As we step into a new year, there’s no better time to rethink how we approach goal setting in our classrooms and schools. Inspired by the groundbreaking work in The Four Disciplines of Execution by Chris McChesney, Sean Covey, and Jim Huling, along with the timeless principles of Stephen Covey’s 7 Habits of Highly Effective People, this blog post explores how we can apply these ideas to foster a culture of growth, collaboration, and celebration in elementary schools.
At the heart of effective goal setting is the idea that any educator can start by starting. Whether you’re a seasoned teacher or just beginning your journey, here’s a practical and positive framework to set, track, and celebrate goals with students this year.
Start with Measurable Goals
The first step is clarity. Covey and his co-authors stress the importance of Wildly Important Goals (WIGs)—goals that are specific, measurable, and deeply meaningful. In an elementary school, this might look like:
- Improving reading fluency scores by an average of 10 words per minute over the next six weeks.
- Achieving 90% of students mastering a specific math skill by the end of the month.
- Increasing student attendance rates to 95% for the quarter.
The key here is to focus on one or two wildly important goals rather than trying to tackle too much at once. When students and educators have a clear target, their energy and efforts align, leading to more meaningful progress.
Action Steps: The Secret to Execution
Once the goal is set, it’s time to create a plan. Action steps should be concrete, achievable, and tied directly to the goal. For example:
- Reading Goal Action Steps:
- Schedule daily fluency practice for 10 minutes.
- Use peer reading partners for additional practice.
- Track progress weekly with teacher check-ins.
- Math Goal Action Steps:
- Incorporate targeted practice during center time.
- Host weekly “math sprints” for skill reinforcement.
- Use quick formative assessments to gauge understanding.
Each action step should feel like a win in itself, building momentum and confidence along the way.
Tracking Progress with Scoreboards
In The Four Disciplines of Execution, the authors emphasize the importance of a visible scoreboard to track progress. A great scoreboard doesn’t just display data—it tells a story of growth and effort.
Here’s how to create an elementary-friendly scoreboard:
- Make It Visual: Use charts, graphs, or even creative displays like thermometers or goal trees.
- Celebrate Growth: Focus on collective improvement rather than isolating individual performance.
- Example: “Our class has read 5,000 minutes this month—let’s aim for 6,000 next month!”
- Keep It Positive: Highlight successes and progress, no matter how small.
Scoreboards help students see that their efforts matter, encouraging ownership and excitement about the process. This is my personal favorite within the goal process, and it is wonderful to see personality take shape in the scoreboards that students and staff create throughout the building.
Accountability Partners: Teamwork Makes the Dream Work
Stephen Covey’s principles remind us that collaboration amplifies results. Pairing students or teams as accountability partners fosters peer encouragement and shared responsibility.
In practice, this might look like:
- Reading Buddies: Older students mentor younger peers, tracking progress together.
- Team Challenges: Groups work toward collective goals, like completing a class book list or mastering multiplication facts.
- Teacher-Student Check-Ins: Regular conversations to reflect on progress and adjust action steps as needed.
Accountability isn’t about pressure—it’s about partnership. When students feel supported by their peers and teachers, they’re more likely to stay motivated and invested.
Celebrate the Journey, Not Just the Destination
The most important part of goal setting is recognizing growth over proficiency. While outcomes are important, the process of learning and improving is where the magic happens.
Here are some ways to celebrate student growth:
- Growth Parties: Celebrate milestones with small events like a reading pajama day or a math game hour.
- Shout-Outs: Highlight student or class achievements in morning announcements or newsletters.
- Goal Walls: Create a wall display of student goals and accomplishments, reinforcing the value of effort and progress.
Just Start
The beauty of this approach is its simplicity. You don’t need to overhaul your entire system to make an impact. Start with one measurable goal, list a few action steps, and begin tracking progress. The act of starting creates momentum, and with time, you’ll see the culture of goal setting and growth take root in your school.
Remember, it’s okay to put data out there—just ensure it reflects collective efforts rather than isolating individuals. By focusing on growth and creating scoreboards that honor the journey, we can inspire students to embrace challenges, celebrate their achievements, and keep striving for more.
Here’s to a new year and a new approach to student goal setting—one that empowers, inspires, and celebrates every step of the way.
Above are some individual scoreboard examples. These would be placed in an individual data binder or folder for students to update regularly and track those foundational skills they are practicing each day through their routines and action steps!
Here is a classroom example, one of my favorites! We never take enough pictures in the moment, and this is one of the few pictures we have of this innovative approach to a score board. The class goal was to read a set number of books collectively as a class. Each time a student successfully completed a book within the requirements of the goal, the book cover was copied and hung up on a clothesline-like structure that wove across the ceiling of the classroom. The students were determined and knocked the goal out of the park. Guess what… they set a bigger goal and went back across the scoreboard adding book titles to the back side, creating a double-sided score board. This scoreboard was highly motivating to students, and allowed classroom guests like myself to engage in conversation and accountability partnerships with ease as all of the data was readily visible! If you look closely, you will see other scoreboards hung up on the back wall. Students engage much more readily when they know what they are trying to do, and how to do it. They get all the more engaged when they can see that their efforts are working!
