Student Learning Objectives (SLO)

The State of New Jersey Department of Education annotated this sample student growth objective for social studies in eighth grade.

This is a sample student growth objective from the State of New Jersey Department of Education focused on writing for fifth-grade English language learner (ELL) students. 

The State of New Jersey Department of Education annotated this sample student growth objective for 11th-grade reading.

The State of New Jersey Department of Education annotated this sample student growth objective for first-grade English language arts (ELA).

The State of New Jersey Department of Education developed this annotated sample student growth objective for Grade 9–12 architecture and engineering.

This chart from the State of New Jersey Department of Education is to help teachers create and categorize assessment items. This tool includes a chart that demonstrates a range of rigor of assessment items, includes the type of learner action, and provides sample question stems for each level. 

In developing SGOs, many teachers may have to develop their own assessments. The State of New Jersey Department of Education developed a tool to assist teachers with designing assessment items. This tool provides guidance and strategies for developing multiple-choice questions and constructed responses.

Understanding what makes a high-quality SGO can be very challenging for both teachers and evaluators. This presentation by the State of New Jersey Department of Education identifies the components of a high-quality SGO in New Jersey. It also provides examples of SGOs before and after they are adjusted for quality. 

In order to assist teachers with choosing or developing a quality assessment for their student growth goals, the State of New Jersey Department of Education developed this planning guide. The guide asks key questions for teachers to consider when choosing or developing their assessment. Some of these questions include: “What style of assessment will best measure student growth in relation to my SGO?” and “What assessments do I have now that I might use?” 

This rubric from the State of New Jersey Department of Education is used to determine a quality student growth goal. It provides information on assessment quality and using multiple measures of a student’s starting point.