Working Systematically

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Working systematically: Why set targets?

Setting targets for achievement has not been a widespread practice among educators in the past.

Some of the reasons: perceptions of their limited dimensionality in a complex and diffuse process and some dispute about the nature of the goals to be met; inability to control the wide range of variables in operation; and suspicions about the adequacy and reliability of test instruments and other data-gathering procedures. These arguments about purpose, responsibility, efficacy and validity have been well rehearsed and all have a point.

HOWEVER, targets and indicators of performance define and drive work.

They focus attention on what is to be achieved (and they are one way to deal with that bane of teachers' lives, inability to define the outcomes of their work).

They will contribute to fostering a climate of engaged and serious purpose among staff.

They do so when they:

focus on the main things without pretending to be comprehensive.

Think: levels of literacy and numeracy and completion rates. They are targets. There may be sub-targets like increases in rates of attendance or decreases in discipline referrals which contribute to the achievement of those targets or which are useful indicators of institutional health and effectiveness.

are reasonable and within reach.
In some cases a 25 percent improvement over the course of a year will be a reasonable target; in others, perhaps 5 percent. You’ll have to work this out for your own situation. But remember that targets are about what you think you can achieve if you try.

are limited in number.

The comments made above about suitable numbers of goals also applies to targets.

When setting targets, discipline your thinking. Go for the main, most influential matters.

are well formulated.

They must be clear, concrete and easily intelligible, which usually means expressed as simply as possible. For example:

— 90% of Year 4 Indigenous students progress one or more Levels/Stages in literacy and numeracy (as defined in the relevant curriculum documents) over the next three semesters.

— 25% improvement in retention rate from Year 10 to Year 11 for 2002.

— 85% completion rate of course X this year.

can be reliably and fairly easily evidenced.

You can get some ideas about this from the section dealing with data.