Student Learning Objectives for 2019 and Beyond
Student Learning Objectives (SLOs) have played an integral part in the educator evaluation system since 2011-12.
Under Education Law 3012-d, as amended, the required subcomponent of the Student Performance category for all teachers is an SLO. For principals, the required subcomponent of the Student Performance category is either an SLO or an input model. SLOs are developed locally, consistent with the Commissioner’s goal-setting process.
The Department believes the development of SLOs should encourage educators to focus and align instruction with LEA and school priorities, goals, and academic improvement plans. Setting long‐term goals allows educators to plan backwards from a vision of student success, and research indicates that setting rigorous and ambitious learning goals, combined with the purposeful use of data through both formal and informal assessments, leads to improved academic performance by students.
The SLO process developed by the Department is aligned with best practices in instructional goal setting and is intended to have significant instructional benefit by encouraging educators to be systematic and strategic in their instructional decisions. Done thoughtfully, the SLO process will lead to an increase in the quality of discussions taking place in LEAs, schools, and classrooms that focus on student growth and learning, clearer indications of when and how to adjust instruction to meet students’ needs, and more targeted professional development efforts.