Clear learning goals and student self-assessment are included as a foundational part of learning design for several reasons. Firstly, clear learning goals provide a roadmap for both teachers and students, guiding the entire learning process. By establishing clear objectives, teachers can effectively communicate to students what they are expected to learn and achieve. This clarity eliminates ambiguity and confusion, enabling students to focus their efforts and understand the purpose of their learning activities.

Secondly, clear learning goals promote student engagement and motivation. When students have a clear understanding of what they need to accomplish, they can better connect their efforts to meaningful outcomes. This sense of purpose and direction encourages active participation in the learning process, as students can see the relevance and value of their work. As a result, they become more motivated to invest time and effort in their studies, leading to enhanced learning outcomes.

Additionally, incorporating student self-assessment empowers learners to take ownership of their learning. When students are involved in the process of evaluating their own progress, they become active participants in their educational journey. Self-assessment encourages reflection and metacognition, allowing students to monitor their strengths, weaknesses, and areas for improvement. By engaging in self-assessment, students develop a deeper understanding of their own learning processes and become more autonomous learners.

Furthermore, student self-assessment fosters a growth mindset and promotes a culture of continuous improvement. By encouraging students to reflect on their learning and set goals for themselves, teachers help cultivate resilience and a belief in the potential for growth. Self-assessment allows students to identify areas where they need additional support or resources, empowering them to seek out the necessary assistance to overcome challenges. This process nurtures a growth mindset, where students perceive setbacks as opportunities for learning and view themselves as capable of improvement.

Guidelines and Checkpoints refer to the helpful "concrete suggestions that can be applied to any discipline or domain to ensure that all learners can access and participate in meaningful, challenging learning opportunities" that are found on the Universal Design for Learning Guidelines available from CAST at https://udlguidelines.cast.org/.

The data collected during myImpact trials are intended to be indicators, not measures. This video, Indicator vs. Measure, can help differentiate between a measure and an indicator. 

• myImpact collects indications the team agrees represents accurate enough information that can be used with PROFESSIONAL judgment to determine if the learning design decisions made have elicited a positive or negative response in student engagement and academics.

• myImpact does not collect standard measurements. myImpact documents indications of student response.

• Users of myImpact strive to individually collect data in their own classrooms using the same conceptual scale from one data collection event to the next. The precision of having inter-rater reliability to have a discussion of learning design is not necessary.

All data are to be entered on the Data Collection page by clicking the Add Observation button. The Printable Data Collection Worksheet does not record data entries into the app. The printable data collection worksheet is only for you to print out to pencil in observations by hand and later enter into the Data Collection page. 

It is important to design lessons to provide the explicit opportunity to collect observations on the agreed-upon criteria. That may mean planning to collect data during particular lessons or making slight modifications to lessons to include the opportunity to collect observations on criteria.

Collecting all engagement and/or academic criteria during one lesson may be difficult. A team can agree that we can split observations across different lessons. For example, one teacher might be able to collect engagement criteria “Initiates and completes instructional tasks” on a Monday, but won’t collect “Participates in discussions” criteria observations until the Wednesday lesson.

If a criterion is truly not able to be observed, choose "Not Observed" in the drop-down menu for that criterion. "Not Observed" has no impact on the data analysis.

Collect data on the remaining three criteria for the remainder of the implementation trials if this criterion won't be observable in future lessons. Otherwise, collect observations for all four criteria in the next lesson or trial.

If there is enough time to collect additional baseline data, your team could revise the criteria into an observable statement. Then collect baseline data on that criteria before the Trial 1 data collection window begins.

The answer to this depends on the way you currently design your lessons and your team's decisions. 

When student learning goals and student self-assessment are not part of your current approach to learning design, those cells remain blank for the baseline data collection observations. Additionally, the strategy tried field stays blank during the baseline data collection period. 

The myImpact approach to learning design prioritizes clear learning goals and student self-assessment as fundamental elements of learning design intended to increase student engagement and academic progress. Both clear learning goals and student self-assessment are research-based strategies, show up in multiple teaching standards, and are also included in culturally-relevant teaching frameworks. That is the reason we built in the fields that emphasize these two high-impact strategies. 

The Strategy Tried field is where you and your team will document an additional strategy tried during one of your trials. Documenting your practices during the baseline and trials allows you and your team to connect the strategy tried to the engagement and academic progress data you interpret during reflection meetings. myImpact is fully functional whether or not the Student Learning Goal, Student Self-Assessment, or Strategy Tried fields are completed.

See the Understanding Trials article for more information.

Reducing the number of indicator students is an option if there is not enough time to choose new students to observe. Strive to collect as much data across as many indicator students as possible. 

If there is enough time to collect baseline data on new students, a teacher might identify other students to observe. 

Use a new observation for each day that you collect observations.