Goal setting and reflection have become part of life. Throughout our life, we set goals. Within the classroom this is no different. Teachers goals for themselves and their students in hopes of increasing achievement. Within my classroom this is no different, however, I have found my students are not setting goals. Achievement within my school is low. Students have low self-esteem and little support from parents about their schooling. I began to wonder, if they had something more meaningful to work towards, if that would increase their achievement. How does student goal setting impact student achievement? As I have set out to answer this question, a key piece needs to be examined. Data. Data holds the answers to where my students currently are and going. …show more content…
If a student was an A student all through elementary school until Algebra 1, this begs questioning. Was the material too difficult? Was the instructor a poor instructor? Was there a major life change? etc. Examining a student 's previous grade allows determination where weaknesses exist. If a student had great homework completion until Tenth grade, maybe that is an area of focus for goal setting. Additionally, if a student has a high homework completion rate but low test grades, this provides an opportunity for goal setting. Students start each new school year off with the intention of changing something from the previous. Examining their previous grades allows an upper hand in how to assist and help them in the coming year.
Student goal setting is about helping students achieve areas they want to improve. By analyzing Keystone score and previous grades, I am able to anticipate where students want to make improvements. Additionally, I can tailor my instruction specifically to their previous achievement. Most importantly, analyzing this data allows me to have concrete evidence to compare their goals to their