1. Student Learning and Growth Goals Foundations
Welcome and Introductions
Charter School Work Session
Spring 2016 1 1

2. Outcomes
Understand purpose and requirements of Student Learning and Growth (SLG) goals
Analyze sample goals
Practice Goal Writing/Plan Next Steps 2

3. Purpose of SLG Goals SB 290 Accountability not the only reason
Reflective practice is essential for growth as an educator
Data collected and analyzed supports informed classroom and building decisions
The student learning and growth goal setting process began with SB290 and the ESEA waiver, and continues to evolve based on feedback received from the federal government and what has been learned through the pilot district process.   
So does that mean that the only purpose of setting SLG goals is to meet a state and federal requirement? Not at all. SLG goals offers us an opportunity to examine our practice, engage in collaborative conversations about that practice, receive recognition for our strengths, and provide support where we need it. In addition, it helps us think intentionally about what our students need and how we are going to support them in getting there.” 3

4. Required Evaluation and Support System Components
(1)
(2)
(3)
(4)
(5)
Standards of Professional Practice
Differentiated Performance Levels:
4 Levels
Multiple Measures
Evaluation and Professional Growth Cycle
Aligned Professional Learning
Student Learning and Growth Goals are one of three categories of evidence 4

5. What are SLG Goals?
Detailed, measurable goals for student learning and growth
Aligned to standards and clearly describe specific learning targets students are expected to meet
Based on student learning needs identified by a review of baseline data
Rigorous, yet attainable
At its most basic, target setting for SLGs occurs when educators describe where students are, in regards to the prioritized content knowledge or skills, at the beginning of the interval of instruction (Point A) and then name a goal for where students will be in regards to that knowledge and skills at the end of the interval of instruction (Point B). 5

6. Achievement Goals vs. Growth Goals
Student Learning Growth Goal
Does not consider baseline data
Student goals are a “one-size-fits-all” and do not include ALL students
Students are expected to cross the same finish line regardless of where they start.
Start with baseline data
Includes ALL students
regardless of ability level
On the left hand side of this table are the primary characteristics of an achievement goal. For each of these categories, what do you think corresponding description of an SLG would be?”
Take responses from participants and click mouse to make the descriptions appear one at a time.
Students can show various
levels of growth –students
may have individualized finish
lines. 6

7. Student Learning Growth Goal
Achievement Goal
Student Learning Growth Goal
80% of 3rd Grade students will be proficient on the district’s Common Formative Assessment for multiplication and division.
100% of the 3rd Grade students will improve and make the following growth on the district’s Common Formative Assessment for multiplication and division:
Pre score of 0%- 25% will improve to 60% or higher
Pre score of 33% will improve to 66% or higher
Pre score of 42% will improve to 73% or higher
Pre score of 58% will improve to 82% or higher
Ask participants why this is an achievement goal. Ask for suggestions on how to make it a growth goal. 7

8. Activity: Goal Sorting
Sort the slips into two groups by Achievement Goals and Student Learning and Growth Goals
Discuss reasoning of their group selection
HAND OUT Sorting Slips
Explain:
“Now you are going to practice! Every table will have a set of 6 slips. Please take a few minutes with the others at your table to sort them into two categories by depending on whether you think they are achievement goals or SLGs.”
Make participants aware that there is a hard copy of the table from the previous slide on their table that they can reference as they sort the goals. There are a total of 6 goals.
NOTE TO PRESENTER: 1 and 5 are achievement goals, the rest are growth goals.
Ask participants to report out and describe how the two achievement goals might be turned into growth goals. 8

9. Requirements of SLG Goals
All educators set two goals each year
Between two goals all students in a course or class must be included
Goals can be individual or team goals
The educator sets two annual SLG goals between which all students in a classroom or course are included. A course is considered a content and/or grade-specific class (or a school for administrators). The instructional period will vary depending on staff assignment. For example, Algebra I SLG goal would span the length of an Algebra I course (e.g. year, semester, or trimester).
For most secondary teachers (including middle school) goals must cover all the students instructed by the teacher in a particular course or class. For example, a high school math teacher who teaches four Algebra I courses, a Geometry course, and a Calculus course might set one goal for students in their Algebra I courses and another for students in their Geometry course. It is not necessary for a secondary teacher to set goals that cover all students they teach. This would also be true for other TSPC licensed personnel such as PE teachers, reading teachers, special education teachers, etc.
For most elementary teachers goals must cover all the students in their class over the course of a year. For example, a third grade teacher might set a tiered goal for reading that describes the expected growth of all students while a second goal might cover a subgroup of students in her class that require more targeted support.
Educators are encouraged to collaborate with other educators to establish SLG goals (e.g. grade level, departments, curricular or administrative teams). Collaborative goal setting for teachers could take various forms:
A team of teachers responsible for the same grade and/or content (e.g., 9th grade English or 4th grade team) write a team-level goal with each teacher only accountable for their individual intact group of students.
A team of teachers who share students between classrooms (e.g., RTI, Walk to Read), write a team-level goal where teachers are accountable for all students.
An individual teacher accountable for an intact group of students writes a classroom or course-level goal in collaboration with their evaluator.

10. Components of SLG Goals
Content (Standards)
Assessment
Context
Baseline Data
Student Growth Goals (Targets)
Rationale
Strategies
Professional Learning & Support
HANDOUT - SLG Guidance
These are the 8 required components that must be included in an SLG goal. ODE has developed a goal setting template (pp. 23 and 26 in the SLG Guidance) which charter schools may choose to use., or they may develop their own template. However, all 8 components must be included. Examples of each of these components can be found on pages 5-7 of the SLG Guidance. We’ve provided you with a 2 page summary of SLG goals along with the definitions.
Content Standards/Skills - A clear statement of the relevant content and skills students should know or be able to do at the end of the course/class.  
Context/Students - Description of the demographics and learning needs of all students in the class or course.  
Assessments - Describes how student learning and growth will be measured.  
Baseline Data - Provides information about the students’ current performance at the start of course/class. Determine students’ strengths and areas of weaknesses that inform the goal.  
Student Learning and Growth Goal (Targets) - Describes rigorous yet realistic growth goals or targets for student achievement that are developmentally appropriate.  
Rationale - Provides a detailed description of the reasons for selecting this specific area for a goal.
Strategies - Describes the instructional strategies the educator will use relevant to learning specific content and skills to accomplish the goal. These strategies can be adjusted throughout the year .
Professional Learning and Support – Opportunity for the educator to identify areas of additional learning and support needed to meet student learning and growth goals. 10

11. Content
Based on the relevant content and skills students should know or be able to do at the end of the course /class, a clear statement of a specific area of focus is selected. These should be based on specific state or national standards. A statement such as “CCSS in Math” is not specific enough.
HANDOUT - MS Math sample goal
FOR EACH OF THE 8 DEFINITION SLIDES PARTICIPANTS WILL REFERENCE THE MS MATH GOAL AS THE EXAMPLE.
“What is the focused, deep, content that you are going to measure student progress on? It should be specific, but broad enough to cover the period of instruction and be based on an analysis of student data and areas where the educator sees potential for improvement in their practice. It is not a list of standards, and it is not all the content to be taught in the course. For example, the CCSS for Mathematics would not qualify.” 11

12. Content Example – MS Math
8.EE.5 - Graph proportional relationships, interpreting the unit rate as the slope of the graph. Compare two different proportional relationships represented in different ways.
8.F.2 - Compare properties of two functions each represented in a different way (algebraically, graphically, numerically in tables, or by verbal descriptions).
8.G.7. - Apply the Pythagorean Theorem to determine unknown side lengths in right triangles in real-world and mathematical problems in two and three dimensions.
8.G.4. - Understand that a two-dimensional figure is similar to another if the second can be obtained from the first by a sequence of rotations, reflections, translations, and dilations; given two similar two-dimensional figures, describe a sequence that exhibits the similarity between them. 12

13. Assessment Describes how student learning and growth will be measured.
Important to ensure a good match between what is being measured and the tool used to measure it
Category 2 measures (school or district-wide assessments)
“Assessment is a broad concept. Assessment does not mean just sitting down and taking a test, though tests are one form of assessment.
As you know, when selecting an assessment it is important to make sure that how you measure is a good fit with what you are measuring. For example, a multiple choice test would be a poor measure for standards that focus on application.” 13

14. Assessment Example – MS Math
I will administer the district-wide 8th grade End of Year assessment and score it using the district Math Proficiency Grading Rubric. The assessment includes multiple choice as well as constructed response items. The rubric includes five levels: Not Yet Met, Progressing, Approaching Proficient, Proficient, and Mastery. 14

15. Context
Description of the demographics and learning needs of all student in the class/course. Includes as relevant: number of students and their gender, race/ethnicity, socioeconomic status (building level data, not individual), attendance, and any students with diverse learning needs (EL, TAG, IEP, 504 plans). For those educators who do not meet with students on a regular basis, including contact time provides additional context for the goals developed.
“Context is all about identifying the characteristics of your students and circumstances of instruction (such as time) that might impact learning. It requires a conversation about the make-up of the community you serve.
Context is important because it will help you set appropriate goals and identify strategies that will best serve the needs of your students in the time period allocated. It is important to remember that context is not used in isolation to set goals, it is used in conjunction with the baseline data that has been gathered which we will talk about in the next section. Context is not what determines goals or the setting of tiers, rather it is additional data that informs these two things.
Pull participants back to share ideas. 15

16. Context Example: MS Math
There are a total of 54 students in my two sections of 8th grade math. Of these 31 are boys and 23 are girls. 3 students have IEPs, 2 are English learners, 1 is identified as TAG, and 3 students have 504 plans. This class meets for 55 minutes per day.
“Here is an example of context from our MS Math goal. Take a few moments and identify the type of data points included for context in this example.”
Call on volunteers for answers: (number, gender, learning needs, time period)
Ask: “What additional information would you want to have in order to be able to set appropriate goals for these students?”
Examples: What are their IEPs for? At what English Proficiency Level are the EL students? Attendance? 16

17. Baseline Data
Provides information about the students’ current performance at the start of course/class. It is generally the most recent data available and can include the prior year’s assessment scores or grades, results from a beginning of the year benchmark assessment, a pre-test, or other evidence of student learning. Determine students’ strengths and areas of weakness that inform the goal.
“Use multiple data points where possible. Teachers acting as intervention specialists would use baseline data from the student’s core content classroom as well as formal assessments that they have administered as part of the intervention process. More information never hurts, but one good data point is better than multiple data points that do not inform the goal, or that provide the wrong information. “ 17

18. Baseline Example: MS Math
I administered the district-wide 8th grade Beginning of Year assessment. The assessment was scored using the district Math Proficiency Grading Rubric . The results of my baseline assessment of student skills in my grade 8 math classes are as follows:
2 scored “Not Yet Met”
28 scored “Progressing”
21 scored “Approaching Proficient”
1 scored “Proficient”
0 accomplished “Mastery” 18

19. 19

20. Student Growth Goal (Targets):
Describes rigorous yet realistic growth goals or targets for student achievement that are developmentally appropriate. The targets should be rigorous yet attainable. The target can be tiered for specific students in the class/course to allow all students to demonstrate growth.
At the beginning of today’s presentation we talked about the difference between achievement goals and growth goals. Because growth goals include ALL students, identifying tiers of performance is a common strategy. 20

21. Tiered Goals
Students enter the classroom with a range of knowledge and skills
Tiered goals help ensure that each student is appropriately challenged
Tiers typically set for groups of students with similar performance
Tiered goals allow for more realistic expectations for goal attainment
In order to measure growth for ALL students, it is recommended that goals be tiered. Simply put, different groups of students, are expected to make different amounts of progress or reach different levels of proficiency by the end of the interval of instruction based on baseline data. All students in a course (including multiple sections, if applicable) should be included in an educator’s SLG and all students are expected to meet their targets, but those targets should be tiered to be appropriate for each student.
In some courses, most students enter with very little background knowledge about the subject area, as in an introductory course to a world language, for example. In this case, the teacher would likely have similar expectations for what students will know and be able to do upon completion of the course. In other cases, particularly in courses that focus on more linear content that spans many grade levels, such as reading comprehension, students’ background knowledge and skills will have significant bearing on their expected performance by the end of the course. 21

22. Activity 1a - What makes a target rigorous?
Read the short excerpt on setting targets that are rigorous yet attainable
Take notes on the key learnings you identified, and any questions you still have
If there’s a time issue, cut this entire activity (this slide and 23; keep 22)
HANDOUT - How do you determine targets that are rigorous yet attainable?
“On your table is an excerpt from a document on target setting developed by the Rhode Island Department of Education titled Setting Targets in Student Learning Objectives.
Read through the excerpt individually, and write down any thoughts or questions you have that you can share when we engage in table discussion.” 22

23. Reflection on Reading Table Talk: Whole group share out
Think about the targets you have set for students in the past. How does what you read align with or clarify the process you used? If not, why?
Whole group share out
Ask for volunteers to share out to the larger group. 23

24. Points to keep in mind…
The intent of tiered targets is not to solidify achievement gaps, but to support their narrowing
Students who begin the course behind will need to make more than a year’s worth of learning otherwise they will never catch up
Students who enter above grade level should be expected to show appropriate growth
If there’s a time issue, keep this slide. Cut 21 and 23.
Before we ask you to talk at your tables, a few things to keep in mind…
“While students in lower tiers may have a lower absolute target, reaching it may require them to make more progress than students with higher targets. Consider looking at the standard to which the student is currently performing in relation to the standard at the grade-level where they should be performing and determine what scaffolding is needed to bring them closer.
If above grade-level students are expected to maintain a certain (usually high) level of proficiency across an interval of instruction, then their target should represent student learning across that interval; it should not be the expectation that students will simply not lose the knowledge or skills with which they entered the course. The expectation should be that students arriving above grade-level expectations maintain their high level of proficiency or performance on a new set of standards, on increasingly rigorous texts/content, or according to a more rigorous rubric or assessment.” 24

25. Activity 1b – Analyzing Targets
Examine the three graphics at your table
Determine which of the three illustrates rigorous target setting
Be prepared to defend to the whole group why you believe your choice is rigorous and the other two are not
HANDOUT – Target graphics
“Now that we’ve done some reading about target setting, we’re going to try some application. The three graphics at your table represent three different approaches to goal setting for a 6th grade math class. This class has a total of 24 students, some of which are entering performing at the 5th grade level, some are on grade level and some are performing between 6th and 7th grade level.
Which of the three examples represents rigorous target setting based on what we just read and discussed? “
Ask volunteers to share out 25

26. Target Example: MS Math
100% of students will demonstrate learning growth on the district end-of-year assessment delivered in the last trimester. See the below target growth goals for my students based on the categories provided:
Tier 1 (Not Yet Met/Progressing): Increase at least two proficiency levels (Approaching Proficient/Proficient)
Tier 2 (Approaching Proficiency): Increase at least one proficiency level (Proficient)
Tier 3 (Proficient): Increase one proficiency level (Mastery) 26

27. Rationale
Provides a detailed description of the reasons for selecting this specific area for a goal. Includes a discussion of baseline data as well as current practice within the school and/or classroom.
The rationale should include language for the importance of the selected content/standards. Includes reasons for the expected growth and how the target is appropriate and rigorous for students. 27

28. Rationale Example – MS Math
After assessing my students in 8th grade content standards, the data revealed a large percentage of my students (68%) do not meet the 8th grade benchmarks in the content and skills tested on the beginning-of-year assessment. Thus, my goal this year centers around improving each student’s content knowledge, procedural skills, and application skills because that is what students need in order to be prepared for future success in mathematics.
My growth goal is reasonable because my targets require all students to grow at least one proficiency level. The two students who are furthest behind will be required to grow two proficiency levels, reaching approaching mastery by the end of the year. 28

29. Strategies
Describes the instructional strategies the educator will use relevant to learning specific content and skills to accomplish the goal. These strategies can be adjusted throughout the year based on data about student progress.
“Identifying instructional strategies that align to the content being taught as well as the needs of the students (as determined from context and baseline data) is key to helping you meet your goals. We are going to spend most of the remainder of the morning talking about strategies to support all students, knowing that teachers often have diverse groups of learners.” 29

30. Strategies Example – MS Math
Use the Eureka/Engage NY curriculum as my primary teaching resource. This curriculum was specifically written to not only teach the Common Core State Standards, but to teach them in a way that integrates the Mathematical Practices, which are ways of thinking about, discussing, and communicating mathematically.
Actively engage students in the process of communicating their own reasoning, as well as critiquing the reasoning of others.
Engage students in fluency and procedural practice using Kuta software to generate on grade-level practice.
Explicitly teach students how to communicate their mathematical reasoning using a template that scaffolds the way in which they describe how they are solving a problem. This mathematical communication will be measured once per module using a curriculum embedded prompt that I create to provide students with a relevant problem solving experience. 30

31. Professional Learning & Support
Opportunity for the educator to identify areas of additional learning and support needed to meet student learning and growth goals. Self-reflection and identification of professional learning needs can help focus efforts to provide meaningful professional learning opportunities to educators.
“This is the place for the educator to identify what support and resources they need to help them meet the SLG goals they have identified.” 31

32. PL & Support Example – MS Math
Attend the district’s upcoming PD regarding Eureka Math
Collaborate with my colleagues who are teaching the same new math curriculum this year.
In order to support my students’ needs in the classroom, I need additional support in understanding high leverage classroom practices. 32

33. Tools for Setting and Scoring Goals
Quality Review Checklist
Statewide SLG Goal Scoring Rubric 33

34. Quality Review Checklist
Takes place during the goal setting phase of the professional growth cycle
For an SLG goal to be approved, all criteria must be met
Version with guiding questions available in SLG section of toolkit
The checklist is used during the goal setting process and ensures the goals are complete for scoring. Goals are set in the fall through a collaborative process between educator and evaluator. As part of the goal setting process, teachers and administrators should use the goal setting checklist when sharing their goals with their evaluator. The checklist includes questions in three categories to help the educator and evaluator collaboratively determine the quality of the goal: Baseline Data, Targets, and Rigor. If the answers to all the questions in the checklist are “YES”, then the goal can be approved.
Once SLG goals are approved, educators start collecting the information needed to measure student progress as defined in the SLG goal. The collection and analysis of data continues throughout the course or school year to monitor student progress towards goals. The educator is responsible for collecting and organizing documentation, including the approved SLG goals and evidence of progress defined within it, in a way that is easy for them to reference and for the evaluators to review. At the end of the course or school year, educators meet with their evaluator to review results. 34

35. Scoring SLG Goals
All teachers and administrators set and score 2 goals each year
Goals are scored using state SLG Scoring Rubric
Rubric levels defined by percentage of students who met the target(s) set
As a requirement of SB290 and the ESEA waiver, student learning and growth must be included as a significant factor of educators’ summative evaluations. The SLG scoring rubric is used for scoring individual SLG goals based on evidence submitted by the teacher and administrator. The scoring tools are used to determine the educator’s impact on student learning and growth in the summative evaluation. Educators score their SLG goals and review and finalize the score with their supervisor/ evaluator. Evaluators are responsible for determining the final score.
The scoring process is facilitated by using the scoring rubric to determine whether each student exceeded, met, or did not meet the target; and the percentage of students in each category. To ensure consistency in evaluations across the state, all districts must use the Oregon SLG Goal Scoring Rubric to score SLG goals measured by Category 2 assessments.
Educators on a two year evaluation cycle will select two of the four goals collaboratively with their evaluator to be included in their summative evaluation. 35

36. Enjoy your lunch! 36

37. Collaboration Grant Facilitators
What does the Student Learning and Growth goal process look like in a local district?
Timeline
Process for PD, to make sure everyone is on the same page
What does the goal setting meeting look like between the evaluator and educator?
What does a mid-year conference look like? What materials might you/need you bring?

38. Activity: Sample Goal Review
Work with a partner to look at the sample goals provided
Which goals do you think are strong?
Which need more work? In what areas?
Share out
Hand out: Use the Checklist w/Guiding questions; and, four sample goals.
We’ve provided you with four sample goals, 2 teacher goals and 2 administrator goals. Divide the group, assigning two goals to each side. Take 10 minutes to review your two goals. Then we’ll get back together and talk about what you noticed and questions you still have 38

39. Choose Your Own Adventure!
Writing SLG Goals
Work on a sample you brought with you
Try writing one thinking about the students you currently have
Planning/Next Steps
How does your current goal setting practice support what you learned today?
What changes/additions will need to be made?
Handout: Paper copies of SLG templates
Beforehand: Ask participants to bring any examples they have of writing goals. If they don’t have any, that’s okay. 39

40. Getting Feedback on Goals
Focus on the content (standard), assessment and the target
Capture these three components on a piece of chart paper
Post your chart on the wall
Gallery Walk
Use sticky notes to provide feedback on at least three goals that are posted around the room
Share out as a group after gallery walk

41. Questions? 41

42. Contacts District and School Effectiveness Team:
Tanya Frisendahl
Sarah Martin
Sarah Phillips
Brian Putnam
Online Resources 42

43. Role of SLG Goals in Evaluation
Districts required to use the Oregon Matrix in determining summative scores
Y axis represents combined performance on Professional Practice (PP) and Professional Responsibility (PR)
X axis represents combined performance on 2 SLG goals
Informs plan for professional growth
Matrix 101 PowerPoint on website
As we discussed earlier, SLGs represent one piece of the collection of evidence that is examined as part of the evaluation process. The scores from the two SLGs selected provide the X axis score on the matrix. The matrix is purposefully weighted so that professional practice and responsibility have more impact on the overall summative score than the SLGs.
In addition to reporting the overall summative score for teachers and administrators to ODE, who in turn report to USED, districts use these summative scores to inform the planning for professional growth for each educator. 43

44. Y-Axis = PP/PR Rating Example District rubric with 20 components
Component ratings:
17 components were rated 3; and 3 were rated 2 = 57 points possible
57/20=2.85
2.85 = Level 3 PP/PR Rating
Add up all component scores for total points possible;
Divide by number of components in your rubric;
Get a rating between 1 and 4;
Use Y-Axis threshold to determine PP/PR level:
= 4 =3
1.99 – 2.8 = 2 *
< 1.99 = 1
*PP/PR Scoring Rule: If the educator scores two 1’s in any PP/PR component and his/her average score falls between , the educator’s performance level cannot be rated above a 1.
To determine the overall PP/PR rating, scores for every component are added and then divided by the number of component. This results in a rating between 1-4. As a requirement of the ESEA waiver, ODE has developed thresholds that districts must use when making determinations.
The example on the right shows the ratings for a fictional teacher in a district with a rubric that includes 20 components. When her scores are totaled and divided by 20 she has an overall score of using the Y axis threshold she is determined to have an overall rating of 3 in PP/PR.
It is important to note that if the educator scores two 1’s in any PP/PR component and his/her average score falls between , the educator’s performance level cannot be rated above a 1. 44

45. X-Axis = SLG Rating Example First SLG was rated 2
SLG performance level based on two goals
Two-year cycle select two of four goals
Score SLG goals
Get a rating between 1 and 4;
Use X-Axis thresholds to determine SLG level:
4 = both goals 4s
3 = both goals 3s; one goal 3 & one goal 4; one goal 2 & one 4
2 = both goals 2s; one goal 2 & one 3; one goal 1 & one 3; one goal 4 & one 1
1= both goals 1s; one goal 1 & one 2
Example
First SLG was rated 2
A second SLG was rated 4
X-Axis Rating = Level 3 SLG Rating
For the X axis, the determination of overall performance level is based on 2 goals. For those educators on a two year cycle, two of the four goals would be selected
In our example, one goal was rated a 2 and a second goal was rated a 4. Using the threshold this means his overall SLG rating is a 3. 45

46. Example: Y-axis = 3 & X-axis = 3
The matrix is a decision-making tool. It is the instrument that bring two inputs (PP/PR and SLG) together to help you make a decision for the final performance level you need to report. Districts use the thresholds established by ODE to determine the rating for each axis. The Y axis represents overall performance related to Professional practice and responsibility and the X axis represents overall performance related to student learning and growth.
It is important to note that the matrix is not a uniform percent model, and that by design the Y axis has more influence on the overall score (summative rating) than the X axis. For example, if you score a 4 on the Y-axis (PP/PR) and a 1 on the X-axis (SLG), the matrix shows that you’re still a 3 overall. In a 50/50 percentage model, you would be a 2.5.
Going back to our example of Mr. Waters, recall that he had an SGP score of 3, and an SLG score of 3 which made his overall rating on the X axis a 3. Mr. Water’s professional practice and responsibility rating on the Y axis was a 3. You can see that with a 3 on the Y axis and a 3 on the X axis the overall rating is a 3 which would mean a Collegial path. This means that paths for professional growth are developed jointly by the educator and evaluator. Even if Mr. Waters had scored a 2 overall on the X axis he would still be a 3 overall and on the Collegial path.
*Inquiry Process 46