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STUDENT LEARNING OBJECTIVES (SLOs)Dr. Lori StollarLIU, Division of Educational Services

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Session Goals

• Develop an Understanding of Student Learning Objectives

• Develop an Understanding of the SLO process

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Norms & Expectations for Today’s Session

Ask Questions

Engage Fully

Integrate New Information

Open Your Mind to Diverse Views

Utilize What You Learn

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PDE’s Definition: A process to document a measure of educator effectiveness based on student achievement of content standards.

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Student Learning Objective

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PDE’s Definition: A process to document a measure of educator effectiveness based on student achievement of content standards.

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Student Learning Objective

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General Description• Contains demographic information about the

educational setting

• Articulates the course, grade(s), and students on which the SLO is based

• Provides class size, frequency, and duration data

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Section 1: Classroom Context

General Description• Contains a statement about the “enduring

understanding” or “big idea”

• Provides the specific PA standards used in developing SLOs and are the foundation of performance measures.

• Articulates a rationale providing reasons why the Goal Statement and targeted standards address important learning.

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Section 2: SLO Goal

General Description• Identifies all performance measures, including

name, purpose, type, and metric• Articulates the administration and scoring

details, including the reporting

Note: Section 3 is based upon high-quality performance measured aligned to the targeted content standards

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Section 3: Performance Measures

General Description• Articulates targets the expected level of

achievement for each Performance Measure

• Includes all students in the identified SLO group

• May include a focused student group

• Affords opportunity to link indicators and/or weighting

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Section 4: Performance Indicators

General Description• Identifies each level (Failing, Needs

Improvement, Proficient, Distinguished) students are meeting the PI targets.

• Reflects an “expectations continuum” established by the educator prior to the evaluation period and then examined at the end of the evaluation period.

• Selects the overall SLO rating. 13

Section 5: Teacher Expectations

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Guiding Principles

SLOs should:1. Represent student performance in a specific course/content

area taught by the educator. 2. Align to a targeted set of content standards that represent

the depth and breadth of the goal statement.3. Contain results from only high-quality performance measures

collected in an equitable, verifiable, and standardized manner.

4. Use metrics based on two time-bound events/data collection periods and/or summative performance with defined levels of achievement.

5. Include performance indicators linked to performance measures.

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The SLO process contains three (3) phases: I. Design (ing): thinking, conceptualizing,

organizing, discussing, researching

II. Build (ing): selecting, developing, sharing, completing

III. Review (ing): refining, checking, updating, editing, testing, finalizing

SLO Process Components

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SLO Process Components DESIGN

• Thinking about what content standards to measure

• Organizing standards and measures• Discussing collective goals with

colleagues• Researching what is needed for a high

quality SLO

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SLO IN PRACTICE

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Section 1: Classroom ContextElement Definition

1a. Name Educator’s full name

1b. School Name of school(s) to which the educator is assigned during the current year.

1c. District Name of district to which the educator is assigned during the current year.

1d. Class/Course Title Name of the class/course upon which the SLO is based.

1e. Grade Level Grade level(s) for those students included within class/course identified in Element 1d.

1f. Total # of Students Aggregate number of students (estimated, across multiple sections) for which data will be collected and applied to this SLO.

1g. Typical Class Size The “average” number of students in a single session of the class/course identified in Element 1d.

1h. Class Frequency

The frequency and time frame in which the class/course identified in Element 1d is delivered.

1i. Typical Class Duration The average number of minutes allocated to deliver a “session” of the class/course identified in Element 1d.

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Section 1: Art Example

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What is a Goal Statement?

Definition:• Narrative articulating the “big idea” upon

which the SLO is based

Characteristics:• Central to the content area• Foundational concept for later

subjects/courses

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Section 2: Art Example

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Goal Statements

Typically addresses:• WHAT the “big idea” is in the standards• HOW the skills and knowledge support future

learning• WHY the “big idea” is a central, enduring

concept (rationale statement)

PDE’s SAS portal has identified “big ideas” for most content areas.

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Goal Statement Example

“Apply the concepts and the competencies of nutrition, eating habits, and safe food preparation techniques to overall health and wellness throughout the life cycle at individual, family, and societal levels.”

YOUR TURN

With a partner, review the

Goal Statement Examples provided.

Identify the What, How, and Why

of each goal statement.

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GOAL STATEMENT EXAMPLES

• DEMONSTRATE UNDERSTANDING OF NUMERIC RELATIONSHIPS BY ANALYZING AND GENERALIZING THOSE RELATIONSHIPS USING WORDS, GRAPHS, TABLES, EQUATIONS AND INEQUALITIES USING TECHNOLOGY. (ALGEBRA)

• THE STUDENT WILL DEMONSTRATE, THROUGH THEIR WRITTEN WORKS, THAT AUDIENCES DIFFER AND THAT READERS’ NEEDS/EXPECTATIONS MUST BE TAKEN INTO ACCOUNT AS ONE WRITES. (LANGUAGE ARTS)

• THE STUDENT WILL UNDERSTAND THAT INVESTIGATIONS ARE CONDUCTED TO EXPLORE NEW PHENOMENA, CHECK PREVIOUS RESULTS, AND TO TEST AND COMPARE THEORIES. (SCIENCE)

• READERS WILL COMPREHEND TEXT BY INTENTIONALLY INTERACTING WITH IT. (LANGUAGE ARTS)

• NUMBER SENTENCES ARE ABLE TO BE MODELED BY CONCRETE OBJECTS AND REAL WORLD SCENARIOS SIMULTANEOUSLY. (ELEMENTARY MATH)

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Section 2: SLO GoalElement Definition

2a. Goal Statement Narrative articulating the “big idea” upon which the SLO is based.

2b. PA Standards

References the PA Standards that align with the Goal Statement.Numeric references to PA Standards are found at:http://www.pdesas.org/standard/views References additional professional organization standards that align to the Goal Statement.

2c. Rationale Narrative providing reasons why the Goal Statement and the aligned standards address important learning for this class/course.

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Targeted Standards

Choosing Targeted Standards means:• Selecting certain standards for use

with the performance measure being developed.

• Identifying standards which represent the “big ideas” within the content area.

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Targeted Standards

Criteria• Are a refined list of the content standards.• Represent the essential knowledge and skills

that students are expected to acquire.• Are the standards upon which educators will

spend the most time.• Create transparency for families and the

community about what is most important for student success.

• Are the identified content standards used to create the performance measures.

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Guiding Questions

• ENDURANCE- Will this standard provide students with knowledge and skills of value beyond a single test date?

• LEVERAGE- Does this standard provide knowledge and skills of value in multiple disciplines?

• READINESS FOR THE NEXT LEVEL OF LEARNING- Will this standard provide students with essential knowledge and skills necessary for success in the next level of instruction?

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Standard Id Description RationaleACTFL 1.1 WL 1.1—Students listen and

respond, engage in conversations, provide and obtain information, express preferences, emotions and feelings, and exchange opinions and beliefs. (Interpersonal)

To achieve functional levels of communicative competence in a world language, students need to use the language regularly in everyday social interactions such as conversing, arguing, criticizing, requesting, convincing and explaining effectively.

ACTFL 1.2 WL 1.2—Students comprehend and interpret written and oral language on a variety of topics. (Interpretive)

Developing literacy in a world language is a crucial 21st century skill. Students need to develop a variety of reading and listening strategies that will allow them to comprehend, analyze and synthesize information.

ACTFL 1.3 WL 1.3—Students present information, concepts and ideas in oral and written form on a variety of topics. (Presentational)

Students need the ability to gather, comprehend, evaluate, synthesize and report information and ideas. The need to conduct research and consume media intended for speakers of other languages are crucial 21st Century skills.

Targeted Standards Example

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YOUR TURN

Goal Statement Template• Use big ideas from SAS or

district curriculum to complete Goal Statement and Rationale

• Indicate goal statement

• Given the goal statement, identify the underlying content standards

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SLO Process Components BUILD

• Selecting the performance measure(s) • Developing targets and expectations• Completing the template• Sharing the draft materials with other

colleagues

General Description• Identifies all performance measures, including

name, purpose, type, and metric• Articulates the administration and scoring

details, including the reporting

Note: Section 3 is based upon high-quality performance measures aligned to the targeted content standards (see Assessment Literacy Series-ALS materials)

Section 3: Performance Measures

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Principles of Well-Developed Measures

Measures must:• Be built to achieve the designed purpose• Produce results that are used for the intended

purpose• Align to targeted content standards• Contain a balance between depth and breadth of

targeted content• Be standardized, rigorous, and fair• Be sensitive to testing time and objectivity• Have score validity and reliability evidence 34

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Section 3: Performance MeasuresFormerly Section 4

Element Definition

4a. Name (5 entry spaces are provided throughout Section 4, but 5 are not required)

List the name of each Performance Measure.

4b. Type Identify the type(s) of Performance Measure(s). From the given list, select all types that are applicable.

4c. Purpose The purpose statement for each Performance Measure that addresses who, what, why.

4d. Metric The metric used by the Performance Measure to evaluate the Performance Indicator.

4e. Administration Frequency

The timeframe during the school year that the Performance Measures are administered to students. For Performance Measures administered more than one time, the frequency (e.g., quarterly) is annotated.

4f. Adaptation / Accommodations

Identifies and lists any unique adaptations or special accommodations needed for IEP, ELL, Gifted IEP, or Others to complete the tasks within each Performance Measure.

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Section 3: Art ExampleFormerly Section 4

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Section 3: Art ExampleFormerly Section 4

General Description• Articulates targets for each Performance

Measure• Includes all students in the identified SLO group• May include a focused student group• Affords opportunity to link and/or weight

indicators

Section 4: Performance IndicatorsFormerly Section 3

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Section 4: Performance IndicatorsFormerly Section 3

Element Definition

3a. Performance Indicator (PI) Targets: All Student Group

(5 entry spaces areprovided, but 5 arenot required)

A description of the expected level of achievement for each student in the SLO population (as defined in Element 1f) based on the scoring tool(s) used for each Performance Measure (as listed in Element 4a).

3b. Performance Indicator (PI) Targets: Focused Student Group

(optional) (5 entry spaces are provided, but 5 are not required)

A description of the expected level of achievement for each student in a subset of the SLO population (as defined in Element 1F) based on the scoring tool(s) used for each Performance Measure (as listed in Element 4a). Subset populations can be identified through prior student achievement data or through content-specific pre-test data.

3c. PI Linked(optional)

A description of any Performance Measures for which a student must meet a specific achievement level in order to meet achievement levels on additional Performance Measures.

3d. PI Weighting (optional)An assignment of proportional values among PIs prior to aggregation and application to Section 5. Weighting can be applied when there is more than one Performance Indicator.

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Section 4: Art ExampleFormerly Section 3

YOUR TURN

• Based on your Goal Statement and Content Standards, determine Performance Measures that will measure your goal.

• Determine the desired targets (or Performance Indicators) for each Performance Measure.

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General Description• Classifies percentages of students who are

meeting the Performance Indicator targets into four levels: Failing, Needs Improvement, Proficient, and Distinguished.

• Selects the overall Elective rating.

Section 5: Teacher Expectations

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Section 5: Teacher ExpectationsElement Definition

5a. Level

Four levels of projected performance regarding the PI, reflecting a continuum established by the educator prior to the evaluation period.

Each performance level (i.e., Failing, Needs Improvement, Proficient, and Distinguished) is populated with a percentage range such that 0% to 100% meeting expectations is distributed among the levels.

5b. Elective Rating

Given the actual performance regarding the PI, the principal or evaluator identifies one of four performance levels. This section is not completed until after performance data are collected, reviewed, and evaluated against each Performance Indicator, and in the aggregate, against 5a criteria.

Notes/ Explanation

Provides space for the educator to articulate influences, factors, and other conditions associated with the assigned rating as well as to reflect on purposeful review of the data. This section is not completed until after performance data are collected, reviewed, and evaluated against each Performance Indicator, and in the aggregate, against 5a criteria.

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Section 5: Art Example

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SLO Process Components REVIEW

• Checking the drafted SLO (including the performance measures) for quality

• Refining measures and targets• Editing text and preparing discussion

points/highlights for principal• Finalizing materials• Updating completed SLO with

performance data

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Training Resources

SAS is the PDE website (www.pdesas.org) containing:• Pennsylvania content standards and other helpful PDE developed

material• a downloadable SLO training “packet”, including SLO Models• links to Research in Action’s training platform, Homeroom

Homeroom is RIA’s web-based learning platform (http://www.ria2001.org) containing: • on-line training materials, including the SLO Process Template• downloadable SLO training files, except the videos• links to the SAS portal

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Videos• Describe the procedures within each of the three phases

(i.e., Design, Build, & Review)

Guides• Provide examples and information about a process

Templates• Assist in developing customized material

“Other Stuff”• Supplements the core training materials

Tool Organization

SLO DESIGN, BUILD, REVIEW: USING PDE’S ONLINE TOOLS TO IMPLEMENT THE SLO PROCESS

SAS PORTAL: WWW.PDESAS.ORG

Navigate to the homeroom page: RIA Homeroom site.

Log in and if not a user then register for the site: Pause until entire room is registered or with a partner:

Home Page for information:

Open SLOs

The SLO Box expands…………..

Joining the SLO Professional Learning Community on SAS.Go to the SAS home page(www.pdesas.org)

Log in with your user name and password.If you do not have an account with SAS you will have to create one.

Enter your information on the log in page and submit.

Once you have successfully logged in and are at the SAS home page, go to Teacher Tools in the upper right corner.

Click on Teacher Tools, this will provide you with various tools. Locate the button labeled “My Communities.”

This will open your membership to various Professional Learning Communities. If you are not a member of the Student Learning Objectives PLC, type SLO in the search bar.

Once a member of the SLO community you will have access to communication with all other members and a calendar of upcoming events.

Along with posting questions to the entire community you have access to the Digital Repository, in which SLO training materials and supporting

documents are located. (This is located at the bottom of the SLO community page.)