Success Criteria (Learning Intentions)

BENEFITS

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• Success criteria define what “good” looks like, so students know exactly what they are aiming for in a lesson or task.

 

• This clarity improves teacher focus, reducing off-target activities and aligning tasks, questions, and assessments.

 

• Help students close the gap between current performance and goals.

 

• Provide shared “look-fors” that make feedback more specific.

 

• Efficient formative assessment.

 

• Increase internal motivation. link

 

 

 

HOW TO

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• Behavior: What the learner will be able to do.

 

• Condition: The context or situation in which the behavior will occur.

 

• Degree: The standard by which the performance will be measured.

 

• “I can”  or “we are successful when” statements – what students can do to meet learning goal based on learning standards and/or expectations

 

• Rubrics – defines the pathway for accomplishing the success criteria

 

• Targeted response – examples or student samples

 

• List – identify the steps students can take to accomplish the task

 

• Graphic organizer – use of graphic organizer or visual chart to make clear expectations

 

• Scales & Rubrics

 

• “Cover up” the  written success criteria on the board during the first lesson; then ask the students at the end of the first lesson, what they think the “I can” statement is? Students list and compare to the uncovered success criteria statements. Engages students in thinking about lesson purpose.

 

• Students set task-specific goals on what they want to achieve, increasing motivation and engagement.  Fisher & Fry (2019)

 

 

 

 

CHALLENGES

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• Interpretation Issues: Learning outcomes can be subject to varying interpretations, which can lead to confusion among both educators and students.

 

• Complexity of Educational Goals: Certain educational goals are difficult to articulate through standardized learning outcomes.

 

• Administrative Focus: The emphasis on learning outcomes as managerial tools can detract from academic freedom and creativity in teaching.

 

• Lack of Clarity and Specificity: Many learning objectives are poorly written, lacking clarity and specificity. Vague or overly complex language can make it difficult for students to understand what is expected of them.

 

• Measurability Challenges: While it is important for learning objectives to be measurable, this can be challenging in practice.

 

• Twist: To provide a change of pace, cover up the success criteria on the board and when the lesson is over, have the students guess what the success criteria and learning intention was for the lesson. link

 

 

• Teachers should avoid treating success criteria and learning intentions as a compliance poster, a vague checklist, or a grading rubric instead of tools for clarity and learning.

 

• Avoid requiring students to mindlessly copy or underline objectives every lesson.

 

• Do not write learning intentions as a list of activities (“complete worksheet,” “do stations”) instead of describing what students will learn.

 

• Avoid long, jargon-heavy or multi-part criteria that read like a dense checklist.

 

• Do not set intentions or criteria that are unrealistic for the time, prior knowledge, or support available.

 

• Do not create all success criteria for students without involving them in unpacking the learning target and co-constructing what success looks like. link