Goal Clarity, Learning Targets, and Success Criteria 

Students learn more efficiently when they understand exactly what they are trying to learn and what quality work looks like. Clear learning targets and success criteria give everyone a shared picture of the goal. 

Why this matters 

•         Students learn more efficiently when they understand exactly what they are trying to learn and what quality work looks like. 

•         Research on teacher clarity and success criteria finds strong links to achievement and student confidence. 

What it is 

•         Learning target: a clear statement of what students should know or be able to do by the end of the lesson or unit, in student friendly language. 

•         Success criteria: specific descriptions or examples of what meeting the learning target looks and sounds like. 

Key classroom moves 

•         Write and share one or two clear learning targets for each lesson; refer back to them during and at the end of class. 

•         Develop and display success criteria (for example, checklists, rubrics, annotated exemplars) for major tasks. 

•         Have students restate targets in their own words and check their work against the criteria. 

•         Use learning targets and success criteria as the anchor for feedback, self-assessment, and peer assessment. 

•         Ensure assessments and tasks truly match the targets- if it is not in the target, reconsider whether it belongs on the test.  

Implications by grade 

Grades K - 2

•         Use simple “I can…” statements to describe what students are learning today. 

•         Show concrete examples (for example, a strong picture, sentence, or number model) and talk with students about why they are good examples. 

Grades 3– 5

•         Co-create simple success criteria with students (for example, what every good paragraph or solution should include). 

•         Use student friendly rubrics with levels or faces to help students track progress. 

Grades 6– 8

•         Begin lessons by unpacking the learning target and asking students how today’s work connects to previous learning. 

•         Use checklists and exemplars during writing, labs, and projects so students can self-assess while working. 

Grades 9– 12

•         Align all major tasks and assessments to clear standards-based learning targets. 

•         Use detailed rubrics and exemplars to frame feedback and grading; have students use them to self-score drafts before submitting. 

References 

Hattie, J. (2012). Visible learning for teachers: Maximizing impact on learning.

Routledge. 

Sadler, D. R. (2009). Indeterminacy in the use of preset criteria for assessment and grading. Assessment & Evaluation in Higher Education, 34(2), 159 –179.