Setting Goals

Overview: Why do you need to define goals at the outset?

Your goals inform your program’s design and implementation.
Rigorously defined and monitored goals keep decision-making focused, provide a framework to demonstrate progress and success to stakeholders, and indicate where improvement is needed.

Clear and measurable goals let you design measurement plans to track your progress.
If you start implementing without having set concrete goals, you will not know what data you need to collect for progress measurement along the way. Lack of data makes it more difficult to notice problems quickly enough to solve them early, and easier to miss opportunities to double down on what works. Lack of early data leaves permanent gaps in your understanding of your program’s impact, as some data (e.g., satisfaction surveys) are virtually impossible to collect retroactively with any meaningful degree of accuracy.

What sources should inform the goals you set?

Your community stakeholders’ priorities.
Leverage your to see what metrics matter most to stakeholders. Identify metrics that are both motivating and objectively measurable, and then set goals for improvement along those dimensions. Consider local stakeholders including school administrators, teachers, students, and caregivers, and also funders.

Existing research and best practices from other tutoring programs.
Even if you choose to grow your own tutoring program, you should not start from scratch. Incorporate key indicators identified in recent research, consider the metrics used by existing tutoring programs to measure and describe their impact, and then adapt this knowledge to your own local context to set goals for those same metrics. See below for guidance.

Existing strategies, goals, and data-collection mechanisms in your district.
Align your tutoring program’s goals with your district’s strategic plan and existing goal-setting systems at the district and school level. By grounding your goals in the data you already collect (particularly student academic growth data) you can not only streamline your measurement system design, but also build stakeholder investment by describing your program’s goals and impact using the metrics that stakeholders care about and understand.

What kinds of goals should you set?

Prior to designing a program model or selecting a provider with their own established model, identify initial goals in the following areas. Your District Landscape Analysis will provide insights into your stakeholders’ priorities.

Area	Explanation	Consider the following to set goals:
Academic Growth Goals	First and foremost, you are implementing tutoring to address specific achievement gaps. Identifying academic goals that all stakeholders can rally behind is critical. If possible, set goals that measure academic growth, not academic achievement scores. See the Example Academic Goals below for a more detailed breakdown of academic goals.	How do you currently measure academic growth? What metrics matter most in your district? What are the critical benchmarks students need to hit (in their grades, standardized test scores, etc.) to be considered college-ready and likely to succeed later in life?
Student Experience Goals	While research shows that High-Impact Tutoring consistently results in student learning gains, the benefits of tutoring can extend beyond academic learning. Typical areas of student experience for which you may set goals include: Growth in self-efficacy Increased effort Increased interest in subject area Development of positive, academically-focused relationships and a sense of belonging Development of cross-curricular learning strategies Greater future aspirations	What student experiences are most important to stakeholder groups? What specific social-emotional learning outcomes do you hope to affect? Which ones do you already measure?
Stakeholder Satisfaction Goals	Stakeholder satisfaction is critical to the successful implementation and sustainability of the program. Typical stakeholders include: Students Caregivers School administrators Tutors Teachers Funders	Which stakeholders are critical for ensuring smooth implementation of the program in your district? What are the most important and tangible outcomes for these stakeholders?

Example Academic Goals

To help you set clear goals, peruse this list of Academic Goals from various school districts across the country.

Example Academic Goals
Dallas Independent School District, Texas	Elementary Grades: students with literacy skill deficits
Growth on the NWEA MAP exam: Dallas ISD aligns goals with and assesses tutoring efficacy based on Measures of Academic Progress (MAP) performance growth. Students in grades 1 and up take these assessments three times per year. The frequency of data from this routine assessment tool allows the district to act with expediency based on student learning outcomes.
Providence Independent School District, Rhode Island	Grade 9: all students in algebra
All-encompassing priorities and measures: Providence ISD sets goals related to growth on standardized testing and student pass rates. But they also measure perspectives on how students approach learning through surveys and assess how attendance at tutoring sessions increases success rates on other indicators (e.g., SAT or PSAT).
Spring Independent School District, Texas	Grades 2-8: students with multiple-year skill deficits in ELA or math
Proficiency increases: Spring ISD sets goals related to increases in achievement on the State of Texas Assessments of Academic Readiness (STAAR). Additionally, as a large number of students who qualify for tutoring are ELLs, the District ties goals to increases in ELL proficiency rates as measured by the statewide Texas English Language Proficiency Assessment System (TELEPAS).
Guilford County, North Carolina	Grades 6-9: most vulnerable populations (e.g,. Incarcerated Youth) in math
Aligning with strategic priorities: Guilford’s strategic plan is based on the improved long-term life trajectories for students who take and pass Math 1 by the end of their 9th grade year. GCPS sets goals based on pass rates for Math 1, as well as on improvements in course failure rates, student engagement, and student math identities (i.e., self-descriptions as “a math person” or “not a math person”) which they collect from surveys.
Aspire Public Schools, California	Grades 6-12: all students in math and ELA
Pass/Fail rates: Aspire aims to reduce the number of ELL students failing classes. They assess their program using students' grades at the end of semester 1 and 2 across both middle school and high school participants. The District also utilizes survey-based feedback (qualitative and quantitative) from teachers, caregivers and students to assess the efficacy, satisfaction, and sustainability of the program.