SMART Goals
Specific and Strategic
Measurable
Results Oriented
Time Bound
District or School Improvement Plan
Needs Assessment
Members of the Improvement Team
Achievement and Other Relevant Data
Based on these data, where should we focus our efforts? What are our SMART goals?
Key Questions to Support Improvement Planning
Needs Assessment
• What do our student achievement data tell us?
• Have we disaggregated the data to identify groups of students who are not meeting with success?
• Are there differences in achievement among similar schools or populations?
• What trends or patterns in student achievement do we see that we are trying to support or alter?
• Have we carefully examined the data to identify underlying causes of strengths and weaknesses in achievement?
• What improvement targets have we set?
Identifying Goals
• Based on our diagnosis and data, what will we focus on to raise student achievement?
• What are the three or four priorities that we will focus on to ensure student success? What barriers must be overcome?
• Will these priorities address both short-term needs and actions and long-term sustainable improvement?
• What will we do to achieve equity of outcomes?
• What are the specific strategies and actions that we will implement to achieve our priorities?
• How will the district engage and support schools and communities in this process?
• Does the plan identify the roles, responsibilities, time frame, and resources to support implementation strategies?
• How will we provide required professional learning and capacity building?
• Have we drawn on research and professional experience to select the best strategies to maximize student learning?
• Are all strategies in the plan clear, concise, and consistent with the key priorities? Are they integrated and mutually supportive?
• How will we communicate the plan to our schools and communities?
Action, Monitoring, and Evaluation
• How will we communicate our actions and results?
• How will we measure our progress and the impact on student learning?
• How has instructional practice changed?
• How will we address changing needs or issues that may be identified in the monitoring and review process?
• How will our diagnostic and monitoring information support future improvement planning?
Sample Improvement Plan Checklist
District Target Setting and Improvement Planning: Key Components
School Target Setting and Improvement Planning: Key Components
