Questions for Formulating Significant Learning Goals

"A year (or more) after this course is over, I want and hope that students will use the organization and communication
skills they learned with fidelity.

My Big Harry Audacious Goal (BHAG) for the course is:

Learners will set academic goals for themselves and develop action plans which will address their transition to high
school as part of their journey of pursuing a post-secondary education.

Foundational Knowledge

What key information is important for students to understand and remember in the future? What key ideas (or
perspectives) are important for students to understand in this course?

Students will need to clearly understand the career options available post-high school and the prerequisites involved
for each one. They should be able to identify the following:
o Prerequisite skills
o Education/training required
o Working conditions
o Potential income
o Job opportunities
o Areas for growth within the field
Students will need to clearly understand the differences between the traditional high school, the technical high school,
and the early college high school. Differences should include information about:
o Application requirements
o Career pathways
o Classes offered (dual credit, pre-AP, AP, etc.)
o Extracurricular activities opportunities
o Graduation requirements
o Graduation endorsements

Application Goals

What kinds of thinking are important for students to learn?

Critical thinking, in which students analyze and evaluate.

o Students will be able to evaluate which career they feel will bring them a greater sense of satisfaction
and self-fulfillment.
o Students will be able to analyze and evaluate the characteristics of the different high schools in
comparison to their academic needs.
Creative thinking, in which students imagine and create.
o Students will be able to create action plans for the career goals they set for themselves.
o Students will be able to create timelines, which will include checking points to ensure that they are on
track.
Practical thinking, in which students solve problems and make decisions.
o Students will be able to assess the compatibility of the high schools with their career goals and decide
which one they wish to attend.
o If the school they choose has an application process, students will be able to develop an action plan for
that process.
o If the students foresee logistical issues impeding them from attending their desired school, they will be
able to develop potential solutions.
What important skills do students need to gain?

Students need to gain organization and communication skills. Organization skills will help students develop time
management strategies, which will prove to be essential as they create their timelines and start encountering
deadlines. Communications skills will help students obtain more information about the careers they are interested in.
These skills will also facilitate the creation of relationships with teachers and counselors that will help th em transition
into high school.

Do students need to learn how to manage complex projects?

Identifying a career they are interested in pursuing post-high school and selecting a high school that will best support
them in pursuing that career is definitely a complex project. It is necessary that the students learn how to manage this
complex project because it will significantly impact their lives. Organization and communication skills will help them
manage complex projects such as this one.

Integration Goals

What connections (similarities and interactions) should students recognize and make among

ideas within this course?

o The skills (writing, inquiry, collaboration, organization, and writing) that they work on during this course
are building upon those that were introduced in the previous grade level. These skills will continue to be
refined as they go through high school and even as they enter the work force.
the information, ideas, and perspectives in this course and those in other courses or areas?
o The skills that they develop in AVID will help them be successful in their other courses. The students can
set additional goals for each course that they are enrolled in and use their organization and
communication skills to ensure that they are on the right path toward achieving those goals.
material in this course and the students' own personal, social, and/or work life?
o Their organization and communication skills will enable them to have a smoother transition into high
school, post-secondary education, and their jobs. Their ability to set goals and hold themselves
accountable for actively pursuing those goals will lead them to grow within their field.

Human Dimension / Caring Goals

What could or should students learn about themselves?

Students should learn to recognize what their goals and aspirations are. They should be able to determine what will
bring them a sense of accomplishment and self-fulfillment. Once they realize what this is, then they can start working
on identifying personal obstacles that might get in the way and plan ways to problem-solve.

What could or should students learn about understanding others and/or interacting with them?

Students should learn that everyone has a different interpretation of success. Everyone's goals and aspirations differ
and so will their definition of success. There is not one define "correct" pathway to follow, therefore students need to
be mindful of that as they interact with peers during their journey toward the career of their choice.

What changes/values do you hope students will adopt?

I hope students learn how to be more tolerant of each other and respect each other's differences. Also, I hope my
students will start to support each other in a genuine way in order to help one another reach their desired goals.
Learning-How-To-Learn Goals

What would you like for students to learn about

how to be good students in a course like this?

o Students will be able to learn how to take responsibility of their learning and their actions. Additionally,
they will be able to learn how to take initiative and problem solve when they encounter issues.
how to learn about this particular subject?
o The content is constantly changing; it is important to always keep up by reading material over their
desired career, university, high school, etc. The true learning will take place by doing this.
how to become a self-directed learner of this subject?
o Students will be able to learn how to keep track of their goals and plans of actions. Additionally, they will
need to learn how often to go back and revise those components. Their student e -portfolios will be
great tools to help them become self-directed learners as they reflect on their experiences and learning,
but it is ultimately up to the individual learning to maintain their e -portfolio up to date with fidelity.