Learning Targets and Scales
Learning Targets (LTs) are specific, student-friendly goals for learning based on standards. Targets should be measurable and precise, and should provide a clear picture of what we want students to be able to do.
Learning Targets make up the Ds in a unit KUD--they are what we want students to be able to do by the end of a specific unit of learning.
Here are some examples of learning targets:
Scales are a bridge between our curriculum and our instruction. Based on the research of Marzano, scales are 4-pt ESL-based rubrics used to guide instruction and track student learning. They are more precise and grade-appropriate tools that allow teachers to communicate measurable expectations about skills and content to students, and to provide precise information about necessary skill or content instruction. Scales are worded to help students understand what is expected; they are written in first-person and explain what a student can do, not what he/she can't do.
Scales and all they entail and allow are exciting, yet complicated, and it’s clear that we have a lot of work still to do in this area. Teachers are experimenting with and honing the existing drafts, and we will all share what works once we know what works.
Drafted scales currently exist for 9th and 10th grade-level skills from ESLs 1, 2, 3, and parts of 4 and 5. We have also created 11/12 scales for Reading.These are general scales and will probably need to be shifted to fit your particular curricular or content-based needs, but they are a great place to start. We will be updating these soon, so check back for the most recent targets and scales!
9th Grade
10th Grade
11/12 Reading Literature
11/12 Reading Informational Text
Learning Targets make up the Ds in a unit KUD--they are what we want students to be able to do by the end of a specific unit of learning.
Here are some examples of learning targets:
- I can analyze an author's use of rhetoric.
- I can represent mathematical relationships symbolically.
- I can follow directions in my target language given steps one at a time.
- I can differentiate heritable traits from non-heritable traits in real-world scenarios.
Scales are a bridge between our curriculum and our instruction. Based on the research of Marzano, scales are 4-pt ESL-based rubrics used to guide instruction and track student learning. They are more precise and grade-appropriate tools that allow teachers to communicate measurable expectations about skills and content to students, and to provide precise information about necessary skill or content instruction. Scales are worded to help students understand what is expected; they are written in first-person and explain what a student can do, not what he/she can't do.
Scales and all they entail and allow are exciting, yet complicated, and it’s clear that we have a lot of work still to do in this area. Teachers are experimenting with and honing the existing drafts, and we will all share what works once we know what works.
Drafted scales currently exist for 9th and 10th grade-level skills from ESLs 1, 2, 3, and parts of 4 and 5. We have also created 11/12 scales for Reading.These are general scales and will probably need to be shifted to fit your particular curricular or content-based needs, but they are a great place to start. We will be updating these soon, so check back for the most recent targets and scales!
9th Grade
10th Grade
11/12 Reading Literature
11/12 Reading Informational Text
CVU Learning Targets and Scales:
Here is where we will collect unit KUDs, LTs and scales as they are created. These are drafts and are organized by class. In most cases, they are LTs for a specific unit within a class. Once we begin to use these and to work in departments to align targets, we will post them in a more efficient and user-friendly way. We will be updating these soon, so check back for the most recent targets and scales!
SBAC Release Task: here are the 9-11th grade scales for the SBAC task created by the English department
Writing Prose 1: an early draft of some writing scales
Writing Prose 2: scales based on ESLs and CCSS
Writing Prose Persuasive
Writing Prose Descriptive
Writing Prose Literary Analysis
Writing Prose Personal Narrative
Creative Writing: scales based on CCSS
Special Ed: Executive Functioning: scales designed to help instruct executive functioning skills
Special Ed: Writing: using the Core English scales, special educators created more skill variation for common areas of need
Project Adventure: scales based on NASPE standards for 9th grade PA
US and the World: an early draft of some content-based history scales
Media and Society: Scales for the course and KUDs for units: Unit 1, Unit 2, Unit 3
Physics 1: scales based on Next Generation SS
Spanish 2: completed scales for 2 units
Latin 1: a completed scale for 1 unit
Latin 2: scales for the whole course
Core English: comprehensive and specific scales for writing (these will continue to be added to and changed and will inform the above 9th grade ESL scales eventually
Figurative Language: Formative Assessment with scales
British Lit: The Bluest Eye KUD
French II and III: Reflexive verb formative assessment with scales
Writing Prose: ACT Timed writing scales based on CC
Power Reading: draft scales
Geometry: KUD and scales aligned to the CC
MoMW: unit KUD and targets
Journalism: learning targets
Personal Fitness: standard reporting document
Personal Fitness: learning targets and scales
Special Ed: scales for 3.1 (Word Knowledge) K-12
Technical Arts: scales for designing a project
Ancient Greece: unit KUD
Latin: unit KUD
Band: unit scales
Cooking and Eating Well: KUD and Scales
Information Literacy, 12th Grade: scales
Information Literacy, 11th Grade: scales
Information Literacy, 10th Grade: scales
Information Literacy, 9th Grade: scales
CRAAP Test: targets and scales
Economics: unit KUD and scales
Ancient Greece: unit KUD
Spanish: Student tracking document (for students to track their progress on the targets)
LEAF paragraph: modified targets (core)
LEAF paragraph: targets for 10th grade
SBAC Release Task: here are the 9-11th grade scales for the SBAC task created by the English department
Writing Prose 1: an early draft of some writing scales
Writing Prose 2: scales based on ESLs and CCSS
Writing Prose Persuasive
Writing Prose Descriptive
Writing Prose Literary Analysis
Writing Prose Personal Narrative
Creative Writing: scales based on CCSS
Special Ed: Executive Functioning: scales designed to help instruct executive functioning skills
Special Ed: Writing: using the Core English scales, special educators created more skill variation for common areas of need
Project Adventure: scales based on NASPE standards for 9th grade PA
US and the World: an early draft of some content-based history scales
Media and Society: Scales for the course and KUDs for units: Unit 1, Unit 2, Unit 3
Physics 1: scales based on Next Generation SS
Spanish 2: completed scales for 2 units
Latin 1: a completed scale for 1 unit
Latin 2: scales for the whole course
Core English: comprehensive and specific scales for writing (these will continue to be added to and changed and will inform the above 9th grade ESL scales eventually
Figurative Language: Formative Assessment with scales
British Lit: The Bluest Eye KUD
French II and III: Reflexive verb formative assessment with scales
Writing Prose: ACT Timed writing scales based on CC
Power Reading: draft scales
Geometry: KUD and scales aligned to the CC
MoMW: unit KUD and targets
Journalism: learning targets
Personal Fitness: standard reporting document
Personal Fitness: learning targets and scales
Special Ed: scales for 3.1 (Word Knowledge) K-12
Technical Arts: scales for designing a project
Ancient Greece: unit KUD
Latin: unit KUD
Band: unit scales
Cooking and Eating Well: KUD and Scales
Information Literacy, 12th Grade: scales
Information Literacy, 11th Grade: scales
Information Literacy, 10th Grade: scales
Information Literacy, 9th Grade: scales
CRAAP Test: targets and scales
Economics: unit KUD and scales
Ancient Greece: unit KUD
Spanish: Student tracking document (for students to track their progress on the targets)
LEAF paragraph: modified targets (core)
LEAF paragraph: targets for 10th grade
Non-CVU Learning Target Examples
There are many schools around the country (and world) doing great work with standards-based learning. Here are a few sites that we have found helpful when looking for examples of learning targets in a variety of discipline areas--many of these targets are based upon local agreed-upon standards.
Reading, Writing, Speaking 9/10: from Darke County schools in Ohio, these targets are based on the CCSS in English Language Arts
Reading, Writing, Speaking 11/12: same as above
World History: Big Lake School District--formatting is a bit wonky, but provides specific, content-based examples of targets (perhaps too specific at times!)
Social Studies: Stoughton HS in Wisconsin has a nice collection of LTs for their history classes--a good place to get some ideas
Math: Questa Independent Schools created nice, clear documents based on the CCSS at all grade levels--scroll down to get to math and download their LT documents!
Science: back to Darke County--this is a link to their science page and if you scroll down, you will find learning targets for 9/10 grades--while these are not directly linked to the NGSS, they are good examples of specific science targets.
Art: from Waukesha school district--these are written more as standards than LTs (not "I can" statements), but it's a nice collection of goals for their entire department.
Business, Family Consumer Science, Wellness, World Language, and all other disciplines: same site as the art link above--shows standards from each class--easy to move to LTs from there.
Reading, Writing, Speaking 9/10: from Darke County schools in Ohio, these targets are based on the CCSS in English Language Arts
Reading, Writing, Speaking 11/12: same as above
World History: Big Lake School District--formatting is a bit wonky, but provides specific, content-based examples of targets (perhaps too specific at times!)
Social Studies: Stoughton HS in Wisconsin has a nice collection of LTs for their history classes--a good place to get some ideas
Math: Questa Independent Schools created nice, clear documents based on the CCSS at all grade levels--scroll down to get to math and download their LT documents!
Science: back to Darke County--this is a link to their science page and if you scroll down, you will find learning targets for 9/10 grades--while these are not directly linked to the NGSS, they are good examples of specific science targets.
Art: from Waukesha school district--these are written more as standards than LTs (not "I can" statements), but it's a nice collection of goals for their entire department.
Business, Family Consumer Science, Wellness, World Language, and all other disciplines: same site as the art link above--shows standards from each class--easy to move to LTs from there.