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SLO Learning Goals Tools

Table of Contents Tools Page Levels of Objectives 1 Process for Determining SLO Learning Goals 3 Blooms Taxonomy Original vs. Revised 5 Revised Blooms Taxonomy (Cognitive Dimension) 7 Webb DOK Framework Level Definitions 9 Depth of Knowledge Levels (chart) 11 Cognitive Rigor Matrix: English Language Arts and Social Studies 13 Cognitive Rigor Matrix: Math and Science 15 Cognitive Rigor Matrix: Writing 17 Developing a Learning Culture in the School (Clarke,2001) 21 What does it mean to share learning targets and criteria for success (Moss & Brookhart, 2009) 23 Use Examples and Models of Strong and Weak Work 25 Emily’s papers 35 Constructivist Protocol 37 Sharing Success Criteria with Students 39 Learning Goals References 41

Levels of Objectives

Level of Objective

Global Educational Instructional

Scope Broad Moderate Narrow

Time needed to learn Two or more years (often many)

Weeks, months, or academic year Hours or days

Purpose or function Provide vision Design curriculum Prepare lesson plans

Example of use Plan a multi-year curriculum (e.g., elementary reading)

Plan units of instruction

Plan daily lessons, activities, experiences and exercises

A Taxonomy for Learning, Teaching, and Assessing: A revision of Bloom’s taxonomy of educational objectives, 2001

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Process for Determining SLO Learning Goals The learning goals that are part of a Student Learning Objective (SLO) describe what students will be able to do by the end of the instructional interval. Learning goals come from the standards and the curriculum for the content area and grade level. The rationale for the learning goal explains why the learning goal is an appropriate focus for the instructional period.

Process for determining an SLO Learning Goal:

Process Step Your concern(s) about each step 1. Identify the “big ideas” for the grade level

and content area.

2. Identify learning goals associated with atleast one “big idea” that would be achievedacross several units, and/or which haverelated goals in prior or subsequent gradelevels. These become candidates to be anSLO Learning Goal.

3. Determine which standards are associatedwith each candidate SLO Learning Goal.

4. Prioritize possible Learning Goals based onthe learning needs of the studentpopulation (identifying two or three toppriorities).

5. Determine the cognitive complexity (depthof knowledge) of the priority SLO LearningGoal candidates. Eliminate candidate SLOlearning goals with a depth of knowledgeless than 2 for primary grades and less than3 for upper elementary and secondary.

6. Select the SLO Learning Goal.

7. Describe the rationale for your selection.

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Blooms Taxonomy: Original vs. Revised

Original Revised Cognitive Dimension

Knowledge -- Define, duplicate, label, list, name, order, recognize, relate, recall

Remember -- Retrieve knowledge from long-term memory, recognize, recall, locate, identify

Comprehension -- Classify, describe, discuss, explain, express, identify, indicate, locate, recognize, report, review, select, translate

Understand -- Construct meaning, clarify, paraphrase, represent, translate, illustrate, give examples, classify, categorize, summarize, generalize, predict…

Application -- Apply, choose, demonstrate, dramatize, employ, illustrate, interpret, practice, write

Apply -- Carry out or use a procedure in a given situation; carry out or use /apply to an unfamiliar task

Analysis -- Analyze, appraise, explain calculate, categorize, compare, criticize, discriminate, examine

Analyze -- Break into constituent parts, determine how parts relate

Synthesis -- Rearrange, assemble, collect, compose, create, design, develop, formulate, manage, write

Evaluate -- Make judgments based on criteria, check, detect inconsistencies/fallacies, critique

Evaluation -- Appraise, argue, assess, choose, compare, defend, estimate, explain, judge, predict, rate, core, select, support, value

Create -- Put elements together to form a coherent whole, reorganize elements into new patterns/ structures

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Revised Bloom’s Taxonomy: Cognitive Dimension

Categories & Cognitive Processes

Alternative Names Definitions & Examples

REMEMBER – Retrieve relevant knowledge from long-term memory

Recognizing Identifying Locating knowledge in long-term memory that is consistent with presented material (e.g., recognize the dates of important events in US history)

Recalling Retrieving Retrieving relevant knowledge from long-term memory (recall the dates of important events in US history)

UNDERSTAND – Construct meaning from instructional messages, including oral, written and graphic communication

Interpreting Clarifying, paraphrasing, representing, translating

Changing from one form of presentation (e.g., numerical) to another (e.g., verbal) (e.g., paraphrase important speeches and documents)

Exemplifying Illustrating, instantiating Finding a specific example or illustration of a concept or principle (e.g., give examples of various artistic painting styles)

Classifying Categorizing, subsuming Determining that something belongs to a category (e.g., concept or principle) (e.g., classify observed or described cases of mental disorders)

Summarizing Abstracting, generalizing Abstracting a general theme or major point(s) (e.g., write a short summary of the events portrayed on a videotape)

Inferring Concluding, extrapolating, interpolating, predicting

Drawing a logical conclusion from presented information (e.g., in learning a foreign language, infer grammatical principles from examples)

Comparing Contrasting, mapping, matching

Detecting correspondences between two ideas, objects and the like (e.g., compare historical events to contemporary situations)

Explaining Constructing models Constructing a cause-and-effect model of a system (e.g., explain the causes of important 18th century events in France)

APPLY -- Carry out or use a procedure in a given situation

Executing Carrying out Applying a procedure to a familiar task (e.g., divide one whole number by another whole number, both with multiple digits)

Implementing Using Applying a procedure to an unfamiliar task (e.g., use Newton's Second Law in situations in which it is appropriate

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Revised Bloom’s Taxonomy: Cognitive Dimension

ANALYZE -- Break material into its constituent parts and determine how the parts relate to one another and to an overall structure or purpose

Differentiating Discriminating, distinguishing, focusing, selecting

Distinguish relevant from irrelevant parts or important from unimportant parts of presented material (e.g., distinguish between relevant and irrelevant numbers in a mathematical word problem)

Organizing Finding coherence, integrating, outlining, parsing, structuring

Determine how elements fit or function within a structure (e.g., structure evidence in a historical description into evidence for and against a particular historical explanation)

Attributing Deconstructing Determine a point of view, bias, values or intent underlying presented material (e.g., determine the point of view of the author of an essay in terms of his or her political perspective)

EVALUATE -- Make judgments based on criteria and standards

Checking Coordinating, detecting, monitoring, testing

Detecting inconsistencies or fallacies within a process or product; determining whether a process or product has internal consistency; detecting the effectiveness of a procedure as it is being implemented (e.g., determine if a scientist's conclusions follow from observed data)

Critiquing Judging

Detecting inconsistencies between a product and external criteria, determining whether a product has external consistency; detecting the appropriateness of a procedure for a given problem (e.g., judge which of the two methods is the best way to solve a given problem)

CREATE -- Put elements together to form a coherent or functional whole, reorganize elements into a new pattern or structure

Generating Hypothesizing Coming up with alternative hypotheses based on criteria (e.g., generate hypotheses to account for an observed phenomenon)

Planning Designing Devising a procedure for accomplishing some task (e.g., plan a research paper on a given historical topic)

Producing Constructing models Inventing a products (e.g., build habitats for a specific purpose)

Anderson, L.W., Krathwohl, D.R., Eds. (2001). A Taxonomy for Learning Teaching and Assessing: A Revision of Bloom's Taxonomy of Educational Objectives. New York: Addison Wesley Longman, Inc.

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Webb’s Depth of Knowledge Framework Level Definitions

DOK Level 1: Recall and Reproduction

Basic recall of concepts,

definitions, fats, and processes

Answering a Level 1 question can

involve following a simple, well-

known procedure or formula

Simple skills and abilities or recall one right answer

DOK Level 2: Basic Application of Skills and Concepts

Includes the engagement of some mental

processing beyond recalling or

reproducing a response

Items require students to make some decisions as

to how to approach the question or

problem – acting on the information

These actions imply more than one

mental or cognitive process/step, but there is still one

right answer

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DOK Level 3: Strategic Thinking

Requires deep understanding as exhibited through

planning or sequencing of

steps

Requires some decision making and justification

Assessment items have more than

one possible answer and are

abstract, complex, or non-routine

DOK Level 4: Extended Thinking

Requires high cognitive demand

and is very complex

An investigation or application that requires time to

research, think or process multiple conditions of the

problem

Non-routine manipulations or

connections across disciplines/content

areas/multiple sources

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Level One Activities

Recall elements and details of story structure, such as sequence of events, character, plot and setting.

Conduct basic mathematicalcalculations.

Label locations on a map.

Represent in words or diagrams a scientific concept or relationship.

Perform routine procedures like measuring length or using punctuation marks correctly.

Describe the features of a place or people.

Level Two ActivitiesIdentify and summarize the major events in a narrative.

Use context cues to identify themeaning of unfamiliar words.

Solve routine multiple-step problems.

Describe the cause/effect of a particular event.

Identify patterns in events or behavior.

Formulate a routine problem given data and conditions.

Organize, represent and interpret data.

Level Three ActivitiesSupport ideas with details and examples.

Use voice appropriate to the purpose and audience.

Identify research questions and design investigations for a scientific problem.

Develop a scientific model for a complex situation.

Determine the author’s purpose and describe how it affects the interpretation of a reading selection.

Apply a concept in other contexts.

Level Four ActivitiesConduct a project that requires specifying a problem, designing and conducting an experiment, analyzing its data, and reporting results/solutions.

Apply mathematical model to illuminate a problem or situation.

Analyze and synthesize information from multiple sources.

Describe and illustrate how common themes are found across texts from different cultures.

Design a mathematical model to inform and solve a practical or abstract situation.

Level Two(Skill/Concept)

Level One

(Recall)

Level Three

(Strategic Thinking)

Level Four(ExtendedThinking)

Arrange

Calculate

DefineDraw Identify

Illustrate

LabelList

Match

Measure

Memorize

Name

QuoteRecall

ReciteRecognize

Repeat ReportState

TabulateTell Use

Who, What, When, Where, Why

DescribeExplain

Interpret

Categorize

Cause/Effect

Collect and Display

Classify

Compare

Construct

Distinguish

Estimate

GraphIdentify Patterns

Infer

Interpret

Make Observations

Modify

Organize

Predict

Relate

Separate

Show

Summarize

Use Context Cues

Apprise

Assess

Cite Evidence

Compare

Construct

Critique

Develop a Logical Argument

DifferentiateDraw Conclusions

Explain Phenomena in Terms of ConceptsFormulate

Hypothesize

Investigate

Revise

Use Concepts to Solve Non-Routine Problems

Apply Concepts

Design

Connect

Prove

Synthesize

Critique

Analyze

Create

Depth of Knowledge (DOK) Levels

Webb, Norman L. and others. “Web Alignment Tool” 24 July 2005. Wisconsin Center of Educational Research. University of Wisconsin-Madison. 2 Feb. 2006. <http://www.wcer.wisc.edu/WAT/index.aspx>. Page 11

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Hess’ Cognitive Rigor Matrix & Curricular Examples: Applying Webb’s Depth-of-Knowledge Levels to Bloom’s Cognitive Process Dimensions - Writing

© 2009 (updated 2013) Karin K. Hess. Hess’ Cognitive Rigor Matrix for Writing: Applying Types of Arguments Across Content Areas to the CRM. Copy/use only with citation full [email protected]

Revised Bloom’s Taxonomy

Webb’s DOK Level 1 Recall & Reproduction

Webb’s DOK Level 2 Skills & Concepts

Webb’s DOK Level 3 Strategic Thinking/ Reasoning

Webb’s DOK Level 4 Extended Thinking

Remember Retrieve knowledge from long-term memory, recognize, recall, locate, identify

o Complete short answerquestions with facts, details, terms, principles, etc. (e.g., label parts of diagram)

Understand Construct meaning, clarify, paraphrase, represent, translate, illustrate, give examples, classify, categorize, summarize, generalize, infer a logical conclusion), predict, compare/contrast, match like ideas, explain, construct models

o Describe or define facts,details, terms, principles, etc.

o Select appropriateword/phrase to use whenintended meaning/definition isclearly evident

o Write simple completesentences

o Add an appropriate caption toa photo or illustration

o Write “fact statements” on atopic (e.g., spiders build webs)

o Specify, explain, show relationships;explain why, cause-effect

o Provide and explain non-examples andexamples

o Take notes; organize ideas/data (e.g.,relevance, trends, perspectives)

o Summarize results, key concepts, ideaso Explain central ideas or accurate

generalizations of texts or topicso Describe steps in a process (e.g.,

science procedure, how to and whycontrol variables)

o Write a multi-paragraph compositionfor specific purpose, focus, voice,tone, & audience

o Develop and explain opposingperspectives or connect ideas,principles, or concepts usingsupporting evidence (quote,example, text reference, etc.)

o Develop arguments of fact (e.g., Arethese criticisms supported by thehistorical facts? Is this claim orequation true?)

o Use multiple sources to elaborateon how concepts or ideasspecifically draw from othercontent domains or differingconcepts (e.g., research paper,arguments of policy – should thislaw be passed? What will be theimpact of this change?)

o Develop generalizations about theresults obtained or strategies usedand apply them to a new problemor contextual scenario

Apply Carry out or use a procedure in a given situation; carry out (apply to a familiar task), or use (apply) to an unfamiliar task

o Apply rules or use resourcesto edit specific spelling,grammar, punctuation,conventions, or word use

o Apply basic formats fordocumenting sources

o Use context to identify/infer theintended meaning of words/phrases

o Obtain, interpret, & explain informationusing text features (table, diagram, etc.)

o Develop a (brief) text that may belimited to one paragraph, précis

o Apply basic organizational structures(paragraph, sentence types, topicsentence, introduction, etc.) in writing

o Revise final draft for meaning,progression of ideas, or logic chain

o Apply internal consistency of textorganization and structure to a fullcomposition or oral communication

o Apply a concept in a new contexto Apply word choice, point of view,

style, rhetorical devices to impactreaders’ interpretation of a text

o Select or devise an approachamong many alternatives toresearch and present a novelproblem or issue

o Illustrate how multiple themes(historical, geographic, social) maybe interrelated within a text or topic

Analyze Break into constituent parts, determine how parts relate, differentiate between relevant-irrelevant, distinguish, focus, select, organize, outline, find coherence, deconstruct (e.g., for bias, point of view)

o Decide which text structure isappropriate to audience andpurpose (e.g., compare-contrast, proposition-support)

o Determine appropriate,relevant key words forconducting an Internet searchor researching a topic

o Compare/contrast perspectives, events,characters, etc.

o Analyze/revise format, organization, &internal text structure (signal words,transitions, semantic cues) of differentprint and non-print texts

o Distinguish: relevant-irrelevantinformation; fact/opinion (e.g., What arethe characteristics of a hero’s journey?)

o Locate evidence that supports aperspective/differing perspectives

o Analyze interrelationships amongconcepts/ issues/problems in a text

o Analyze impact or use of author’scraft (literary devices, viewpoint,dialogue) in a single text

o Use reasoning and evidence togenerate criteria for making andsupporting an argument of judgment(Was FDR a great president? Whowas the greatest ball player?)

o Support conclusions with evidence

o Analyze multiple sources ofevidence, or multiple works bythe same author, or acrossgenres, or time periods

o Analyze complex/abstractthemes, perspectives, concepts

o Gather, analyze, and organizemultiple information sources

o Compare and contrast conflictingjudgments or policies (e.g.,Supreme Court decisions)

Evaluate Make judgments based on criteria, check, detect inconsistencies or fallacies, judge, critique

“UG” – unsubstantiated generalizations = stating an opinion without providing any support for it!

o Evaluate validity and relevance ofevidence used to develop anargument or support a perspective

o Describe, compare, and contrastsolution methods

o Verify or critique the accuracy, logic,and reasonableness of statedconclusions or assumptions

o Evaluate relevancy, accuracy, &completeness of informationacross multiple sources

o Apply understanding in a novelway, provide argument orjustification for the application

o Critique the historical impact(policy, writings, discoveries, etc.)

Create Reorganize elements into new patterns/structures, generate, hypothesize, design, plan, produce

o Brainstorm facts, ideas,concepts, problems, orperspectives related to a topic,text, idea, issue, or concept

o Generate conjectures, hypotheses , orpredictions based on facts,observations, evidence/observations, orprior knowledge and experience

o Generate believable “grounds”(reasons) for an opinion-argument

o Develop a complex model for agiven situation or problem

o Develop an alternative solution orperspective to one proposed (e.g.,debate)

o Synthesize information acrossmultiple sources or texts in orderto articulate a new voice, alternatetheme, new knowledge or nuancedperspective

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Sample Topics Informational Writing Sample Prompts to illustrate how informational writing differs from opinions‐arguments of fact

Arguments of Fact Sample Writing Prompts (must support reasons/ reasoning with facts/evidence)

Arguments of Judgment Sample Writing Prompts (must define criteria for decision using facts/ evidence)

Arguments of Policy Sample Writing Prompts (must define the problem/issue and implications using facts/ evidence)

Social studies: FDR

Who was he? What did he do (e.g., major initiatives)? What were the historical, social, and political contexts when he became president? How does history remember him?

FDR had tremendous support from the Jewish community throughout his presidency; however critics say he did not do much to support them and their issues. Are these criticisms supported by the historical facts within the historical context?

Was FDR a great president? Should … be named as one TIME’s 100 most influential people of (year)?

What has been the historical impact of a major FDR policy?

Social studies: Cabinet appointments

What does the Constitution say about cabinet appointments and requirements for cabinet positions? What does the (labor secretary) do?

Is Tom Perez qualified to be the next labor secretary? What additional factors, if any, should be considered in making this appointment?

Smart guns (emerging technology that will only fire when recognizing the gun owner)

What are they? How do they work? What do they cost? Who is developing them? Have they been tested?

Do smart guns have the potential to reduce gun violence in this country?

Social studies: Gun violence

What is gun violence? What do we know about gun violence (e.g., most likely victims) in the US and in other countries (and its impact) over the past 50 years? What are the current and proposed laws related to gun violence? How do gun laws vary from state to state? How have gun laws changed over the years?

Do the current concerns about increased gun violence and the status of gun violence in this country warrant the need for new laws? Will this law …… address current gun violence issues? What factors should be considered when developing new gun violence legislation (common good‐individual rights)

Is this law ……… a fair law? Is this law ………. needed? Is this law …… outdated? Do we need another law….?

Should this law …….. be passed? What problems does it address? What are the implications if it is or is not passed?

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Sample Topics (cont)

Informational Writing Sample Prompts to illustrate how informational writing differs from opinions‐arguments of fact




ELA & Literacy: Text(s) read & Movies viewed

What is this topic/story /text about? How does this compare with other texts written by this author or other texts on the same topic? Or from the same time period? Or same genre? What is (nonfiction, poetry, fantasy, etc.)? How is it different from or similar to other genre of writing? Lincoln: who was he? What did he do (e.g., major initiatives)? What were the historical, social, and political contexts when he became president? How does history remember him?

Is this text written in the same style as … ? Is the information in this article accurate? What is the author’s message/theme/perspective? If the ending were changed (to …), how would this impact the overall theme? What historical/ social/political events of the time are likely to have influenced this author’s writing? Is this movie (Lincoln) historically accurate? Do the inaccuracies affect the overall theme or viewer interpretation of history?

Is rap music poetry?

Is this (still) a compelling message for our time?

What is Lincoln’s legacy?

Holidays, celebrations, traditions

What are they? Who celebrates them? How? When? Are the same holidays celebrated in all countries (e.g., Thanksgiving)? How does a holiday become a national holiday (MLK Day, Presidents’ Day, etc.)

What is your favorite – or not so favorite holiday?

Should …. become a national holiday? Has commercialization coinciding with national holidays caused people to forget why we celebrate them in the first place (shopping versus honoring a hero)?

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Sample Topics (cont)

Informational Writing Sample Prompts to illustrate how informational writing differs from opinions‐arguments of fact




Science: Habitats/ Biomes

What is (a desert, rain forest, tundra, grassland, etc.)? What is the climate like? Where do you find them? What are some characteristics of the habitat? What are some organisms that live there? How have they adapted to be able to live there? How does one habitat (biome) compare with another?

Would this animal be able to survive in ….. habitat? Why or why not? How would life/survival needs be different for … if moving from … to ….. ?

What is the most appropriate habitat for this organism? Would …. be able to survive here?

Science Compare/contrast fresh and salt water habitats. What do organisms need to survive here? What laws currently exist to protect fish habitats?

What factors might be causing the fish population to decline?

Is this river/lake/ocean healthy?

Do we need a new law…? What will be the likely impact of this change?

Mathematical arguments‐ equations

What does it mean to be equivalent? What is an equivalent fraction? How would you solve this problem?

Is this equation true? Is this equation true all of the time, some of the time? Or never?

Mathematical arguments‐ Statistics

What statistics are used for (describing a player’s performance, Hall of Fame)? What do top earning players have in common in their performances?

Is … eligible to be voted into the Hall of Fame?

Who was the greatest ball player? Based on their lifetime careers, how should these 5 players be ranked?

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The purpose of the success criteria. The purpose of the success criteria or “What we're looking for” is to make children absolutely sure about what is in the teacher's mind as the criteria for judging their work. Too often children know the learning intention, but not how the teacher is going to judge their performance. A learning intention of 'Using effective adjectives', for instance, does not give the children the marking criteria or how they will be judged.

The “How will we know?” needs to state exactly what the children and teacher will want to see. In this case, three alternatives might be: “What you're looking for is that you have used at least five effective adjectives”, or “What you're looking for is that you have used at least four adjectives just before a noun”, or “What you're looking for is that you used at least four adjectives which describe the jungle.”

Clarke, S. (2001). Unlocking Formative Assessment: Practical Strategies for Enhancing Pupils Learning in the Primary Classroom. Great Britain: Hodder Murray.

Developing a ‘learning culture’ in the school The following strategies have been tried and tested in many schools across the country over several years: they are continually developing, as teachers find out more about involving children in their learning.

1. Make sure the learning objective of a task is clear. It is best if there is a whole-school approach toand launch of the sharing of learning intentions for every lesson. Children need to be told that fromnow on they will not only be told what we want them to do for every lesson, but also what we hopethey will be learning. And if we forget to do this, we want them to remind us (they do!). Childrenhave then been given a basic expectation about their rights as a learner.

2. Teachers need toseparate the taskinstructions clearly fromthe learning intentionand success criteria, orchildren can begin theirwork without knowingclearly the differencebetween what you wantthem to do and what youwant them to learn. Formany lessons wherechildren will be asked todo some independent or group work, rather than engage in discussion, it is more effective to beginwith the activity instructions, rather than the learning intention. Children often first need to be'captured' at the start of the lesson, by the context and your introduction and stimulus. Then thelearning intention becomes the last piece of the jigsaw for them to be able to focus appropriately onthe task they have been asked to do. If teachers begin with the learning intention as the first wordsspoken (e.g. “This morning we are going to be looking at how to write in paragraphs.”), even themost diligent child is likely to feel jaded. Given an interesting passage as a starting point, however,most children will be comparatively motivated. Clearly, there will be some situations where it makesmore sense to start with the learning intention, because that helps make sense of the activityinstructions. In many cases, however, the learning intention makes no sense if given too early,before the children have heard the activity context – especially if it is a new area of learning.

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Inviting the children to create success criteria. After children have been told the learning intention, they can invariably suggest how the teacher – and they themselves – will know that this has been learnt or carried out. They now know the activity and the learning intention, so the success criteria are heavily contextualized. However, the importance of inviting children to create the success criteria in this way is that it involves them still further in their own learning. They are being asked, effectively, to link the learning intention with the task instructions. They then have to decide how the two are synthesized to create success criteria – a much more challenging learning experience than simply being given the information.

3. The learning intention seems tobe more effective if, oncestated – in 'child-speak' if thechildren would not understandits original form – it is thenfollowed by an invitation tocreate the success criteria:“How will we know we'veachieved this?”

They have even more of a stake in the learning process if they have been involved in the creation of success criteria and are more likely to be able to be self-evaluative as they are working and questioning about the task as it evolves.

4. Tell the children why they are learning this at all – how it fits into the bigger picture. For instance,“You are learning about the heart because it is important to know about how your body works/Youare creating adjectives so that your writing will be more interesting/You are learning to say thesenumbers because you will need to do this in everyday life”, etc. I call this the 'aside' because it isgenerally too time-consuming to display, although some schools do this.

5. The learning intention and success criteria need to be visually displayed for every lesson (with theexception of hall or playground activities!). Making the visual display accessible to children is vital.Some schools have a wipe-clean chart (many variations of this are possible) to display the learningintention and success criteria as a character called WALT (for “We Are Learning To ...”) with cartoonspeech bubbles for the teacher to write in. An alternative design is a single character (an owl orsuchlike) called WALT with two speech bubbles, one for “We are learning to ...” and the other for“How will you know you have achieved this?” The text is permanent and the contents of the speechbubbles are wiped clean each time.

6. Ask children to read aloud the learning intention and success criteria (or WALT and How will weknow?/What we're looking for). This is another way of making sure you have maximum attentionfrom the class, exploiting different learning styles.

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Moss, C. M. and Brookhart, S. M. (2009). Advancing Formative Assessment in Every Classroom: A Guide for Instructional Leaders. Alexandria, VA: ASCD. Pages 24- 27.

What does it mean to Share Learning Targets and Criteria for Success? Sharing learning targets does not mean merely writing the objective on the board, or telling

students what the objective is in a sentence or two. Most students will of course be able to repeat back to the teacher what she said the objective was, and that can be somewhat useful. What we mean by sharing learning targets and criteria for success, however, is that students comprehend what those objectives mean. For example, a reading objective might be that students can identify the main idea in passages of a certain type and level. What we want is more than students being able to say "identify main idea." We want students to understand that they will learn how to get a better grasp on the meaning of what they read, why that should be a goal for them, and what it feels like to do that. For the student, this means both understanding the learning goal and knowing what good work on the assignment looks like. It's not a goal if the student can't envision it.

The single most important method for routinely sharing learning targets is using assignments that match – really match – the learning goal. It is in the assignment that the teacher translates the learning goal into action for the student. The student will strive to do the assignment, not the abstract goal. When we say an assignment or activity must "embody" the learning goal, we mean that the assignment or activity is such a close match with the goal that the student would be able to think, "If I can do [this assignment], then I can do [the learning objective]”.

Teachers should always share their goals for students' learning – both by telling or writing the goals and by giving assignments and activities that embody them – and then check for students' understanding. It is not enough to ask students, "Do you understand?" They'll say yes, of course! Rather, teachers should use strategies that help assess students' comprehension of the meaning of learning goals and their comprehension of what good work looks like. Teachers should use this information to affirm understanding and clarify misconceptions.

How Does Sharing Learning Targets and Criteria for Success Affect Student Learning and Achievement?

One of the sweet moments in the life of one of the authors illustrates this question's point. Sue's adult daughter, newly on her own, asked Sue to make her a collection of the recipes that she had come to know and love (including Sue's apple pie and pot roast). Of course, it felt good to know that she associated these foods with home and wanted to take them with her to her own new home. But this homey story is a good metaphor for this chapter. Sue's daughter had a very clear picture of the intended outcome, based on her experiences of that pie and that pot roast over the years. She would compare her attempts to make these recipes with her sense of what they should taste like. Now, the pot roast was easy enough, but she had to practice several times to get the pie right. The point for this chapter is that if she did not have a concept of what "good" pie was, she would not have been able to shape her pie baking toward it, or at least not as effectively or efficiently.

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Academic learning targets, although less concrete, work in a similar way. A vision of the end point makes the journey possible. So, for example, a 4th grade teacher might ask her students to write a book report. Her learning target, however, is not “write a book report”: She wants students to be able to read and comprehend the plot of a chapter book and to be able to make a personal connection with the story. Therefore, she says, "Your book report should be two paragraphs. In the first paragraph, summarize the story so that someone who has not read the book would know what happened. In the second paragraph, tell what your favorite part of the story was, and why.”

In so doing, this teacher has given clear directions. She has also made a start at sharing the learning target. All the students in her class may well understand what they are supposed to do. However, we can almost guarantee that there will be many different visions of what constitutes a good, clear summary of a book and an engaging description of one's favorite part.

What would help students envision the target more clearly? Showing students some good examples and having them discuss why they were good examples would help. Showing students examples of various quality levels and having them use comparison and contrast to order them and explain why some are better than others would be an even stronger strategy. Using rubrics with specific descriptions could help with either of these processes and would be a good default strategy if no examples were available. Now the students are ready to start their book reports with a clear target in mind. They may use those rubrics and examples again, during their work, to self-assess.

What Common Misconceptions Might Teachers Hold About Sharing Learning Targets and Criteria for Success?

Teachers are likely to hold at least two common misconceptions about sharing success criteria. Misconception #1: Informing the students of the learning target by telling them what it is or

by writing it on the board is sufficient. This is probably the most common misconception teachers might hold about sharing learning targets. Years ago, in a district where one of us taught, teachers were required to write their objectives on the board, and supervisors would observe to make sure the teachers did so. The assumption behind this practice is that writing the objective on the board puts the objective inside the students' heads. This is not a good assumption. Having students be able to recall or recite the objective is necessary but not sufficient for their understanding it.

Misconception #2: Sharing a rubric with students will ensure they understand the criteria for success. Sharing a rubric with students is a good start, but as with the objective, you need to check for student understanding of what the criteria mean. Some criteria are easy to understand – for example, "use at least three sources of information" – but things you can count are not always at the heart of a learning goal. Some criteria require the students to have more abstract, but arguably more important, concepts. Using the context of writing, for example, a rubric for "voice" might say, "Conveys a sense of the person behind the words”. Reading that phrase does not mean students will necessarily recognize writing that conveys a sense of the person behind the words when they see it. Some students will need to be taught how to distinguish writing that does this well and less well.

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Use Examples and Models of Strong and Weak Work

Constructivist Protocol

Purpose What makes students really care about their work? Daniel Baron of the Harmony School and Education Center in Bloomington, IN offers the following strategy aimed at generating new insights and increasing student investment in their learning. This strategy can be used both for assessment and for planning, and it can be done with individual students or in groups.

Directions 1. Students bring to class an example of the best work they have ever done. The

work can come from any source, medium or setting.

2. Students look carefully at their own work and come up with a list of three to fivequalities they believe exist in the work and contribute to making it their best.

3. The whole class brainstorms the qualities they found, then condenses the list tothree to five qualities everyone agrees are essential to good work.

4. The teacher gives an assignment to the class asking that students attempt tobuild those qualities into their work. Students should make five copies of theircompleted assignment.

5. When the assignment is completed, small groups of three or four students lookat each other's work in search of evidence that the agreed on qualities arepresent.

Examining Student Work: A Constructivist Protocol. Retrieved from http://www.essentialschools.org/cs/resources/view/ces_res/57 Coalition of Essential Schools National Web

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Sharing Success Criteria with Students

1. Provide students with lists of attributes.

2. Provide students with a scoring guide or rubric.

3. Provide examples of work that demonstrates mastery and engage students in

determining why the work demonstrates mastery

4. Share work that does not demonstrate mastery with students and have them describe

what it would take for the work to demonstrate mastery.

5. Facilitate student evaluation of different work examples using rubrics or scoring guides.

6. Facilitate student development of rubrics or scoring guides after analyzing examples of

work.

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Learning Goal References

Anderson, L.W., Krathwohl, D.R., Eds. (2001). A Taxonomy for Learning Teaching and Assessing: A Revision of Bloom's Taxonomy of Educational Objectives. New York, NY: Addison Wesley Longman, Inc.

Bloom, B. (1984). The search for methods of group instruction as effective as on to one tutoring. Educational Leadership, 41(8): 4-17.

Bransford, J, Brown, A & Cocking, R. (Eds). (1999). How People Learn: Brain, Mind, Experience, and School. Washington DC: National Academy Press

Chappuis, J. (2009). Seven Strategies of Assessment for Learning. Portland, OR: ETS. Clarke, S. (2005). Formative assessment in the secondary classroom. London: Hodder Murray. Clarke, S. (2001). Unlocking Formative Assessment: Practical Strategies for Enhancing Pupils’

Learning in the Primary Classroom. London: Hodder Murray. Coalition of Essential Schools National Web. ‘Examining Student Work: A Constructivist

Protocol’. Retrieved from http://www.essentialschools.org/cs/resources/view/ ces_res/57

Hess, K., Carlock, D., Jones, B., & Walkup, J. (2011). What exactly do “fewer, clearer, and higher standards” really look like in the classroom? Using a cognitive rigor matrix to analyze curriculum, plan lessons, and implement assessments. National Center for the Improvement of Educational Assessment, Accessed on-line at: http://www.nciea.org/publication_PDFs/cognitiverigorpaper_KH12.pdf

Moss, C. M. & Brookhart, S. M. (2009). Advancing Formative Assessment in Every Classroom: A Guide for Instructional Leaders. Alexandria, VA: ASCD. Pages 24- 27.

Stiggins, R. J., Arter, J. A., Chappuis, J., & Chappuis, S. (2004). Classroom Assessment for Student Learning: Doing It Right – Using It Well. Portland, OR: ETS.

Webb, N. L. (1997).Criteria for alignment of expectations and assessments in mathematics and science education. Council of Chief State School Officers and National Institute for Science Education Research Monograph No. 6. Madison, WI: University of Wisconsin.

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