Goal Setting

Goal Setting for 2023-24

This year marks the third year of goal setting for STA members based on our agreement to implement a formalized goal setting process. Below is the language that was established to guide the development of this process. 

This process will emphasize the alignment of individual goals with department, school, and District goals, and encourage individuals to share goals with colleagues. As part of the goal-setting process, members will identify professional learning and collaborative planning activities designed to aid in the achievement of the annual goal(s). Such activities shall consist of at least five hours devoted to goal work outside of the school day drawn from a range of self-selected activities, including options scheduled on the third or fourth Monday of the month. During the full review year, this goal-setting process may be satisfied by the completion of the self-directed option [Option A] outlined in section C of this article. Activities for which a stipend is paid or salary credit is received shall not count toward the five-hour requirement.

• Elementary Faculty - A STA-District committee met to streamline and clarify the goal setting process. Please click here for the Goal Setting document and explanations.

• Secondary Faculty (Grades 6-12) - Each secondary faculty member will continue to set either two goals, or one interconnected goal. Please click here for the Goal Setting document and explanations. Please note that you may wish to continue or revise an existing goal(s) that requires multiple years to complete. 

For those setting two (2) goals:

• • One goal should be focused on student learning, with anticipated activities, steps, and strategies.

  • The other goal should be focused on your own professional learning, with anticipated activities, steps and strategies.

  • These two goals may be interconnected, or distinct, at your discretion. Examples can be found on the Goal Setting form.

For those setting one (1) goal:

• The goal should be focused on either student learning or your own professional learning, with anticipated activities, steps, and strategies you intend to carry out to fulfill the goal.

• You will then be asked to articulate the professional learning you will engage in so as to successfully meet the goal, OR describe how your professional learning goal will impact your students' learning through changes to your practice.  

All goals can involve shared experiences with colleagues, or done individually. The goals can be focused on a single year, or can extend across multiple years. The activities, steps, and strategies are developed by the individual faculty member, and can be discussed with your supervisor (Principal, Assistant Principal, Director, Department Chair, etc.) either individually or in groups (i.e., the Chemistry teachers, the English Department). Of course, the anticipated steps toward reaching the goal may change, as may the goal itself, depending on individual circumstance and how the year unfolds. Each faculty member will maintain a simple Google Doc to capture notes and reflections related to the goal, and will share that document with the supervisor by pasting the document URL in the Goal Form. The end of year conversation with supervisors will also include discussion about these goals within the context of the entire year. A sample document that would be maintained by the faculty member and shared with supervisor(s) has been provided to help illustrate and streamline the process.

Additional Considerations

Goal setting is a professional endeavor that can contribute in meaningful ways to an educator’s growth and development. Well crafted goals enable an educator to do several important things, including the following.

• Make important connections between self-directed professional learning experiences and district-, building, and/or department/grade-level priorities.

• Increase the value of observations and the evaluation process by identifying areas of practice around which feedback is desired.

• Identify other educators pursuing similar interests so as to foster rich, vibrant collaborative learning.

As a result, you are encouraged to discuss your goals with colleagues, department, and building leaders, as you progress through the year. In addition to goal meetings in the beginning of the year, consider aligning observations that are part of the PPR process to your goals, and discuss how your observer(s) might provide feedback that helps to further your goals. 

Timeline

• Please submit your goals no later than October 13, 2023.

• Set time aside during the year (at least twice) to capture notes/reflections on your goal progress. This might naturally occur in advance of a pre- or post-observation conference, or at another time that makes sense to you.

• The end of the year is a super busy time, pressures and expectations that peak at various times depending on your role and level. As a result, please note that the outcome reflection on your goals can be completed really anytime after Spring Break...you don’t have to wait until June!

Resources 

Student Learning-Focused Goal 

This goal relates to the Danielson Domains of Planning & Preparation, Environment, and Instruction/Delivery of Service. It may take the form of an improvement you want to see in student skills, understandings, competencies, and/or performance. An example might be:

By the end of the year, each student in my class will be able to effectively and independently use a grade-appropriate checklist to plan, draft, revise and edit an argumentative essay.

Think about and begin to plan for the activities, steps, and strategies you will do to try to reach the goal, possibly including collaborative work, cycles of inquiry, lesson revision, use of assessment information, etc. These components will incorporate some number of hours of self-directed work, voluntary committee work, etc. toward the five hour goal expectation.

Professional Learning-Focused Goal 

This goal relates to Danielson Domain 4: Professional Responsibilities, and should be described in terms of growth in your own practice that you desire. An example might be:

This year, I will deepen my repertoire of assessment techniques in the remote environment through enrollment in ST@C and/or STI coursework, and application and reflection on their use in my lessons.

Think about and begin to plan for the activities, steps, and strategies you will do to try to reach the goal, possibly including collaborative inquiry, lesson revision, enrollment in ST@C and STI offering, etc. These components will incorporate some number of hours of self-directed professional learning, etc. toward the five hour goal expectation.