Step 1 -
Develop and Approve the SLG

Step 1:

• Review course objectives and standards and identify the most important learning for the year

• Identify the assessments that will be used to measure student progress toward the SLG

• Review and collect baseline data

• Draft SLG, using The Goal Setting and Planning Tool, and set performance targets based on baseline data

• Evaluation of the proposed SLG and approval by the evaluator

The SLG must align with Nevada Academic Content Standards (NVACS) or other approved standards. There must be a conversation between the educator and the evaluator to establish and reach an agreement on the final student learning target and the measure of student growth and achievement for the SLG. Student needs within the content area must be a part of that conversation. Measures of student growth and achievement used for the SLG may be part of course-embedded assessments and grading practices and may occur as part of everyday practice; SLG measures do not have to be mutually exclusive. See Choosing Quality Assessments for additional guidance.

When possible, educators should work together (e.g. in grade level or content teams) to review and determine the most important standards and content for students to master. Additionally, educators should work together to analyze student performance trends and select or develop common measures for assessing student content knowledge and skills. The administrator should create teams of teachers to work together to review standards, identify priorities, select common measures and establish goals.

The SLG should be horizontally and vertically aligned, when applicable. To develop horizontally aligned goals, all teachers in the same grade level and/or content area should collaborate to set SLGs and then each teacher should set specific targets based upon his or her own students’ baseline knowledge and skills. When developing a vertically aligned SLG, teachers across grade levels and/or departments should communicate and collaborate to ensure that students are progressing as expected.

Setting targets for the SLG can be complex. Educators should use baseline and trend data to help set appropriate SLG targets. Targets should be ambitious and feasible for the students identified. The SLG target may address an educator’s caseload, a single class, or a subset of students. Tiered targets may be necessary to address the needs of all identified students (e.g. students performing differently on baseline measures of student achievement or students whose growth may have a different end of course target than other students of the identified population.) If a subset of students is used or if tiered targets are set, the rationale should be provided.

The main questions the evaluator should ask are:

SLG

• Does the SLG focus on a standard that aligns with an area of high need?

• Does it align with department and/or school goals?

• What data was collected to set the baseline?

• How was the target goal set? Were different student populations accounted for by setting differentiated targets?

• How were students selected to be in the target group and why were they selected?

• What assessment/s will be used to measure student growth and why was it selected?

• How will students’ progress be monitored? When will data be collected?

• Is the goal S.M.A.R.T. (Specific and Strategic; Measurable; Action-Oriented and Achievable; Realistic, Relevant and Results-Focused; Timed and Tracked)? 

PPG

• Does the PPG support the educator's ability to meet the SLG?

• Does the PPG align with one of the NEPF Standards/ Indicators?

• How will the educator measure progress on meeting the PPG?

• Is the goal S.M.A.R.T. (Specific and Strategic; Measurable; Action-Oriented and Achievable; Realistic, Relevant and Results-Focused; Timed and Tracked)?

There must be a conversation between the educator and the evaluator to establish and reach an agreement on the final student-learning target and the measure of student growth and achievement for the SLG. In addition, the conversation should include a review of the SLG Rubric to ensure there is a shared understanding of how the SLG will be scored. The SLG must be approved by the evaluator.