Set growth goals collaboratively so they balance meaningfulness and realism¶

Strategy · All strategies
Evidence · no claims cited

Description¶

The page recommends a goal-setting approach in which teachers, families, and students work together to establish growth goals, using a visualization of possible fall-to-spring goals against academic benchmarks. The stated aim is goals that strike "a balance between what is meaningful and what is realistic," so that ambition is tempered by attainability. The strategy is presented as the intended use of the MAP Growth Goal Explorer rather than a tested intervention.

Design Implications¶

Context¶

Requirements¶

• Access to a range of possible fall-to-spring growth goals benchmarked against academic milestones, as the tool provides

Constraints¶

• The page offers no evidence that this goal-setting process improves outcomes; it states only the tool's intent

Target Learners¶

• K-12 students, together with their teachers and families

Target Learning Goals¶

• Establishing academic growth goals that are both meaningful and realistic

Related Strategies¶

• Map Growth Goal Explorer Visualization
• Provide home visitors training and a structure for collaborative goal setting with attainable, child-focused goals

Examples¶

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Key Sources¶

• NWEA Research. (2025). NWEA Research publications listing page (MAP Growth Goal Explorer and related briefs). https://www.nwea.org/research/publication/map-growth-goal-explorer/