The Power of Smart Goals

by O'Neill, Jan

• ISBN13: 9781932127874
• ISBN10: 1932127879
• Format: Paperback
• Copyright: 2005-11-04
• Publisher: Solution Tree

Summary

Many schools have improvement goals, but they are all too often written into a mandated school improvement plan and then soon forgotten. Although most of us acknowledge the power of goals in our own lives, they remain the single most underestimated and underutilized means of improving student learning-particularly in the classroom-in education today.

Author Biography

Jan O'Neill, M.S., is a former teacher who became one of the pioneers in applying quality principles system-wide in municipal and state governments and health care Anne Conzemius, M.S., is a former school psychologist and executive assistant to the Wisconsin State Superintendent and has spent many years working in quality improvement in the public and private sectors

Table of Contents

About the Authors	p. xv
Foreword	p. xix
Introduction: The SMART Goals Process	p. 1
Barriers to Goal-Setting and Monitoring	p. 5
Hard Work	p. 5
Lack of Common Assessments	p. 6
Lack of Feedback	p. 7
Vulnerability	p. 7
The Power of Results Thinking	p. 8
The QLD Framework	p. 11
The Power of SMART Goals	p. 13
Strategic	p. 14
Specific	p. 14
Measurable	p. 15
Attainable	p. 15
Results-Based	p. 16
Time-Bound	p. 16
A Powerful Graphic Organizer for Creating SMART Goals	p. 17
The Goal	p. 19
Indicators	p. 20
Measures	p. 20
Targets	p. 20
A Process for Implementing SMART Goals	p. 24
The 30+ Minute Meeting Process: Step by Step	p. 25
Identify the Need	p. 25
Identify SMART Goal	p. 25
Correlating Promising Practices With Current Practices	p. 26
Plan Professional Development	p. 26
Analyze Results and Refocus Efforts	p. 27
SMART Goals Work!	p. 30
Keeping Goals Alive	p. 33
From Survive to Thrive	p. 34
The Journey: Five Key Questions	p. 35
Where Do We Want to Be?	p. 35
Where Are We Now?	p. 37
How Will We Get to Where We Want to Be?	p. 37
What Are We Learning, and Where Should We Focus Next?	p. 38
Leadership Capacity	p. 38
Will and Skill	p. 39
Team Skills: The Three Realms of Skillfulness	p. 43
Individual Development	p. 43
Organizational Development	p. 43
Implementation Management	p. 44
Action: Beyond the Plan	p. 45
Initiation	p. 46
Implementation	p. 46
Institutionalization	p. 47
Success in the McFarland School District	p. 47
Nurturing the Cycle of Growth	p. 50
Linking Assessment and Goals	p. 53
Team Goals	p. 54
Assessment That Promotes Learning	p. 55
The Need for Balanced Assessment	p. 56
Summative Assessment	p. 57
Formative Assessment	p. 58
Changing Our Practices: Using Common Assessments	p. 59
"Just in Time" Learning	p. 62
Student Involvement in Assessment	p. 62
The Five Dimensions of Quality Assessments	p. 64
Quality Assessments Arise From and Are Designed to Serve the Specific Information Needs of Intended Users	p. 65
Quality Assessments Arise From Clearly Articulated and Appropriate Achievement Targets	p. 65
Quality Assessments Accurately Reflect Student Achievement	p. 65
Quality Assessments Yield Results That Are Effectively Communicated to Intended Users	p. 71
Quality Assessments Involve Students in Classroom Assessment, Record-Keeping, and Communication of Results	p. 74
Creating Winners Through Assessment	p. 76
SMART Goal-Driven Curriculum and Instruction	p. 77
Traditional Curriculum Management	p. 79
The Ideal System	p. 81
Using Goals to Focus Curriculum Improvement	p. 82
Curriculum Improvement in Action	p. 84
The Team Learning Process	p. 86
Identify Essential Learning Outcomes	p. 87
Develop Common, Comprehensive Assessments	p. 90
Identify Proficiency Levels That All Students Should Achieve	p. 94
Review Results, Identify Problem Areas, and Develop Plans for Addressing Those Areas	p. 97
Putting It All Together	p. 102
Where Am I Going?	p. 102
Where Am I Now?	p. 108
How Can I Close the Gap?	p. 108
A Living, Breathing Process	p. 109
Using SMART Goals to Drive Professional Development	p. 113
Linking Goals and Professional Development	p. 116
Organizational Goals	p. 117
How They Did It	p. 120
The Importance of Leadership	p. 122
Individual Professional Goals	p. 124
Goals for Beginning Teachers	p. 124
Goals for Experienced Educators	p. 126
Goals That Are Motivating	p. 126
Goals Focused on Student Success	p. 127
Student Learning Goals	p. 130
Evaluation of Professional Development	p. 133
Participant Reactions	p. 134
Participant Learning	p. 134
Organization Support and Change	p. 135
Participant Use of New Knowledge and Skills	p. 135
Student Learning Outcomes	p. 136
Rethinking Professional Development	p. 136
Building Capacity for Goal-Oriented Thinking	p. 139
The Power of Optimism	p. 141
Optimism and Motivation	p. 143
Optimism and Hope	p. 143
Developing Competence	p. 145
Barriers to Teacher Leadership	p. 147
Strategies for Reducing-or Eliminating-the Barriers	p. 150
Working From Our Beliefs	p. 150
Restructuring Time	p. 154
Building Optimism	p. 154
What Teachers Can Do to Build Leadership	p. 157
The Power of Reflection	p. 159
Teachers Need to Collaborate	p. 162
A Clear Vision of Student Success	p. 163
Case Studies	p. 165
Jenifer Junior High School, Lewiston, Idaho	p. 166
The Middle School Model	p. 166
Goal-Setting	p. 168
Longfellow Middle School, La Crosse, Wisconsin	p. 171
Examining the Data	p. 172
The Outcomes	p. 173
The Steps	p. 174
SMART Goals and Action Plans	p. 176
Continuous Improvement	p. 177
New Lexington High School, New Lexington, Ohio	p. 178
SMART Team Planning	p. 180
Reflection	p. 185
Burleigh Elementary School, Elmbrook, Wisconsin	p. 187
The Rest of the Story	p. 188
The Path to Success	p. 190
Renewing Our Schools, Our Practices, Ourselves	p. 191
References	p. 197
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