What Is a SMART Goal?
Updated October 2, 2024
As a teacher, your role is to help students learn and grow. But to know whether you and your students are making progress, you need to know what you're aiming at. One of the most powerful ways to clear this up is by setting SMART goals.
What Is the SMART Framework for Goals?
A SMART goal is any goal or objective that is Specific, Measurable, Attainable, Relevant and Time-Bound:
- Specific: The goal is clear about what it involves, who will do it and how they'll do so.
- Measurable: The goal is quantifiable, so you can track progress and know when you've achieved it.
- Attainable: The goal is possible and realistic with reasonable effort. It can be challenging but not impossible.
- Relevant: The goal has a “why.” It serves a purpose that matters in this context.
- Time-Bound: The goal has a “when.” The responsible person must do it within a certain amount of time.
The typical SMART goal format is:
- I will achieve [measurable, realistic, relevant objective] within [time frame] by [specific actions to achieve the goal].
Why Use SMART Goals in Your Classroom?
SMART goals benefit students and teachers in several ways, including:
- Promoting self-discipline and accountability
- Preparing for professional environments where setting, tracking and achieving goals is essential
- Practicing critical thinking by evaluating whether goals are SMART
- Developing initiative in setting one's own goals
- Motivating consistent, focused effort to improve the results that matter most
- Enriching daily task planning with a sense of direction and purpose
- Enhancing self-esteem by highlighting effort, progress and achievements
How to Write a SMART Goal
So, you know how to recognize a SMART goal when you see one. But how can you help a student create one and work toward it? Guide them through the following eight steps.
1. Brainstorm Goals
Jot down a few potential goals. Prompt the student to start with subjects or skills they'd most like to improve at. For example, if math is a weak point, they could start with something like “I want to improve my math skills.”
It's fine for the goals to be a little vague at this point. Help your student pick the three potential goals that are most important to their progress and make them SMARTer one at a time.
2. Make the Goal Specific
Fill in the “who,” “what” and “how.” Using our example from step one, ask your student what would need to happen for them to improve at math. Perhaps drill it down to a specific area of mathematics, too. They may get to something like “I'll do extra exercises after school each day to improve at geometry.”
3. Make the Goal Measurable
Ask your student how they can measure whether they've achieved this goal. Look for quantifiable answers. Often, this comes down to numbers. For example, ask them how many extra geometry exercises they'll do and how they plan to measure their improvement. Now, the goal might become “I'll do 20 extra geometry exercises after school each day to improve my math grade by 20%.”
4. Make the Goal Achievable
Check whether this goal is achievable for your student. Inspire them to aim high without setting themselves up for disappointment with unrealistic targets. Try asking questions to help them recognize whether a goal is achievable rather than telling them yourself, which can be discouraging.
Realistic means something different for each student. In our example, if the student's extracurricular schedule and home situation limit their time for homework, they could adjust the goal to 10 exercises a day and a 10% improvement.
5. Make the Goal Relevant
Confirm whether the goal is relevant to your student's academic progress and individual learning needs. Ask whether achieving this goal will make them more successful as a student in the most important ways.
The goal “I'll do 10 extra geometry exercises after school each day to improve my math grade by 10%” is very relevant to this student. A student who is already scoring 90% on geometry tests but struggles with algebra would find an algebra-related goal more relevant to their needs.
6. Make the Goal Time-Bound
Ensure there is a specific and realistic time by which the student aims to achieve their goal. You can also add a time frame to the action part of the goal to improve specificity even further. For example, a more time-bound version of this student's goal would be "I'll do 10 extra geometry exercises during the bus ride home each day to improve my math grade by 10% by the end of this semester.”
7. Record the Goal
Rather than setting and forgetting goals, ensure the student records their SMART goals somewhere easy to see and track. A student planner is an excellent tool for this, as students can write down all their goals and remind themselves of the daily actions they've planned to achieve each one.
8. Track Progress
Each day, the student should record:
- Effort: They can track what they did to move toward their goal each day. In our example, they can tick off completing 10 geometry exercises.
- Outcomes: They can note whether they achieved the goal in the end, as well as accomplishments along the way. For example, a small improvement in a mid-semester geometry test could be an important win on the way to that end-of-semester goal.
If they achieve the goal within the specified time frame, encourage them to celebrate before setting the next goal! If not, support them in adjusting their time frame and making any other necessary changes to their goal.
SMART Goals Examples for Students and Teachers
As students gain experience setting SMART goals, they'll find it easier and faster to develop goals that meet all the criteria. But you can help them get their pattern recognition down faster by sharing examples of SMART goals for students. They should come up with their own, but these can help clarify what they're looking for:
- I'll read each prescribed book for English ahead of time this coming semester by reading a book every two weeks, starting two weeks before term.
- I'll improve my participation in history class by raising my hand to ask or answer at least one question in every lesson this term.
- I'll score at least 80% for my science project by spending 30 minutes researching, experimenting or writing for it every weekday from today until the submission date of 10 May.
If you want to join in and set SMART goals for yourself as a teacher, think along the lines of these examples:
- I'll improve my math class's average grade by 5% by the end of this academic year by giving them an interactive practice task before each assignment.
- I'll add two new professional qualifications to my CV this year by enrolling in a certificate course in a new teaching methodology before each semester.
- I'll update my teaching approach by identifying and implementing one new technological tool or program this semester.
Foster Goal Setting With Student Planners
Teaching your students about SMART goal-setting and modeling it as a teacher is a powerful way to set them up for success. To further encourage goal setting while making it easy and fun for your students, give them attractive, user-friendly student planners from Success by Design.
We at Success by Design know that success doesn’t happen by accident. You plan for it! That's why our student planners have space for your students' SMART goals. We also offer bulk discounts and customization with your school's logo, so SMART goals and school spirit can go hand in hand for everyone. Check out our teacher planners if you'd like to join in.
- SBD, Inc.