SMART Goals for Schools

Set SMART goals for your school to improve chances of success.

Without any set measurement for success, goals for schools are only hopes. When setting improvement plans for schools, goals should be written in the SMART format; this method increases measurability, results and accountability for both students and teachers, allowing a greater chance of success in the classroom.

Specific

Goals must be specific and clearly stated.

The goals that you write for your school should be specific, with an expected outcome that is written as clearly and concisely as possible. When writing the specific part of the goal, try to answer questions such as how much, for whom and for what. For example, a specific goal could be, "There will be a significant improvement in test scores for students between sixth and eighth grade in math comprehension."

Measurable

Goals must be measurable over time.

The goal you set must be measurable in some way through assessment. This means that you must select a goal that can be measured in numbers, occurrences or percentage points. For example, "Students between grades six and eight will show an overall increase in performance by 75 percent."

Attainable

SMART goals must be attainable for students and teachers.

The goal you set must be attainable. This means that the goal must be realistic under current circumstances and must be able to be completed using what resources and time are available to you now. Achieving a specific goal can become difficult when the outcome is unrealistic or if you start from a weak position. For example, it may be unreasonable to state that 99 percent of students will perform above average in math comprehension; 75 percent may be a more reasonable goal for the time and resources available to you.

Results-oriented and Relevant

Goals must be driven by results.

Any SMART goal must be results-oriented and relevant. A goal that is results-oriented will help to maintain students' and teachers' focus on the "big picture," and all aspects incorporated into the goal must be relevant to the end result. For example, to improve a student's math comprehension, new lessons focused on retention and real-world mathematical applications are both results-oriented and relevant.

Time-bound

Goals must be attainable in a specific time frame.

A SMART goal is time-bound, meaning that the goal should be attainable within a specific time frame. For example, it is unreasonable to expect students' math comprehension to increase by 75 percent in only two months; however, it may be more reasonable to expect math comprehension to increase by 75 percent over the period of one school year.

References

• Mountain View Whisman School District: SMART Goals
• Kansas State Department of Education: Writing SMART Goals