COLLABORATION MODULE #5 Planning Using Goals And Milestones An online module developed by Pivot Learning Partners for the West Contra Costa Unified School District

This module is one of a series of six that focus on the foundational skills and tools for collaboration: Setting and Using Norms Assigning Roles in Meetings Planning Good Meetings Making Decisions Collaboratively Establishing Goals and Milestones Giving and Receiving Feedback ABOUT THIS MODULE 5

More about this module Each module includes a PowerPoint presentation a Quick Guide on the topic one or more tools or templates videos of teams at work (not included in some modules).. Individuals or groups can use these modules in flexible ways, and depending on the group’s choices, they can take anywhere from 10 minutes to 1 hour to complete. 5

Everybody needs both goals and milestones to stay on track A goal is where you’re headed. A milestone is something you have to pass along the way. What goals exist now for your school and for your team? Where do these goals come from? How do you use them? Take some time individually or as a team to make a list of your goals. Did you need to look some of these up? Where did you look? Who else knows about these? What does your team use these for? 5

Let’s take a look at the goals you found Many organizations use the idea of SMART goals. We like to talk about goals that are not only SMART but also SMARTER. 5

SMARTER goals are Specific Measurable Attainable Relevant Timely They are also Equity focused Recorded 5

Review your goals Look at the list of goals you just made. Are they SMARTER? You may want to use the worksheet in this module to help organize your thinking. 5

Milestones are leading indicators—places to look for impact before the goal can be achieved. Example: Teacher practice has to change before student learning will improve. Teacher practice is a leading indicator. processes that must be completed if the goal is to be achieved. Example: All teachers must be trained on the new practice before they can implement it. Professional development is a good place to look for milestones. Identifying milestones will help you develop a calendar of activities for the year. To learn more about goals and milestones, refer to the Quick Guide included in this module. 5

Goals and milestones shape your work plan for the year What will your information and learning technology staff need to do in order to help teachers help students meet your goal? By when? Can you fit these steps into your calendar? 5 1 st quarter milestone 2 nd quarter milestone 3 rd quarter milestone 4 th quarter milestone SMARTER goal Students will Teachers will

As a team, try this three-step process: Step one: Take a major goal you have for students. Then note some milestones. Where will students need to be by midyear to meet your year-end goal? Note these milestones. Step two: Define the goal for teachers that will be necessary to meet the goal for students. Where will teachers need to be by midyear to meet your year-end goal? Note these milestones. Step three: Capture the implications you see for the work of the instructional and learning technology staff this year. What will the ILT staff need to do to help teachers help students meet your goals? This is the beginning of your ILT staff’s work plan! 5

Questions to think about Do your school’s goals need to be updated? Do they adequately reflect the team’s aspirations for what you want to accomplish? What measures will work best for you this year? Can you set goals using the state assessment? Benchmarks? Where else can you look for evidence of progress? Might you need to consider setting SMARTER goals for teacher practice? How could you make these measurable? Should you define a SMARTER goal for your ILT staff? 5

Thank You!