Module 3 RSB#2


Writing SMART Objectives and Strategies That Fit the ROUTINE
Lee Ann Jung


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When a professional learning community agrees upon SMART(O'Neill & Conzemius, 2005) goals to narrow their focus they have taken the steps to become more results orientated and ensure that they are meeting the learning needs of all students, as well as aligning district goals to state standards. SMART goals "provide clarity regarding why the work is to be done,"(Dafour, Dafour, Eaker, and Many, 2010) and successful teams will be supplied with the means to achieve and assess their goals.  I was intrigued by the use of SMART goals and decided to research articles that show their implementation in the real teaching world.  I came across an article which used the SMART acronym and used similar terminology, but had different components for some of the words. 


Six-year-old Masie is a special needs student in a rural area.  One of the goals on her IEP involves improving communication skills.  Using her version of SMART goals, Jung enables the resource team and Masie's family to work together to write an effective goal. While the goal is specific, measurable, and attainable it is also "routine-based(R) and tied to a functional priority(T)." (Jung, 2007)  A goal that establishes functional priority uses phrases such as "so that" and "in order to."  Once the goal is established, a plan must be created to delineate the specific things people will do to support the objective. This is her ROUTINE, which stands for:


          Routine-based
          Outcome-related
          Understandable
          Trans-disciplinary
          Implemented by teachers and family
          Non-judgmental
          Evidence-based


In "Writing SMART Objectives and Strategies That Fit the ROUTINE," Lee Ann Jung creates her own SMART acronym and puts the focus on the "micro" rather than the "macro" approach to goal setting. She applies the PLC goal setting to an individual student and takes those goals a step further by creating ROUTINE, an acronym whose elements support her SMART goals. The goals and objectives indicate the routines while the "strategies explain what everyone will do during those routines to support the goals and objectives."(Jung ,2007) Both applications of SMART goals are useful in PLC and individual student use and can be adapted for many educational and professional purposes.  Jung's version can be applied to both exceptional and regular classroom children as well as to a PLC. Her use of ROUTINE strategies seem to be more useful in a resource setting since she concentrates on the interaction and shared mission of the school and home settings.


References:
DaFour, R.,  DaFour, R., Eaker, R., Many, T. (2010) Learning By Doing, Bloomington, IN: Solution Tree Press, p.158
Jung, L. A., Writing SMART Objectives and Strategies That Fit the ROUTINE TEACHING Exceptional Children March/April 2007 p. 54-58
Lazarus, A. (2004) Reality check:  Is your behavior aligned with organizational goals? The Physician Executive, 30(5), p. 50-52.
O"Neill, J., & Conzemius, A. (2005) The power of SMART goals:  Using goals to improve student learning.  Bloomington, IN:Solution Tree Press