End-of-Year Goal-Setting for Students, K-5 by Charlene Davis

Examining children’s growth is a powerful way to validate a learner’s sense of self-worth—this is often deficient in children who offer behavioral challenges!

The Portfolio Walk
Go through most recent portfolio pieces in each child’s portfolio or binder.

The One-on-One Interview
Using sticky notes, write down what each child says he/she did well on an academic assignment in each content area covered. Next write one thing he/she would have liked to add or improve if given a second chance (or a “do-over”).

The Summer Challenge
Together, write a list of each addition or improvement to be made for each area. Stick it to the child’s work.

Give the Project a Title
For example, the “I Can Make This Even Better!” challenge.

Set Goals
Together, set one, or two goals each, for no more than three content areas. [Examples: I will draw a detailed picture for a scene. I will write at least one more detail about a character. I will add a challenging twist to three different math word problems.]

Reflections
Ask for a double page entry from the child, and an adult, on how this challenge helped make the child a better student. The child’s response is recorded on one side, and the adult’s on the other!

Grades 3-5
Providing opportunities for personal reflection and evaluation is a powerful practice to employ throughout the school year. These can be character development journal entries!

Reflections
Students self-assess and write down any improvements they have made in character development. [Possible answer: “I decided to focus more on what others were saying during lesson activities.”]

Analyze
Students think through reasons why these improvements happened. [Possible answer: “I realized that I had more trouble understanding when I allowed myself to become distracted.”]

Apply
Students reflect on how this shift in behavior will impact their future. [Possible answer: “I will be more serious during lesson times because I see how my fooling around gets in the way of my being smart.”]

Apply
Students can also reflect on how their change in behavior affected other students around them. [Possible answer: “The other kids take me more seriously now because I am no longer fooling around.”]

Apply
Students can then reflect on how this is going to benefit them in the other areas of their lives. [Examples: in friendships, in extracurricular activities they have, or with long-term goals.]