Build a clear, measurable, student-centered SMART goal
one step at a time. You don't have to know exactly what
your goal should say when you begin.
Getting Started16%
Getting Started
Let's start with your teaching context.
Think about a meaningful area of student learning,
instruction, or technology integration that you would
like to improve this year.
Coach's Tip:
Start with the problemβnot the technology. The technology
should help students accomplish something meaningful.
S β Specific
What exactly will students do?
Your goal needs to identify who will do
something and what they will do.
Use an observable action.
Your Bloom's resource emphasizes measurable verbs that
describe what students must do to demonstrate learning.
:contentReference[oaicite:4]{index=4}
Need an action verb?
Click a verb to add it to your thinking. These are drawn
from the Bloom's resources you provided.
Analyze
Compare
Construct
Create
Design
Demonstrate
Evaluate
Explain
Interpret
Justify
Produce
Revise
Solve
Support
Synthesize
Construct
Watch out for vague wording.
Your resource specifically identifies words such as
know, understand, comprehend, recognize, think,
realize, and believe as words to avoid
when writing measurable objectives.
:contentReference[oaicite:5]{index=5}
M β Measurable
How will you know students are growing?
Your SMART goal should tell you exactly how success will
be measured.
Ask yourself: "How will I know?"
Your SMART planning guide defines Measurable as the point
where success toward the goal can be measured.
:contentReference[oaicite:6]{index=6}
Student Projects
Assessments
Digital Portfolio
Rubric
Exit Tickets
Student Reflection
If you do not have baseline data yet, enter:
"Baseline will be established during the first month."
A β Achievable
Is this goal realistic?
A strong goal should stretch practice without becoming
unrealistic. Think about the time, students, resources,
and instructional routines available to you.
Weekly implementation
Twice per month
Monthly
Builds on existing routines
Coach's Tip:
"More technology" is not automatically more achievable
or more meaningful. Choose an implementation routine you
can realistically sustain.
R β Relevant
Why does this goal matter?
Connect the goal to the instructional challenge you
identified at the beginning.
Keep the focus on the expected result.
Your planning guide describes Relevant goals as aligned
with current work and focused on one defined area with
an expected result.
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T β Time-Bound
When will students reach the target?
A SMART goal needs a clearly defined timeframe or deadline.
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Coach's Tip:
You can also build in progress checkpoints throughout
the year. The final deadline is not the only time you
should look at your data.
SMART Goal Complete
Your SMART Goal
π― The SMART Goal
π Breakdown of Components
S
Specific
M
Measurable
A
Achievable
R
Relevant
T
Time-Bound
π» Recommended Tools & Strategies
π Progress Tracking Methods
π‘ Implementation Plan
β SMART goal copied to your clipboard!
Exemplar
β Example SMART Goal
Before creating your own goal, see what a strong,
student-centered SMART goal can look like.
By the end of the school year, 80% of 7th-grade ELA
students will analyze evidence from informational texts
and create a digital evidence-based response scoring at
least 3 out of 4 on a common rubric, increasing from a
baseline of 55% meeting the target.
S
Specific
7th-grade ELA students will analyze evidence and
create a digital evidence-based response.
M
Measurable
80% will score at least 3/4 on a common rubric.
A
Achievable
Students repeatedly practice the skill using
existing instructional routines and digital tools.
R
Relevant
The goal addresses students' ability to support
explanations with evidence.
T
Time-Bound
The target is established for the end of the
school year.
π« Compare: Vague vs. SMART
Too vague:
"I will use technology to help students
understand informational texts."
What will students do?
How will you measure understanding?
How much growth is expected?
When should the result occur?
More measurable:
"By the end of the school year, 80% of students
will analyze evidence from informational texts
and create a digital response scoring at least
3/4 on a common rubric."
Observable student action
Defined measurement
Specific target
Clear timeframe
Teacher Resources
π SMART Goal Resource Library
These resources are built into the coach so you can use
them while developing your goal.
π Bloom's Taxonomy β Measurable Verbs
οΌ
Bloom's Taxonomy provides observable action verbs that
help describe what students must do to demonstrate
learning.
Useful Action Verbs
Analyze
Apply
Assess
Compare
Construct
Create
Design
Differentiate
Evaluate
Examine
Explain
Formulate
Interpret
Justify
Revise
Synthesize
Words to reconsider:
Believe, hear, realize, recognize, comprehend,
know, see, conceptualize, think, experience,
perceive, understand, feel.
Your source identifies these as vague or ambiguous
words that should be avoided when writing objectives.
:contentReference[oaicite:9]{index=9}
π Bloom's Taxonomy β Question Stems
οΌ
Understanding
Can you explain why...?
Can you write in your own words...?
What was the main idea...?
Can you illustrate...?
Applying
Do you know of another instance where...?
Which factors would you change if...?
What questions would you ask of...?
Which approach would you use to...?
Analyzing
How is...similar to...?
What do you see as other possible outcomes?
Why did...changes occur?
Can you distinguish between...?
Evaluating
What are the pros and cons of...?
Is there a better solution to...?
Can you defend your position about...?
What changes would you recommend?
Creating
Can you design a...to...?
Can you see a possible solution to...?
What would happen if...?
Can you develop a proposal which would...?
These question stems and examples are adapted from
the uploaded Bloom's Question Stems resource.
:contentReference[oaicite:10]{index=10}
π SMART Goals Planning Guide
οΌ
SMART Framework
Specific:
Who? What?
Measurable:
How?
Attainable:
Is it reasonable?
Relevant:
What is the expected result?
Time Oriented:
When?
The uploaded planning guide explains that SMART
goals clarify exactly what is expected and how
achievement will be measured.
:contentReference[oaicite:11]{index=11}
Planning shortcut:
Specific β WHO + WHAT
Measurable β HOW
Attainable β REASONABLE?
Relevant β EXPECTED RESULT?
Time Oriented β WHEN?