SMART Goal Setting

I try to meet with each of my students within the first month of school to discuss their goals for the year and how I can help them to achieve those goals. In the past, I have simply talked with students about setting goals for themselves and made notes of the goals they selected. This year, I decided to take a more structured approach and created a worksheet based on the SMART goal setting principle.

When meeting with students, I begin the session by reviewing the five components of a SMART goal.

I then ask the student to think of one personal and one academic goal they would like to work toward. Once the student identifies their desired goal, we talk about the steps necessary to reach that goal. Finally, after both goals have been clearly identified, I ask them to consider potential barriers {things that would prevent them from reaching their goal} and discuss possible solutions {ways to get around the barrier and back on track}.

All of this information is recorded on the student's goal setting worksheet. At the end of the session, I give each student a copy of their worksheet and and place a copy in my counseling file. My hope is that throughout the year I can reference the worksheet and help students keep track of the progress they are making toward reaching their goal.

Download your own copy of the SMART goal setting worksheet HERE