Goal-Setting for the Instructional Leader To achieve a goal you have never achieved before, you must start doing things you have never done before Jim Stuart August 2014 Charting a Course to Excellence Diverse Community - Shared Vision - Exceptional Education Dr. Gerald B. Hudson, Area Director Garland ISD Division of Curriculum, Instruction & Assessment
PURPOSE What are your goals for the 2014-2015 academic school year? Goals can set personal or professional interests in motion. The biggest problem isn t setting the goals; the problem lies in the execution to make the goals a reality. The purpose of this paper is two-fold. How does a leader ensure the execution of the goals, and how does a leader provide parameters to establish the baseline for any goals established by subordinates, teams or organizations? GOALS Webster defines goals as something that you are trying to do or achieve. In the field of education we use devices to manufacture goals, such as S.M.A.R.T. or anything in the form of X to Y by when. The acronym S.M.A.R.T. stands for the following: Specific target a specific area for improvement. Measurable quantify or at least suggest an indicator of progress. Attainable the target can be achieved/reached Realistic state what results can realistically be achieved, given available resources. Time-related specify when the result(s) can be achieved. This is a great way to develop goals, however it doesn t necessarily guarantee that you will have success achieving your goals. Here are examples of SMART Goals:
Non-Educational: 1) By June, 2015, I will decrease my BMI by 1 point as measured by the BMI equation (height and weight). 2) By April 20, 2015, I will complete the Boston Marathon in less than 6 hours as measured by the official race clocks. Educational: 1) By June 2015, 3 rd grade students will increase their overall reading performance at the Phase-in, Level II standard from 53.5% to 60% as measured by STAAR Reading. There s nothing wrong with setting goals. The issue is what needs to be done to accomplish goals. EXECUTION We are going to introduce two terms: lead measures and lag measures. These are the measures that make a goal a reality. A Lag Measure is the measurement of a result you are trying to achieve. They are called lag measures because by the time you get the data the results are final; they are always lagging, such as test scores, attendance, etc. Lag Measures are critically important, but once you see a Lag Measure, there is nothing more that can be done about it. For instance, once you see the first grade cycle attendance report, it is just that: a report. You can try to do better the next grading cycle, but nothing can be done about the prior grading cycle. A non-educational description of a lag measure is an autopsy. You can examine the causes, but you cannot change the outcome. Lead Measures are different; they foretell the results. Lead measures are both predictive, meaning they lead to the accomplishment of the Lag Measure or goal, and they can be influenced, meaning you can do something about them. Lead Measures are about narrowing your focus down to the 2 or 3 things that trigger success, or your end goal. For example, it could be number of walk-throughs in the math department or number of miles ran in a month.
Understanding which appropriate lead measures will influence the lag measure is essential to achieving or surpassing the set goal. Here are examples of SMART Goals with lead and lag measures: Non-Educational: 3) By June, 2015, I will decrease my BMI by 1 point as measured by the BMI equation (height and weight). a. Lag measure BMI in June 2015 b. Lead measures (1),000 steps a day c. Lead measures (2) 20 calorie intake per day 4) By April 20, 2015, I will complete the Boston Marathon in less than 6 hours as measured by the official race clocks. Educational: a. Lag measure The official time at the Boston Marathon on April 20, 2015. b. Lead measures (1) Average 20-25 miles per week for the next 5 months c. Lead measures (2) Average a running pace of minute a mile. 2) By June 2015, 3 rd grade students will increase their overall reading performance at the Phase-in, Level II standard from 53.5% to 60% as measured by STAAR Reading. a. Lag measure 3 rd grade overall reading scores at the Phase-in, Level II standards June 2015 b. Lead measures (1) 70% mastery of reading objective on 3 week interim assessments. c. Lead measures (2) Tier II and III students will be provided 90 minutes of guided reading instruction per week in addition to classroom instruction.
Once a goal is established, and the lead and lag measures are established, the final step is creating a compelling scoreboard. SCOREBOARD We all need a compelling scoreboard to give us immediate feedback on our progress. Scoreboards have always been associated with sports. There s definitely a difference in the way a football team plays with eight minutes left in the first quarter versus two minutes left in the game, and the team is down by four points. The purpose of the scoreboard is to make the lead measure highly visible. Here are examples of SMART Goals with lead and lag measures and a compelling scoreboard: Non-Educational: 1) By June, 2015, I will decrease my BMI by 1 point as measured by the BMI equation (height and weight).
PER 1,000 STEPS 12 8 6 4 2 a. Lag measure BMI in June 2015 b. Lead measures (1),000 steps a day c. Lead measures (2) 20 calorie intake per day April - Goal,000 steps per day 11 11 9 9 9 9 8 8 8 8 8 7 7 7 6 6 4 11 9 7 7 7 5 0 Monday Tuesday Wednesday Thursday Friday Saturday Sunday Week1 6 8 6 8 7 4 7 Week2 7 8 8 8 9 7 7 Week 3 9 9 11 7 5 Week 4 11 9 11 9 AXIS TITLE Week1 Week2 Week 3 Week 4 April - Goal 20 calories per day Per 1,000 calaories 21 30 23 18 20 19 22 24 7 21 25 9 19 23 21 24 18 21 16 22 18 20 21 21 21 19 22 Monday Tuesday Wednesday Thursday Friday Saturday Sunday Week1 21 23 18 20 19 22 24 Week2 7 21 25 30 16 20 21 Week 3 9 19 21 18 22 21 19 Week 4 23 24 21 18 21 22 Axis Title Week1 Week2 Week 3 Week 4 2) By April 20, 2015, I will complete the Boston Marathon in less than 6 hours as measured by the official race clocks. d. Lag measure The official time at the Boston Marathon on April 20, 2015.
e. Lead measures (1) Average 20-25 miles per week for the next 5 months f. Lead measures (2) Average a running pace of minute a mile. Goal: 20-25 miles per week Miels per week 20 17 25 23 27 25 26 23 29 26 27 27 27 25 25 24 22 19 17 16 32 30 28 29 28 29 24 22 September October November December January February March Week1 17 23 26 17 19 22 24 Week2 20 25 27 25 16 28 28 Week 3 25 27 25 24 22 30 29 Week 4 23 26 29 27 27 29 32 Week1 Week2 Week 3 Week 4 Goal: minute per mile pace 14 12 12 12.24 9.8.1 9.23 AXIS TITLE 8 6 4 2 0 September October November December January February March Pace 12 12.24 9.8.1 9.23 AXIS TITLE Pace Educational: 3) By June 2015, 3 rd grade students will increase their overall reading performance at the Phase-in, Level II standard from 53.5% to 60% as measured by STAAR Reading.
a. Lag measure 3 rd grade overall reading scores at the Phase-in, Level II standards June 2015 b. Lead measures (1) 70% mastery of reading objectives for each subgroup on each 3 week interim assessments. c. Lead measures (2) Tier II and III students will be provided 90 minutes of guided reading instruction per week in addition to classroom instruction. 0 80 60 40 20 0 Goal: 70 % on 3 week Interim Assessment 65 67 56 74 78 74 72 74 1st Grading Cycle 2nd Grading Cycle 3rd Grading Cycle 4th Grading Cycle 1st - 3 week 65 67 78 72 2nd - 3 week 56 74 74 74 Axis Title 1st - 3 week 2nd - 3 week Minutes of Guiding Reading 0 90 80 70 60 50 40 30 20 0 Goal: 90 minutes of Guided reading for Tier II & III Students 90 90 90 90 90 90 90 90 90 90 50 40 324534 232223 367478 345475 Week 1 90 90 90 70 Week 2 90 40 90 90 Week 3 90 90 90 70 Week 4 50 60 90 70 60 70 70 70 Week 1 Week 2 Week 3 Week 4