B-Day students continued their work on our first SMART goal for the quarter today. We began by reviewing several example goals and identifying the different elements that make a goal Specific, Measurable, Achievable, Relevant, and Time-bound. Students had to look closely at each example and determine how the individual pieces worked together to create an effective goal.

From there, students returned to their own SMART goal planning guides and began pulling everything together. They considered what they want to accomplish during the first quarter, how they will measure their progress, and—perhaps most importantly—what specific actions they will need to take to reach their goal.

The final step was turning all of those individual pieces into one clear, cohesive goal. Rather than simply writing down something they hope to accomplish, students were challenged to create a realistic plan that gives them a clear target and a path for getting there.

This is our first opportunity to practice setting meaningful goals, and we’ll continue checking in on these goals throughout the quarter to see how students are progressing.