RSA #2 SMART Goals and Goal Setting
http://www.nasponline.org/publications/cq/39/7/goal-setting-and-hope.aspx
One of the
keys to student achievement is setting difficult but attainable goals aligned
with the state standards. (Curran, 2011) Goals need to be established and based
on improving student learning. Teacher
collaboration is a must for this to occur. The goals must set specific targets.
They should not be general or vague. The
goals should be attainable however moving outside of the “comfort zone”. It
will be these “goals” that a school can move forward and use these goals to
focus on results. (Dufour, Dufour).
Schools have
focused on new reading programs, changing curriculum, schedule changes,
increasing requirements and still not obtaining the results expected. The focus needs to change from activities to
outcomes and goals. Schools need to begin thinking about collaborative teams
working toward SMART goals (Rasberry, 2008). There can’t be a separation, teams
need to work together to develop measurable goals with a well defined plan to
improve student achievement. Team member need to be open about current
practices and continually look for ways to do their work better. The school goals will be translated to SMART
goals, which actually clarify the more global goals. Each member can contribute
to achieving the results (Curran, 2011).
Goal setting
is a simple way to reach the results wanted.
Professional development is needed to get to this point. The goals will
focus on outcomes and not strategies.
The leaders need to provide the resources, clarity, supply the teams
with the tools necessary to reach the goals, and monitor the team progress. The
SMART goals’ intent is to drive the team and contributes to the success of the
school and district. Research shows that setting SMART goals is essential to
achieving results (DuFour, DuFour).
