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WRITING S.M.A.R.T. GOALS AND

EVALUATING YOUR PLAN

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 Session Purposes
In this session you will learn strategies to :
• become an informed stakeholder
• examine Indicator Data
• develop SMART goals based on identified needs
• evaluate your District Capacity Building Plan

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Preparing for an Informed Conversation

• How is your State and local district using secondary
transition indicator data (i.e. Part B Indicators 1, 2, 13, 14)
for decision-making, accountability, and transition program
improvement?
• Read the Indicator 1, 2, 13, & 14 section of your State’s SPP and
APR.
• Ask for your district data.
• If you have additional questions ask your State Transition
Coordinator for clarification.
• Contact your State/ Regional Transition Coordinator to get
your data for use with your district.

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Becoming Informed
• Analyze and Interpret Part B Indicator 1, 2, 13, and 14 data

• Were the proposed district targets met?

• Was progress made over last year’s data or was there slippage?

• To what can you attribute this progress or slippage?

• What areas need to improve (e.g. transition assessments,

graduation, postsecondary education or employment)?

• What can be done to improve this outcome area?

• How can goals be measured to determine whether they contributed

to improving the outcome?

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Using your data

• How does your district’s data compare to other districts?
• What patterns can be seen in the data when looking at
type of disability, gender, high school exit, and
race/ethnicity?
• Is there an area/school in the District where youth are
engaged at higher rates? What do you think contributes
to the higher rates in this area?
• What district policies/procedures may be affecting the
graduation, dropout, and engagement outcomes for
youth with disabilities?
• What actions could the school/district to take to
improve engagement rates?
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 Good Planning

Outputs Outcomes
Inputs
(resources) (improvement (Measurable changes in knowledge,
· Money
activities) behaviors, and social conditions)
· Transition · Assessing and · Increased teacher/ parent knowledge
Consultant Implementing · Increased implementation of EBPs
predictors of · Increased engagement rates of youth with
· Parents
post-school disabilities
success

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The First Step in Action Planning

• Develop a S.M.A.R.T. goal.
• Create a goal with a 6-months to one-year timeframe.
• Focus on what the school/district should do over the next
year to lay a strong foundation for a priority transition
domain area (e.g., transition planning, transition
assessment, family involvement, student involvement;
transition-focused curriculum and instruction, interagency
collaboration, systems level infrastructure).
• Use the SMART technique to write the goal.

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 S M A R T
Specific Measurable Achievable Results-Focused Time bound
The activity must The activity must The activity must The activity must The activity must
clearly state clearly state how be achievable focus on clearly identify
what is to be to evaluate within the outcomes (e.g., the timeline in
achieved, by whether the political climate, in-school or which the
whom, where, activity has been effort, resources, post-school activity is to be
and when it is to achieved. Think and commitment outcomes of completed. This
be achieved. It of the questions, of the SEA (e.g., youth with can include
may also state how much? How providing disabilities) not benchmarks and
why it is many? How additional process target date of
important that often? How professional completion (e.g.,
the activity is effective? development month/year).
achieved. The goal is to with current
measure change allotment of
over time. professional
development
days).

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The S.M.A.R.T. Model

• Specific refers to elements that clearly define what will be done.
More specifically, a specific goal answers the questions: who, what,
when, where, and how.
• Measurable, refers to the observable and countable evidence
demonstrating the goal accomplished the intended outcome.
• Achievable refers to the ability to implement the activity within the
local constraints (e.g., political climate, resources, and commitment of
the LEA, etc.).
• Results-Focused, refers to a focus on outcomes achieved from the
goal as opposed to the process (e.g., counting the number of
students who received training on the self-advocacy strategy is
process focused; determining whether student can adequately use
the strategy to lead their own IEP meetings is results-focused). Goal
is Based on identified Need as identified by examining your data.
• Time-bound, refers to an established timeline in which progress can
be measured.

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 Formula for writing a S.M.A.R.T. goal:

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 Sample S.M.A.R.T. Goal
Results focused!!

To increase the number of student-directed IEPs

from 0 to 10 students, by March 2014, the school
will teach youth in 2 resource classrooms (i.e., 30
Measurable
youth) how to lead their own IEP meetings using
the Self Advocacy Strategy.

Specific Attainable Time-bound

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 Are the goals S.M.A.R.T. !!

•Let’s practice

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S.M.A.R.T. or Not ?

Students will become more active participants in their IEP

meetings.
Specific: What will we do to so that students become
more active participants in their IEP?
Measurable: How will we measure this? How many
students? How will we measure active participation?
Attainable: Can we do this? Is this reasonable given
our resources?
Results-focused: What is it we are trying to
What is missing?
accomplish? What do we want to increase?
Timebound: When will we accomplish this goal?

NOT
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S.M.A.R.T. or Not ?
Measurable
Results focused!!

• To increase # of youth in Tier 3 from 0 – 13 for 7th and 8th

with appropriate workplace social skills, the school will
develop a course titled “Your Future Starts NOW!” by
December 2014.
Specific
Attainable

Time-bound

S.M.A.R.T.
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S.M.A.R.T. or Not ?
Specific

Establishment of a data team charged with collecting data

from the ILP, Educational Team Meetings, and IEP
Meetings to improve student transitions, instructional
practices, and drive the model and programming options
across the district.
Results focused!!

Measurable: How will we measure this?

What is missing?
Attainable: Can we do this? Is this reasonable given
our resources?

Timebound: When will we accomplish this goal?

NOT
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S.M.A.R.T. or Not ?
Results focused!!
Measurable

• By March 2014, to increase students ability to identify

interest, strengths, needs, and preferences, from 10% to
100% of special education students in grade seven (7)
and eight (8), students and teachers will engage in
personal MAPS planning and students will present
information at their IEP meeting. Specific
Time-bound
Attainable

S.M.A.R.T.
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What do we do with our

S.M.A.R.T. goals now?
Make a plan
1. Develop an action plan
oSteps for remedying the problem should have a direct link to the
data analysis.
o Any action listed must be specific, observable, and measurable.
o Sufficient detail is needed so that it is possible to determine when
the action has been implemented.
o Determine what key people should be involved in planning
2. Use your planning tool, to map out how you will carry out your goal.
4. Follow through
5. Evaluate your efforts

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 The Planning Tool: Setting Goals and Planning - Improving Transition Education and Services

FOCUS:

GOAL: (S.M.A.R.T.)

SPECIFIC GOAL-RELATED ACTIVITIES PERSON RESPONSIBLE TIMEFRAME

(Specific, Observable, Measurable)

OUTPUTS/PRODUCTS EXPECTED OUTCOMES POTENTIAL INDICATORS DATA SOURCES

Additional stakeholders and/or TA needs:

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 :
FOCUS: Student focused planning

GOAL: (S.M.A.R.T.) To increase the number of student-directed IEPs from 0 to 10 students, by March 2014, the school will teach youth in 2 resource
classrooms (i.e., 30 youth) how to lead their own IEP meetings using the Self Advocacy Strategy.

SPECIFIC GOAL-RELATED ACTIVITIES PERSON RESPONSIBLE TIMEFRAME

(Specific, Observable, Measurable) • District Administrators

Provide professional development to two resources teachers on how to use • SPED teachers November, 2013
the Self Advocacy Strategy. • Students

Allow time for teachers to practice using the curriculum until teachers
implement with 100% fidelity.

Implement Self-Advocacy Strategy (SAS) in two resource rooms. December, 2013

Assess student knowledge of strategy using SAS knowledge battery.

Allow students to practice directing their IEP meetings in simulated

environment.

Have students direct IEP meetings. March, 2014

OUTPUTS/PRODUCTS EXPECTED OUTCOMES POTENTIAL INDICATORS DATA SOURCES

SAS curriculum Increased number of students Indicator 13, student invitation to the SAS knowledge battery
directing their IEP meetings. IEP IEP meeting notes
Fidelity Checklists Satisfactory scores on SAS Student Developed IEP meeting
knowledge battery materials

Additional stakeholders and/or TA needs:

Professional Development materials for implementing the SAS or expert trainer

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Let’s Evaluate your Plan

Use the NSTTAC Planning Tool Self-Assessment
• Goal-related activities associated with specific
interventions should be developed from an understanding
of the research or evidence base regarding the topic (e.g.,
strategies to increase students’ self-determination skills).
• The activities in your plan should be directly related to the
goal, action-oriented, and achievable. Accomplishment of
the activity should increase the likelihood that the goal will
be achieved.
• Multiple activities are often needed for goal achievement.

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For each activity answer the following:

• Will completing this activity help to accomplish your goal?

 Yes  No

• Will this activity result in production of your intended

products or other outputs (e.g., new process, events,
materials, technology)?
 Yes  No

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Person Responsible and Timeframe

• Is the person indicated to implement each activity
identified by a specific name and/or title, rather than a
generic term such as “team” or “staff”?
Yes  No
• Are the responsibilities assigned to each individual within
their scope of work?
Yes  No
• Is the timeframe for each activity specific as to the month
and the year it will be completed?
 Yes  No

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For each Products or outputs answer the

following:
• Is this output or product tangible -- a product or
service you can see, point to, or hold?
Yes  No

• Will the creation or development of this output help

achieve your goal?
 Yes  No

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For each expected outcome answer the

following:
• Does your expected outcome describe a specific
result directly associated with your goal?
Yes  No

• Is the expected outcome likely to result from your

activities and outputs?
 Yes  No

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For each potential indicator answer the

following:
• Is the potential indicator directly associated with the
expected outcome?
 Yes  No

• Does the potential indicator measure of the

following: behavior, attitude, knowledge, skills,
status, or level of functioning?
 Yes  No

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For each data source answer the

following:
• Does the specific data source link back to each
potential indicator?
 Yes  No

• Is or will the data source regarding this indicator be

available to the team?
 Yes  No

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Additional Stakeholders and TA Needs

• If additional stakeholders are needed to assist with or

approve the plan, are they identified?
 Yes  No  N/A

• If necessary for implementation of the plan, are specific

technical assistance or resource needs clearly identified?
 Yes  No  N/A

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Overall connectedness of plan

• Overall, is the team plan well designed, with each
component directly connected to the others, so that
achievement or completion of each component increases
the likelihood that the goal will be achieved?

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 Resources

National Post-School Outcomes Center

www.psocenter.org
• Predictor self-assessment:
http://psocenter.org/content_pages/56

National Secondary Transition Technical

Assistance Center
www.nsttac.org
• Evidence-based practices and predictors:
http://www.nsttac.org/content/evidence-based-practices

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 Contacts
RI Regional Resource Centers [add contacts]

Dawn A. Rowe
drowe3@uoregon.edu
541-346-8412
www.psocenter.org

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