Learning Objectives and Success Criteria—Implementation Challenges, Classroom Examples, and Principals’ Support

This is part two of a two-part blogpost on how high-quality learning objectives and success criteria can form a solid foundation for successful teaching and learning across a variety of schools and classrooms.

 

by Tonia Gibson

In part 1 of this post, we talked about what high-quality learning objectives and success criteria are, and how they benefit students and teachers.

When it comes time for you and your teacher colleagues to focus on getting good at creating and consistently using learning objectives and success criteria, you might discover that it’s not always as easy as it first seems.

In this post, I’ll talk about two main challenges and ways to overcome them. I’ll also give you a few examples of what learning objectives and success criteria look like in the classroom, and things school leaders can do to support teachers using them.

Let’s start with the two biggest challenges that sometimes cause teachers to get stuck when developing and using success criteria.

1. It takes time for teachers to take a step back from what they’ve always done to consider how to best implement a new strategy. It can be overwhelming for teachers if they’re told that beginning the day after their professional learning they must have their daily success criteria visible in their classroom. Teachers will need time to work with their colleagues to review and understand the standards and how learning can or should be scaffolded so that students can demonstrate mastery.

Our work with students and teachers also tells us that when students have open or constant access to the lesson success criteria, they more often refer to them as they reflect on where they’re at with their learning. Teachers and leaders need to find practical ways to make success criteria visible for students, understanding that it may vary by subject, grade level or even by teacher.

2. Teachers can find it challenging to develop success criteria that are learning focused rather than doing The good news here is that in any state (and in most countries), the academic standards provide teachers with clear descriptions of what students need to learn, not just do. In some cases, it can come down to truly understanding your standards and being more aware of what the verbs used in different subject areas.

Note in the examples below how using different verbs can make success criteria learning focused. What else do you notice about how they support depth of knowledge and understanding?

Standard	SC focused on ‘doing’	SC focused on ‘learning’
Make, justify, and apply formal geometric constructions.	I can make a shape using given measurements.	I can explain what shape a set of measurements may produce using mathematical vocabulary. I can apply what I know about geometric construction to create a unique example.
Explain why addition and subtraction strategies work, using place value and the properties of operations.	I can complete the worksheet “Comparing addition and subtraction.”	I can explain an addition or subtraction strategy to my partner using my own example.
Analyze how particular elements of a story or drama interact (e.g., how setting shapes the characters or plot).	I can highlight the different literary elements of the story that make it more interesting.	I can work with a partner to identify and name which literary elements the author has used in our given text. We can collaborate to write a sentence describing how each element adds interest for the reader.
Compare and contrast two or more versions of the same story (e.g., Cinderella stories) by different authors or from different cultures.	I can describe how my two texts are similar, but also different.	I can create a Venn diagram that illustrates how my two texts are similar, but different. I can predict and discuss why the differences occur.

What do learning objectives and success criteria look like in a classroom?

Below are a few examples of some solid learning objectives and success criteria that I’ve seen in classrooms. These additional examples illustrate the what, why and how for students as they work toward mastery.

Example learning objective, elementary math:
We are going to learn how to read and create graphs so that we can use our learning to collect and share some interesting data with our classmates.

          Success Criteria

• I can describe the difference between a bar graph and a line graph using examples.
• I can explain what the ‘x’ and ‘y’ axes represent in a variety of given examples.
• I can work with a partner to tell the story of a given graph.

 

Example learning objective, middle school ELA:
You are going to learn how to write an argumentative essay so that you can win the support of the greatest number of people on a topic of your choice!

          Success Criteria

• I can explain how argumentative and opinion essays are similar, but different.
• I can research and select factual evidence to support a selected argument.
• I can present a logical argument that is backed up by reliable facts.
• I can organize my information and facts in a logical sequence.
• I can see a point of view from both (or many) sides.
• I can respond to another person’s argument using reliable facts.
• I can cite the source of my information.
• I can discuss the strength of an author/peer’s argument.

 

Example learning objective, high school science:
We are going to be learning about energy and how energy flows between organisms so that we can explain and describe why and how different ecosystems exist.

          Success Criteria

• I can explain and describe the types of energy involved in photosynthesis.
• I can create an original visual representation that explains and illustrates photosynthesis.
• I can predict how select bio-organisms may behave when placed in different ecosystems.

Getting good at writing out and planning your learning objectives and success criteria is an important step. But the secret sauce for effectiveness really boils down to whether and how you truly use them in class with your students. Simply having them visible or accessible for students will not move the needle. They need to become an integrated part of each lesson: introduced and discussed with students at the start of the lesson, used during lessons to guide student learning or to re-focus students, and closing each lesson with a review or reflection.

One simple way for teachers to assess the quality of their implementation during a lesson is to ask a couple of students three simple questions:

1.       What are you learning about today? 2.       Why is this learning important?	Student responses should align with the learning objective’s what and why.
3.       What will/does successful learning look, sound, or feel like today?	Student responses should align with the success criteria (as opposed statements like “when I finish” or “when I get an A on the test”).

What leaders need to know (and do) to affect positive change

The most common misstep I see at both district and school levels is that leaders expect too much too soon from teachers. It takes time, and not allowing teachers the time or space to learn with and from each other can lead to sub-par practice or pure compliance, which we all want to avoid.

Another tip, especially for building leaders, is to get into as many classrooms as you can each day. Observe how teachers are approaching their real-time implementation and observe how students are responding to the different ways teachers are using the strategy. You might even consider providing teachers with some non-evaluative feedback, drawn from students’ answers to the three questions above.

Lastly, let your measure of effective implementation be focused on students rather than teachers. Rather than saying “By X date, every teacher will display their daily learning objectives and success criteria in the classroom,” consider less compliance-focused measures such as “The percentage of students able to answer our three questions about their learning focus will increase by 15% by X date.” A measure such as this can shift a teacher’s mindset from “What do my administrators want to see?” to “What do my students need to be able to explain and describe about what they’re learning?”

To get where we want to be, teachers need high-quality professional learning to demystify strategies for learning objectives and success criteria, and they also need time and encouragement to use their expertise and creativity to experiment with using the strategies. Having clear implementation measures that support effective use of the strategy is imperative, as is non-evaluative feedback from leaders and peers alike.

Encouragement, questions, and comments

I hope that over the course of these two posts, I’ve made a persuasive case for you about the importance and value of focusing on high-quality learning objectives and success criteria. Regardless of your school’s specific curriculum, contexts, and improvement goals, getting everyone knowledgeable about and consistently using learning objectives and success criteria creates a foundation that supports higher levels of student engagement, motivation, and learning.

If you have questions or want to share how you’ve used learning objectives and success criteria in your classroom, drop a comment for me below. I’d love to hear from you!

 

 

Tonia Gibson is a senior consultant at McREL International who provides schools and districts with coaching, professional learning, and strategic guidance to strengthen educator and leader capacities. She is a co-author of The New Classroom Instruction That Works, Learning that Sticks, and Unstuck: How Curiosity, Peer Coaching, and Teaming Can Change Your School.