1. The document provides a 3-step template for designing a Student Learning Objective (SLO) or Student Support Objective (SSO).
2. Step 1 involves developing a goal statement that describes the key concept or service, why it is important, and how it supports learning or success.
3. Step 2 identifies relevant content or professional standards aligned to the goal statement.
4. Step 3 creates a blueprint that includes the goal statement, standards, performance measures, and objectives written in SMART terms to demonstrate student achievement.
1. Template #1: Designing the SLO/SSO- Final 1
Template #1: Designing the SLO/SSO
STEP #1:DEVELOPING A GOAL STATEMENT
Procedural Steps
1. Create a statement about a key concept (or primary service1) that is essential to the course or subject area
(or supporting student achievement and/or school success).
2. Discuss and build consensus by focusing on each aspect of the key concept (or primary service).
3. Draft a sentence reflecting the group’s consensus on the Goal Statement.
4. Merge the three sentences to create a single-paragraph statement and review with the group.
5. Finalize the statement and double-check for editorial soundness.
Framework
WHAT
_____________________________________________________________________________
WHY
_____________________________________________________________________________
HOW
_____________________________________________________________________________
Quality Assurance (QA) Checklist
A. The Goal Statement addresses:
What the key concept (service) that is an essential understanding of the
course/subject area (or supporting student achievement) is.
Why the selected key concept (service) is foundational and represents at least one
central idea (professional standard).
How the skills and knowledge associated with the key concept (identified service)
support future, more advanced learning (school success).
B. The Goal Statement is:
Created by educators (specialists) with experience teaching the course/subject area
(professional area).
Reviewed for editorial soundness.
1 Note: The statements in italics are application to specialists creating a Student Support Objective (SSO)
2. Template #1: Designing the SLO/SSO- Final 2
STEP #2:IDENTIFYING THE TARGETED CONTENT(PROFESSIONAL)
STANDARDS
Procedural Steps
1. Examine the content (professional) standards associated with the Goal Statement developed in Step #1.
2. Identify a preliminary group of standards that contains essential components of the identified key concept
(service).
3. Select those standards that can be measured to produce achievement data (achievement and/or school
success data).
4. Place the name or codification for each targeted content (professional) standard in the Standards ID
column, and enter the content description in the Description column.
5. Enter a brief statement in the Rationale column explaining the standard’s alignment with the Goal
Statement.
Framework
Goal Statement: ________________________________________________________________________
Standard
ID
Description Rationale
Quality Assurance (QA) Checklist
The Targeted Content (Professional) Standards:
Represent, within the greater content area (profession), the key concept (service)
that the Goal Statement articulates.
Have leverage and endurance characteristics (i.e. knowledge and skills of value
across multiple disciplines).
Prepare students for more advanced learning (and/or school success).
Can be measured by high-quality assessments.
Can produce information about what students know and are able to do.
Can guide teaching and pedagogy (inform the service delivery models)
3. Template #1: Designing the SLO/SSO- Final 3
STEP #3:CREATING A BLUEPRINT
Procedural Steps
1. Add Goal Statement and Targeted Content (Professional) Standards identified in Steps #1 and #2.
2. Explore potential performance measures (i.e., assessments) and metric types (e.g., mastery, growth).
3. Draft an objective for each performance measure using the Specific, Measureable, Achievable, Relevant,
and Time-bound (SMART) format.
4. Review the alignment between the selected performance measures and the Targeted Content
(Professional) Standards.
5. Ensure that the developed objectives are sufficient measures of the Goal Statement.
Framework
Quality Assurance (QA) Checklist
A. The Blueprint includes:
The Goal Statement and Targeted Content (Professional) Standards.
The performance measures used to create student achievement data.
The objectives used to demonstrate student achievement.
All components needed to create the SLO/SSO.
B. The Objectives are written in ________________ terms.
Specific
Measureable
Achievable
Relevant
Time-bound
Goal Statement Objectives OBJ #1:
OBJ #2:
Targeted Content
(Professional)
Standards
Performance Measures PM #1:
PM #2: