support.
Student –
Content/Skill
Focused on specific skills or content that students must master.

27. General Student Growth Objectives
There are two strategies to consider when setting a General SGO; simple and tiered.
The simple method is based on determining how many of the total students are expected to meet a single target
The tiered method is based on expected growth within groups of students identified by their starting points, as discussed in SGO Step 2. (This is a part of the General SGO and should not be confused with a Specific SGO)

28. Setting Simple Student Growth Objectives
To use the simple method of setting General SGOs, educators must predict what percentage of students would attain a particular level of performance on the final assessment. There are four levels of attainment of this objective. The next slide shows the four levels of attainment possible for a student growth objective and what each level means.

29. Breaking Down SGOs Into Different Levels Based On Student Readiness
Teachers often have students with a wide range of readiness and ability in a course or class.
One simple SGO for all students might be too low for some students and too high for others.
By breaking down SGOs into different levels based on student development, your goals are more likely to be ambitious and feasible for a much wider range of students.

30. One Way Would Be to Divide Students Into Three Groups
Low level of readiness: Students who have yet to master pre-requisite knowledge or skills needed for this course
Medium level of readiness: Students who are appropriately prepared to meet the demands of the course
High level of readiness: Students who start the course having already mastered some key knowledge or skills.

31. Creating Tiered Goals
In tiered SGOs you set different targets for different groups of students according to their starting points.
Quantifying what each level looks like provides a clear idea of how much growth to expect from each of these groups.

32. Mid-Year Check-up
During the middle of the school year, you and your evaluator will check-in to evaluate the progress your students are making towards the targets you have set for them.
Reflecting on:
-How are your students progressing toward your SGOs? How do you know?
-Which students are struggling/exceeding expectations? What are you doing to support them?
-What additional resources do you need to support you as you work to achieve your SGOs?

33. Resources
America Achieves (videos of educators teaching common core aligned lessons / matching lesson plans and student work samples) Partnership for 21st Century Skills

34. Resources
Connecticut Mid-Year Conferences Ohio SMART Goals

35. Resources
New York – Engage Nassau BOCES (search samples by content/grade...NY calls them SLOs)

36. Resources
Denver Public Schools (lots of related stuff)(and we have a good contact there!) Virginia

37. KEY TERMS
BASELINE: a measure of the level of knowledge that students in a class are beginning with at the start of the academic cycle or specific designated interval of time (e.g., quarter, semester, academic year). Used when setting a growth goal that involves progress. For each source of evidence, the numerical quantity that represents student learning prior to instruction is the baseline; it is the starting used in the SGO. Growth is determined by student learning as the student progresses over a period of time from baseline performance.
EVIDENCE: the assessment of student learning or other form of student work produced that is used to determine how much the educator’s students have learned.
GOAL: a specific and measurable learning objective/goal that can be measured over the course of an academic cycle or specific designated interval of time (e.g., quarter, semester, academic year).
LEARNING STRATEGIES: instructional strategies that are intended to support student growth as specified in the SGO and are appropriate for the target students.

38. KEY TERMS
MASTERY: an SGO whose target is expressed in terms of how many or which students will reach a certain level of achievement. Does not require a baseline for those students, although may be expressed as a change in the percentage of students who have attained mastery since the beginning of the year or as percentage of standards that will be mastered by the end of the year.
MONITORING PROGRESS: process involving the educator’s review of target group progress toward the SGO, based on student learning data and any changes in the student demographics.
PRE-TEST: initial, or baseline, measure of student learning typically administered at the beginning the academic year. This can include a formal pre-test, information from the prior year, work samples, and/or other available data.
POST-TEST: student learning at the end of a specified time period as specified under an SGO.

39. KEY TERMS
PROGRESS: any SGO whose target represent a change in the level of learning for each student over two points in time. Progress goals require a baseline and a target that is higher than the baseline for the same students.
RIGOROUS: expectations for student growth as specified in an SGO that establish high standards for growth, yet are attainable.
SGO: student growth objective. Long-term academic goal that teachers set for groups of students and must be: specific and measurable; aligned to New Jersey’s curriculum standards; based on available prior student learning data; a measure of what a student has learned between two points in time; ambitious and achievable.
TARGETED GROWTH: level of expected understanding of learning content by target group.
TARGETED POPULATION: group(s) of students for whom an SGO applies.
Note: Adapted from:  
New York State Department of Education. Retrieved March 20, 2013 from:
Wisconsin Department of Public Instruction. Retrieved March 20, 2013 from:

40. Good Luck!
The above slides reflect a compilation of slides/information taken from the following sources in an attempt try to drill down SGOs...hope it helps!
“Developing Student Growth Objectives in All Content Areas” powerpoint, Dr. McInerney, Dr. Chinni, Dr. Macula, April 29, 2013
“Professional Development Program” handout, Madison Institute, Dr. Chinni, Dr. McInerney, Dr. Macula, K. Schneekloth, April 8, 2013
“It’s All About Student Growth Objectives” powerpoint, NJ Excel Cohort, Rich Pepe, Mary Sens-Azara, January 2013