Students Must Set and Meet Goals
Students need to participate in the goal-setting process. It has always
seemed puzzling that students are expected to reach goals that others have
set for them. Michael Jordan, an extraordinary athlete, has stated, “You
have to expect things of yourself before you can do them.” The key to a
self-directed and self-modifying learner is the ability to set meaningful
goals and to find ways of knowing whether those goals have been met and
to what standard. Students must participate in the goal-setting process and
create the work plans that will help them fulfill the requirements of the
stated goals.
As part of the process, students and teachers should agree on docu-
mentation methods so that students not only are aware of their goals but
also can monitor and celebrate their successes. As they monitor their goals,
they can modify their strategies if they are not moving toward success.
Schools Must Become Learning Organizations
At first glance, this assumption seems somewhat obvious, but the
thought behind it bears restating: Schools must become the kinds of learn-
ing organizations where every participant is continuously growing and
learning. Assessment won’t be valued unless it is a part of every person’s
work in the organization.
Such integration means that when data energize learning, teachers
will use data as catalysts for learning about students, students will use data
as sources for improving their work, and boards of education will use data
to create opportunities for professional development. When we expect
students to participate in setting and meeting goals, we consider all of us
to be students of teaching and learning. Every member of a school com-
munity recognizes the significance of setting goals that benchmark growth
and learning. And every member learns how to celebrate the successes
that lead the organization to greater learning and improvement.
Assessment Requires Self-Regulation
All programs—and the individuals working in them—must become
self-managing, self-monitoring, and self-modifying (Costa & Kallick, 2004).
This process of assessment and feedback ultimately leads to learners
192 Learning and Leading with Habits of Mind