InTASC Standard #6: Assessment. The teacher understands and uses multiple methods of assessment to engage learners in their own growth, to monitor learner progress, and to guide the teacher’s and learner’s decision making.
The chart above is a student work sample from my “Smart Goals” lesson. For every graded assignment, students get to look at the rubric before completing the assignment. After the assignment has been completed, I often have students self-assess themselves on the rubric. Their goal is to be as realistic as possible, because they will gain an extra point on their assignment if they are within a point or two of the score I found that they earned. By using the rubrics, the students are working on their own skills and improving by assessing their strengths and weaknesses. In an effort to help my students grow in their research skills, I introduced the concept of “Smart Goals”. According to University of West Florida Professors, K. Blaine Lawlor and Martin J. Hornyak, using the smart goal model to set goals motivates goal setters to achieve reachable and realistic outcomes. Using the smart goal model, students looked at the rubrics from the most recent project and set smart goals for themselves in areas that they noticed they needed improvement.