Methodical gathering and analysis of student achievement data will enable schools, classes and students to set targets or goals based on evidence. When achievement data, disaggregated to enable careful analysis and to set priorities, is combined with other school wide evidence (see Gathering Evidence ), it is a powerful tool to help bring about change and improvement. The general principles of target or goal setting should apply at each level of the school, including goal setting by students.
For information on target setting at the board of trustees level, go to the School Planning and Reporting section on the Ministry of Education website.The resources page provides guidelines and resources to help your kura or school develop its planning and reporting documents.
Read about the MoE's proposed approach to Planning and Reporting in 2014 here.
School-wide target setting is best initiated at the classroom level, where teachers can identify particular students or groups of students needing a particular focus. Targets can then be established and owned at syndicate or department level, then incorporated into school-wide targets at the leadership and Board of Trustees level. This enables staff members at every level of the school to have ownership of the targets, and to take responsibility for them.
Processes should be established to monitor against targets. For example, an expectation could be:
These monitoring processes will be supported by the school-wide assessment schedule.
Effective target setting goes hand in hand with an action plan of how the target will be met. Planning for improvement should be done at the same time as target setting.
Ask these three broad questions:
While change can come from short term focus on a particular area, in reality there is a limit to how much sustainable improvement can come this way alone, or just from greater effort. Lasting change will generally come from investment in professional learning and improved leadership and classroom practices.
When students are encouraged to take responsibility for their own learning, goal setting is a logical step in the process. Although the same principles apply as in class or school target setting, for most students goal setting is more effective in the context of ‘next steps in learning’ rather than very broad, long term goals. Goal setting is, however, still based on evidence, and is the logical next step that follows teacher, self or peer assessment. It's important for students to develop self assessment skills so that they are able to set their own goals. Goals that are set for students by the teacher do not have the same level of student ownership.
The Reporting to Parents section has detailed information about, and examples of, student goal setting.
Read further information on goal and target setting.