A Process for Implementing S.M.A.R.T. Goals

When Mike Schmoker's Results was published, we were impressed by his 33 Minute Meeting Agenda. We were looking for a way to extend S.M.A.R.T. Goals into a deeper learning process that would bring together instructional best practices with job-embedded staff development and collaborative inquiry. This is the results-driven school improvement process we've been teaching, coaching and refining ever since. It's a systemic process that can operate at multiple levels to drive:
- school improvement planning, implementation & monitoring
- professional learning team work
- student goal setting & personal learning plans

The S.M.A.R.T. Goals Process is essentially just 5 steps:
1. Identify the priority need based on data
2. Develop a S.M.A.R.T. Goal with indicators, measures & targets
3. Research best practices in that goal area
4. Implement those best practices with the support of professional development
5. Using the measures & targets on the S.M.A.R.T. Goal Tree, continuously monitor the effectiveness of the new strategies (are students learning more? better?) and adjust practices accordingly.