1. SMART GOALS The First Step Toward Improvement
Dr. Anne Zeman, Director
Curriculum and Professional Learning
September 22, 2011

2. A SMART goal is a goal that is:
What’s a SMART Goal?
A SMART goal is a goal that is:
Specific
Measurable
Attainable
Relevant (Realistic)
Time-bound

3. Why Use SMART Goals?
The use of SMART goals greatly increases the likelihood of improvement in the targeted area.

4. SMART Goals: What’s the First Step?
Start with data:
Which data are imperative to consider?
Which data are illuminating, helpful?

5. SMART Goals: What’s Your Focus?
Which numbers (data) would you like to see improved?
This is your focus area.

6. SMART Goals What’s Your Focus?
How much improvement in numbers (data) do you want to achieve:
Consider the current gap in performance.
Can you close the gap entirely this year (or term/month/week), or is it more realistic to chunk the improvement?
What’s the highest outcome that is rigorous yet realistic?

7. SMART Goals Specific Measurable Attainable (Achievable) Relevant
Time-bound

8. SMART Goals Specific Which students, specifically?
What, specifically, will students do?
Under what specific conditions will students demonstrate success?

9. SMART Goals Measurable What will be the unit of measure?
What is the criterion for success?

10. SMART Goals
Attainable
Rigorous, a stretch
But achievable

11. SMART Goals
Relevant
Will achieving this SMART goal help us to achieve other, larger goals?
Does the SMART goal describe an improvement that is significant?
The goal is about students.

12. SMART Goals Time-Bound Does the goal specify when or “by when?”
If an on-going improvement process, does the goal describe the frequency of measure?
Is the goal sufficiently aggressive in terms of timing?

13. SMART Goals: Score this One!
By the end of term 2, 80% of students will achieve at least a “4” on our persuasive writing rubric after being blind-scored by a department team member.

14. SMART Goals: Score this One!
Now turn in your PTABG to a goal that your school created last year. Score your own! Was it “Smart?”
Please share your SMART goals at table groups.

15. SMART Goals: Double-Check
After analyzing data and selecting your area of focus, consider:
Are the SMART goals you select high-leverage benchmarks that will help you to achieve larger, overall goals?

16. SMART Goals: Double-Check
After analyzing data and selecting your area of focus, consider:
Are the adult actions truly related to improvement in student performance?
E.g.: If we want to improve student writing, will adults commit to assigning, reading, and scoring student writing on a common rubric?

17. SMART Goals: Double-Check
After analyzing data and selecting your area of focus, consider:
Is there research to support the notion that your actions are likely to lead to goal-attainment?

18. SMART Goals: Double-Check
Research is widely known in some areas but consider delving into other areas:
Marzano’s (2001) Big Nine
Rigor, Relevance, Relationships
Expository Writing
Grading Policies
Content-Specific Pedagogy

19. SMART Goals: Double-Check
The establishment of effective SMART goals requires objective analysis by a team, not individual opinion or emotionalism.

20. SMART Goals: Double-Check
On a team, who decides the SMART Goal and Action?
Highly Functioning Team
Whole
Group Consensus
Friendly
Individual Influence
Autocracy
Dysfunctional
Emotionalism
Objective/ Student Need

21. SMART Goals
SMART Goals.....Tools for Improvement