As districts throughout Connecticut implement their educator evaluation and support systems, administrators will be developing Student Learning Objectives (SLOs) as part of the goal-setting process. SLOs are a promising practice with emerging research that links rigorous goals to accelerated growth in student achievement. Administrator SLOs must be part of a larger district-wide theory of action that reflects the district’s vision, mission, values, priorities and goals. All SLOs across the school system should reflect best instructional practice and align to district, school, grade-level and team goals, as well as college- and career-ready standards.
The SLO process for administrators should include data analysis, a discussion with evaluators about alignment to district and school learning goals, assessments that provide useful measures of student growth and setting targets that are clear enough so that the administrator and her/his evaluator know what success looks like. As well, it is important to discuss strategies and practice that will support attainment of the SLO.
At the heart of the SLO process is determining whether an SLO is of high quality. In order to assist administrators in developing a high-quality SLO, the CSDE is providing The SLO Quality Test. This resource, which was developed in partnership with New Leaders, can guide discussions between administrators and their evaluators about the quality of an SLO. The Administrator SLO Development Guide is another resource that can be used to guide discussions about the quality of an administrator's SLO
The CSDE is also providing sample SLOs represent the best thinking of educators in the field at this time. As part of the SLO process, evaluators and administrators have an opportunity to discuss the SLOs as well as the supporting rationale for each SLO. As this process continues to evolve, we will add to these samples throughout the school year. We continue our work with the Northeast Comprehensive Center to develop SLO tools and resources for administrators and evaluators to use as part of a district-wide process and to focus discussions on improving instructional leadership and learning for all students.The sample SLOs include annotations which are provided to encourage administrators and their evaluators to approach setting SLOs in a thoughtful manner.
Elementary Administrator SLO Samples
| Grade | SLO Title |
|---|---|
| 1-2 | Reading Comprehension |
Middle School Administrator SLO Samples
| Grade | SLO Title |
|---|---|
| 6-8 | Reading Comprehension |
| 8 | Algebraic Concepts |
High School Administrator SLO Samples
| Grade | SLO Topic |
|---|---|
| N/A | Graduation Credits |