Create effective professional development goals with our SMART goal templates, examples by subject area, and tools that align teacher growth with school priorities.
SMART goals transform vague intentions into actionable professional development plans
Clearly define what you want to accomplish. Avoid vague language.
Include quantifiable metrics to track progress and success.
Set realistic goals given your time, resources, and context.
Align with school priorities and your professional growth needs.
Set clear deadlines and milestones for completion.
"I want to improve my teaching this year."
"By May 2025, I will increase student engagement during independent work time by implementing 3 new formative assessment strategies, as measured by a 20% reduction in off-task behavior during observations."
Browse examples organized by focus area to inspire your own professional development goals
"By March 2025, I will implement tiered assignments in at least 2 units per month, with 90% of students demonstrating mastery at their level as measured by unit assessments."
"By December 2024, I will incorporate at least 3 collaborative learning structures (think-pair-share, jigsaw, gallery walk) into weekly lessons, increasing student participation rates by 25%."
"By February 2025, I will increase higher-order questioning (Bloom's analysis, evaluation, creation levels) to comprise 60% of my questions during instruction, as documented in observation feedback."
"By April 2025, I will implement student choice in at least one assignment per week, with 80% of students reporting increased engagement on quarterly surveys."
"By January 2025, I will implement daily exit tickets in all classes and use the data to adjust instruction within 24 hours, documenting instructional changes in my lesson plans."
"By March 2025, I will analyze assessment data bi-weekly with my PLC team and implement targeted interventions for struggling students, improving passing rates by 15%."
"By February 2025, I will teach students to use learning targets and success criteria to self-assess, with 85% of students accurately rating their own work within one rubric level."
"By December 2024, I will provide specific, actionable feedback on all major assignments within 5 days, with 90% of students reporting they understand how to improve."
"By November 2024, I will implement 2 new educational technology tools (Nearpod, Pear Deck) for interactive lessons, using each at least weekly with documented student engagement data."
"By March 2025, I will develop and implement a station rotation model in my classroom, with students spending 30% of class time on self-paced digital activities."
"By January 2025, I will implement a positive reinforcement system with a 4:1 ratio of positive to corrective interactions, reducing office referrals by 40%."
"By October 2024, I will establish and consistently use efficient transition procedures, reducing transition time from 5 minutes to under 2 minutes as documented in walkthrough data."
Our platform helps teachers create, track, and achieve professional development goals
Step-by-step guidance to write high-quality SMART goals with real-time validation and suggestions.
Browse pre-written goal templates organized by subject, grade level, and focus area.
Connect teacher goals to school improvement priorities with automatic alignment visualization.
Monitor goal progress throughout the year with milestone tracking and status updates.
Goals automatically populate goal-setting and mid-year conference forms.
Goal progress and achievement automatically included in teacher evaluation reports.
A SMART goal for teachers is a professional development objective that is Specific (clearly defined), Measurable (with quantifiable outcomes), Achievable (realistic given resources), Relevant (aligned to school priorities), and Time-bound (with clear deadlines). SMART goals help teachers focus their growth efforts and demonstrate progress in evaluations.
Good professional development goals focus on improving specific instructional practices, student outcomes, or professional skills. Examples include: implementing differentiated instruction strategies, increasing student engagement through technology, improving formative assessment practices, or developing classroom management techniques. The best goals connect to observation feedback and school improvement priorities.
To write SMART goals for evaluation: 1) Identify a specific area for improvement based on observation feedback, 2) Define measurable criteria (e.g., "increase by 20%"), 3) Ensure the goal is achievable within your context, 4) Connect it to school or district priorities, and 5) Set a clear timeline with milestones. Use action verbs and include specific metrics for measuring success.
Most evaluation systems recommend 2-3 professional development goals per year. This allows teachers to focus deeply on meaningful growth areas without spreading efforts too thin. One goal often relates to instruction/student learning, while another may focus on professional practice or school-wide initiatives.
Teacher goals often align to specific Danielson Framework domains and components. For example, a goal about differentiation aligns to Domain 3 (Instruction), while a goal about parent communication aligns to Domain 4 (Professional Responsibilities). Our platform helps teachers identify which framework components their goals address.
Join thousands of teachers using our platform to create meaningful SMART goals, track their professional growth, and demonstrate impact in evaluations.
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