STUDENT GROWTH OBJECTIVES SGO for the first year teacher.

WHAT IS AN SGO Effective with 2013-14 school year, the TEACHNJ Act expanded the means by which teachers are evaluated. A student’s growth must be an accountable part of the evaluation system. Learning goals are set and tested on a regular basis. These goals and objectives are collectively known as the Student Growth Objective. An SGO is a long-term academic goal that is set for students. The outcome must me both specific and measurable, and also must be aligned to the NJCCS. It is a measurable record of what a student has learned between two points of time. The goal set forth must be ambitious and achievable. Teacher develops an SGO with the assistance of a principal and potential grade level teachers. The principal makes the final determination about the SGO. If a teacher also gets and SGP, they must set between one and two SGOs. Teachers who do not get an SGP must do two SGO’s. SGP’s are given to those teachers who teach 4-8 math and LAL.

TYPES AND NUMBER OF SGOs General SGO - are broad in general and are focused on a teachers student population. These can also be tiered according to a classes preparation level. Specific SGO – are geared towards a certain group of students, specific content or skill. Both of these types of SGO can be tiered to suite a students preparation level. Specific SGO can be given to special needs students either gifted or learning disabled Primary grade teachers may decide that a portfolio may be the best way to assess that age group.

FIVE STEPS TO a successful SGO Choose/develop assessment Determine student’s starting point Set ambitious and achievable SGO Track progress Review results TIMEFRAMES April-October choose or develop assessment Sept – October determine starting point Sept. – November Set SGOs November Have SGO approved by evaluator October – May Track goals, refine instruction January – February Check in with evaluator May – June Review results, evaluator scores SGO

CHOOSE/DEVELOP ASSESSMENTS Assessments should be developed together with teachers and principals. All assessments should align with district, school and NJCCS guidelines. The level of difficult should vary and the variety of questions should vary. Differentiation should be taken into account. Rubrics used should be specific and address many levels of learning.

DETERMINE STARTING POINT It is important for teachers to find a starting point for every student, these starting points can and will be different within the class. Starting points can come from prior-year tests such as NJASK and any leveled reading score. Student’s previous grades can also be a good indicator of a starting point. Using more than one source is acceptable. Teachers also need to determine if a pre-assessment needs to be done and if students should be subdivided for SGOs according to achievement data. SGOs must be based on available student data. It is important for teachers to assess students objectively, therefore not allowing instinct when assessing new students.

SET GROWTH OBJECTIVES Using the simple form of the general student growth objective basically means that the educators will predict what percentage of students would meet or exceed the growth objective set forth by the SGO. The results of this objective will have a direct correlation on the evaluation of the teacher.

TRACK PROGRESS Teachers should track progress, possibly with a mid-course assessment or portfolio review, and make adjustments as needed. The tracking of progress will allow a teacher to evaluate what teaching strategies worked and which did not. Formal assessments are not required for tracking.

REVIEW AND SCORE At the end of the academic year, teachers will gather their assessments and the results of the students progress. A teacher’s supervisor and/or principal will evaluate the results to formulate and rating that will then be used for a teacher’s evaluation. The basis for the rating will correlate directly with the rubric developed for that teacher’s SGO. The rating that is given should reflect back on the “set growth objectives”