M1 Designing the SLO-SSO-Demo Site

1. 1
Student Learning/Support
Objectives (SLO/SSO)
-Designing Module-

2. Student Learning/Support
Objectives
2
Module 1
Designing the SLO/SSO

3. 3
Design
Goal
• Designing technically rigorous student learning/support
objectives (SLO/SSO) for use in guiding instruction (and/or
support services); while determining student mastery or
growth as part of an educator effectiveness system.
Objectives
• Participants will :
1. Compose a Goal Statement.
2. Select Targeted Content/Professional Standards.
3. Create a Blueprint.

4. 4
Helpful Resources
Participants should consult the following:
Training
• Handout #1: Designing the SLO
 Step 1: Goal Statement
 Step 2: Targeted Content/Professional Standards
 Step 3: Blueprint
Templates
• Template #1: Designing the SLO
• Template #3: Coherency Rubric
Resources
• Demonstration #1-Art Grade 3-DEMO-Final
• Demonstration #2-School Psychologists-DEMO-Final

5. Process Components
5
STEP #1
Goal
STEP #2
Standards
STEP #3
Blueprint
STEP #4
Form
STEP #5
QA

6. 6
DESIGN Phase
• Think about which content/professional
standards to measure.
• Organize standards and measures.
• Discuss collective goals with colleagues.
• Research what constitutes a high-quality
SLO/SSO.

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STEP 1
Goal Statement

8. SLO/SSO Definition
• A narrative that articulates a key concept upon
which the SLO/SSO is based. The statement
addresses What, Why, and How.
Characteristics:
• Central to the content area/professional service
• A foundational concept/service needed for
future, more advanced learning and school
success. 8
What is a Goal Statement?

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Addresses at least three key elements:
• WHAT part of the content/professional
standards is being reflected in the key
concept/service?
• WHY is the key concept/service a central
idea, controlling theme, or primary service?
• HOW do the skills and knowledge/services
support future, more advanced learning?
Goal Statement

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Goal Statement
-SLO: High School Economics-
“Demonstrate how scarcity and choice affect
decision-making locally, nationally, and
internationally. The concepts of scarcity and
choice are the foundations for understanding and
applying economic principles. Future courses will
require that students propose solutions for scarcity
of goods and services through production and
allocation efficiencies.”
*Note* See also Handout #1: Designing the SLO, Step #1–Goal Statement.

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Goal Statement
-SSO: High School Counselors-
“The purpose of the high school counselor’s student
service goal is to evaluate the contributions of the school
counselor relative to student improvement in the areas of
academic, personal/social, and career development.
Students will acquire the attitudes, knowledge, and skills
that contribute to effective learning in school and across
the life span. This goal will be partially accomplished
through the delivery of a guidance curriculum, individual
student planning, and responsive services.”
*Note* See also Handout #1: Designing the SLO, Step #1–Goal Statement.

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Procedural Steps
1. Create a statement about a key concept (or primary service)
that is essential to the course or subject area (or supporting
student achievement).
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.
*Note: The statements in italics are application to specialists creating a Student Support Objective
(SSO); Refer to Template #1: Designing the SLO, Step 1–Developing a Goal Statement.

13. Quality Assurance (QA) Checklist
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.
The Goal Statement is:
 Created by educators (specialists) with experience teaching
the course/subject area (professional area).
 Reviewed for editorial soundness. 13

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STEP 2
Targeted Content/Professional
Standards

15. SLO Definition
• Targeted Content Standards, which are the foundation of
performance measures, articulate what students should know
(knowledge), be able to demonstrate (skills), and apply in
other settings (abilities).
SSO Definition
• Targeted Professional Standards outline the requirements an
organization must fulfill to ensure that products and services
consistently meet customers' requirements. Content standards
may also be identified for those individuals providing
instructional services. 15
What are Targeted
Content/Professional Standards?

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Targeted Standards
Choosing Targeted Content/Professional
Standards means:
• Identifying within the content/service
areas the standards that represent the
key concept/service.
• Selecting certain content/professional
standards for use with the performance
measure.

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Guiding Questions
• Endurance–Will this standard provide
students with knowledge, skills, abilities
and/or services of value beyond a single
date/point in time?
• Leverage–Will this standard provide
knowledge, skills, abilities and/or services
in multiple disciplines/settings?

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Rules of Thumb
SLO
• Describes the expectations associated with a particular
academic content area.
• Articulates what students should know (knowledge)
and be able to demonstrate (skills).
• Represents the curricula taught during the school year.
SSO
• Articulates how the service supports student learning
and school success.
• Represents core services focused on student outcomes.

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Rules of Thumb (cont.)
Assumptions
• Targeted content standards have a direct
influence on student performance outcomes
and can be measured across two points in time
or at a single point, with performance standards
defining mastery and growth.
• Targeted professional standards have
quantifiable outcomes that can be collected in a
uniform (standardized) manner.

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*Note* See also Handout #1: Designing the SLO, Step #2–Targeted Content
Standards.
Standard ID Description Rationale
Standard 1.1
Interpersonal
Communication
Students engage in
conversations, provide
and obtain information,
express feelings and
emotions, and exchange
opinions.
To achieve functional levels of
communicative competence in a world
language, students must use the language
regularly in everyday social interactions
such as conversing, arguing, criticizing,
requesting, convincing, and explaining
effectively.
Standard 1.2
Interpretative
Communication
Students understand and
interpret written and
spoken language on a
variety of topics.
Developing literacy in a world language is
a crucial 21st century skill. Students need
to develop a variety of reading and
listening strategies that will allow them to
comprehend, analyze, and synthesize
information.
SLO: World Languages

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*Note* See also Handout #1: Designing the SLO, Step #2–Targeted Standards.
Standard ID Description Rationale
A:A1 Improve
Academic Self-
Concept
A:A1.1 Articulate feelings of competence and
confidence as learners. A:A1.2 Display a positive
interest in learning. A:A1.3 Take pride in work and
achievement. A:A1.4 Accept mistakes as essential to
the learning process. A:A1.5 Identify attitudes and
behaviors that lead to successful learning.
Students will acquire
the attitudes,
knowledge, and skills
that contribute to
effective learning in
school and throughout
life.
A:A2 Acquire
Skills for
Improving
Learning
A:A2.1 Apply time-management and task-management
skills. A:A2.2 Demonstrate how effort and persistence
positively affect learning. A:A2.3 Use communications
skills to know when and how to ask for help when
needed. A:A2.4 Apply knowledge and learning styles to
positively influence school performance
Students will acquire
the attitudes,
knowledge, and skills
that contribute to
effective learning in
school and throughout
life.
SSO: High School Counselors

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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 are 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 alignment with the Goal Statement.
*Note* Refer to Template #1: Designing the SLO, Step 2–Identifying the Targeted Content Standards

23. Quality Assurance (QA) Checklist
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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).
 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).

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STEP 3
Blueprint

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What is a Blueprint?
A design tool that:
• Aids in the SLO/SSO design process.
• Visually depicts the relationship
among key SLO/SSO elements.
• Aligns the technical components that
serve as the foundation for creating
the student learning/support
objectives.

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Basic Elements
• Goal Statement
• Targeted Content/Professional
Standards
• Objectives Statement: [S.M.A.R.T
format]
• Performance Measures/Assessments

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Blueprint
-Art Grade 3 Example-
Goal Statement
Demonstrate the art skills,
techniques, elements, and principles
that are the foundation of visual
communication and are key to
communicating ideas, artistic
messages, mood, and feelings.
Objectives OBJ #1:
By the end of the final grading period, at least
75% of all students will earn at least one
Proficient rating within the Paper Weaving
Project.
OBJ #2:
By the end of the third grading period, at least
80% of all students will earn at least one Proficient
rating within the Still Life Painting Portfolio.
Targeted Content
Standards
9.1.3.A; 9.1.3.C;
9.4.3.D
Performance Measures PM #1:
Paper Weaving Project comprised of three (3)
independent tasks.
PM #2:
Still Life Painting Portfolio comprised of four
(4) unique paintings.
*Note* Also see Handout #1: Designing the SLO, Step #3–Blueprint.

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Blueprint
-School Psychologists Example-
Goal Statement
Improve students' academic
achievement, positive
mental health, and social
competence using
interventions and mental
health services.
Objectives OBJ #1:
70% of all identified students will show
improvement on their targeted behaviors after
8 weeks of receiving services.
OBJ #2:
80% of all identified students will maintain
targeted behaviors after 16 weeks of receiving
services.
Targeted Professional
Standards
Interventions and
Instructional Support to
Develop Academic Skills
Interventions and Mental
Health Services to Develop
Social and Life Skills
Performance Measures PM #1:
Behavioral and Emotional Rating Scale
(BERS-2), Second Edition
PM #2:
Functional Behavioral Assessment
(FBA)-District
*Note* Also see Handout #1: Designing the SLO, Step #3–Blueprint.

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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.
*Note* Refer to Template #1: Designing the SLO, Step 3–Creating a Blueprint.

30. Quality Assurance Checklist
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.
The Objectives are written in ________________ terms.
 Specific
 Measureable
 Achievable
 Relevant
 Time-bound
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31. Reflection
• Purpose
Statement
Step 1
• Targeted Content
/ Professional
Standards
Step 2 • Blueprint
Step 3
31

32. Design Phase: Final Check
• The Coherency Rubric, which examines the alignment
characteristics of each student learning/support objective
(SLO/SSO), serves as a review tool so that each
SLO/SSO is technically rigorous.
• Each phase contains a series of tasks with applicable
descriptors that specify the criteria for evaluating the
technical quality. Phase I: Design evaluates five aspects
of the SLO presented within this module.
*Note* Template #3: Reviewing the SLO Coherency
Rubric is found in the Review module.
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33. Final Check (cont.)
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Phase I: Design
Task ID Descriptor Rating
Meets
Criteria
Needs
Refinement
1.1
The goal statement articulates the “big idea” under which
targeted content/professional standards are directly
aligned. The statement is concise and free of technical
jargon.
 
1.2
Targeted content/professional standards have a direct
influence on student performance outcomes and are
viewed as “central” to the subject/service area.
 
1.3
The course/subject (service) area associated with the
SLO/SSO is logically linked to the central theme and
targeted content/professional standards.
 

34. Final Check (cont.)
34
Task ID Descriptor Rating
Meets
Criteria
Needs
Refinement
1.4
A blueprint or other design document illustrates
relationships among key components (i.e., Goal
Statement, Targeted Content/Professional Standards,
Objectives, Performance Measures, and Overall
Rating).
 
1.5
Performance measures are designed to evaluate the
targeted content/professional standards (as
demonstrated by the performance measure’s
alignment characteristics).
 
Needs
Refinement
Clarification
Phase I: Design

35. 35
Summary
SUMMARY
Designing the SLO
• Designed a Goal Statement and selected
content/professional standards.
• Organized and aligned SLO/SSO components
within a blueprint.
NEXT STEPS
Building the SLO
• Using the completed blueprint, participants will
create a high quality SLO/SSO and develop and/or
select applicable performance measures.