Standards, Learning Targets, and Success Criteria – How can meaningful learning be created using standards?

The research acknowledges that a “guaranteed and viable curriculum” has the greatest impact on student achievement. In fact, John Hattie states that, “When teachers and students are clear and on the same page about the expectations, this can double the speed of learning.” While we have heard this research for years, the implementation of processes and protocols are still seen as compliance-driven tasks in many districts and schools.  

The recent adoption of the Florida B.E.S.T. Standards for ELA and Math provides an opportunity to evaluate and study these new expectations.  This blog post seeks to provide some practical strategies to create meaningful learning for students and increase their opportunity for achievement. Using the following guiding questions and suggested protocols, the path becomes a collaborative learning experience for both teachers and students.

Questions to Guide a Process to Meaningful Learning

Step 1: What are our students expected to learn?

Standards and Learning Targets process includes:

• Understand the standard’s key concepts and skills
• Create learning targets for each standard  
• Evaluate the rigor of the standards and learning targets

Protocol to Implement

“Unpacking the standards” is a term used when teachers are involved in analyzing the standard and become engaged in understanding the expectations for student learning. The process includes determining the key concepts and skills to be learned and, more importantly, the level of cognitive rigor at which the skill should be demonstrated. Once identified, learning targets can then be created for each skill or concept to be mastered in a learning progression. These learning targets are typically written in student language to communicate expectations with students and in some cases as “I can…” statements.  

The work to unpack the standards and create learning targets is beneficial to both teachers and students. These learning targets help teachers become more aware of the depth of the standards and students can participate in acquiring the specific skills and concepts to learn.  

Step 2: What does mastery of this standard look like?

Success Criteria process includes:

• Determine the criteria for success of learning targets
• Create rubric-bound assessments to gauge learning
• Calibrate student work samples

Protocol to Implement

Building the assessment takes the work completed in Step 1 and expands the expectation to the evidence of mastery. This process begins with determining the criteria needed for success. The skill or concept, as well as the level of knowledge needed, is documented as the success criteria for the learning target. This criterion is then used to construct an assessment written at the appropriate level with a rubric to establish proficiency levels of performance. Student work is analyzed and calibrated using the rubric to create model student examples. Student work can also be utilized in student conferences to reflect, self-assess, and set student learning goals.  

Step 3: How is instruction delivered?

Lesson Planning process includes:

• Create student learning experiences at level of expectation for learning target
• Utilize research-based best practice for delivery of content, including student agency and engagement
• Implement effective formative assessment process
• Analyze student work samples and calibrate for model student artifacts

Protocol to Implement

Lesson design, or collaborative planning, takes the work completed in Steps 1 and 2 to the actual instructional delivery and assessment of mastery for the learning targets. Lesson planning considers the success criteria and creates learning experiences at the appropriate level to successfully master the content on the assessment. Best practices can be discussed and integrated into the lesson, along with formative assessments. Once delivered, reflection can occur in the analysis of the student work samples to determine the next steps for instruction. This process, when documented, also provides teachers who are new to the profession with the value of experienced teacher lessons.  

Conclusion

By implementing the process of understanding the standards, creating learning targets and determining success criteria (Steps 1 and 2), the lesson planning process (Step 3) becomes more effective in aligning the expectations with student experiences and mastery of the content within the reach of students.  When done in a team environment, instructional design and its analysis and reflection lead to more effective lessons and increased student learning.  

Finding the right tools to guide the process and create a living document for use in Professional Learning Community (PLC) meetings, team planning, and teacher collaboration time will ensure that every child, regardless of their assigned classroom or teacher, has access to high quality learning. A curriculum mapping and management tool can assist in the documentation and revision of the curriculum map, as well as the analytics to assess the alignment of standards-based instruction.