Learning Targets
and
Success Criteria
Hattie’s Research (Visible Learning)
● The largest summary of educational research ever conducted that provides the effect
sizes for various practices
● Effect size: quantifies the magnitude of the impact of an approach/strategy
○ The desired effect size is 0.40 or higher, this value implies expected learning of one school year
● Teacher Clarity
○ Explicitly explaining what learning should be taking place, why they need to know it, intentions of the
lessons, and what it looks like to be successful
○ Effect size: 0.89
○ Includes Learning Targets/Intentions and Success Criteria
Learning Targets (Intentions)
● A description of what students will learn by the end of day’s lesson
● Overarching goal of the learning
● Drives the lesson
● Tells students where they are going by summarizing or restating the standard (without
specific details) in kid-friendly language and including academic vocabulary
Developing or Reviewing Learning Targets
● Use the standard to help identify (then define) key vocabulary/terms
● Generate a list of concept/skills that students must possess to reach proficiency (can
use Achievement Level Descriptors from GADOE as well as Types of Achievement
Targets charts to help)
● Make sure LT presents the standard to students in language they can understand
● LT can be “I can” statements for intended learning of lesson
Success Criteria
● Description of what quality work looks like for the day’s lesson
● Addresses more specific details of the standard (really digs in) and provides a map for
arriving at the target
● May include details not explicitly mentioned in the standard but that are necessary to
achieve the learning
● The list you generated while establishing LT often become your success criteria
○ Prerequisite learning, foundational skills, building blocks of knowledge that lead to the desired level of
learning
○ A to-do list for the learning intentions
Examples
● I can understand the structure of a coordinate grid and relate the procedure of plotting
points in quadrants to the structure of a coordinate grid
○ I can talk and write about the process of plotting points.
○ I can plot and label points in each quadrant on a coordinate grid.
○ I can create a rule about coordinates for each quadrant.
● I can recognize the history, interactions, and trends of climate change
○ I can locate credible research about climate change.
○ I can share my research with peers.
○ I can demonstrate the interactions of climate change and how significant the interactions are.
○ I can use a graph to show and explain trends of climate change.
Examples Continued
● I can explain the Bill of Rights, its purpose, and its relevance in my life
○ I can annotate and paraphrase the BoR.
○ I can explain the importance of the BoR, in general and to me personally.
● Analyze visual images presented in the text and determine how this information
contributes to and clarifies information
○ I can discuss with a peer the way the author used visuals and how they helped me understand the text.
○ I can identify one place in the text that was confusing and a specific visual that helped me understand.
○ I can create a visual that will help someone else understand the text.
What Might This Look Like in the Classroom
● Checklists
○ Success Criteria
○ For the day, topic, unit
■ Study guide resources
● Checks for understanding
○ Sticky Note
○ Markerboards
○ Ticket out the door
● Self Assessments
○ Student samples for success criteria
○ Ratings/Simple Rubrics
Why Is This Important?
● Helps ensure that the learning we want students to get out of an activity/task is
actually attainable through the work we ask them to do
● We do not want, nor do we have time for, activities that do not directly align with the
lesson’s goal.
● Self-regulated learners (effect: 1.33)
● Having learning goals (effect: 0.51)
● Feedback (effect: 0.75)
● Students should be able to answer each of these questions for each day’s lesson:
○ What am I learning today? (learning intention)
○ Why am I learning it? (relevance)
○ How will I know that I have learned it? (success criteria)
Next Steps
● Begin to form Learning Targets and Success Criteria for current unit in courses
currently teaching
○ Place through department Shared Drive by January 21st
● Collect examples of the following
○ What worked/did not work?
○ Student responses/samples and corresponding intentions and success criteria
○ Relevant data form formative assessment(s)
○ Ways you found to intentionally focus students on the success criteria
