The beginning of the year in a Developmental Designs classroom includes the process of goal setting. Teachers ask students to think deeply about what they want to accomplish during the year and write a declaration to themselves and their learning community about what they will do to be successful, often both socially and academically.

Gecko Goals and Declarations Display

St. Louis Park Junior High, St. Louis Park, MN

Create this display in your classroom. Follow the instructions and use the template found in this teacher resource: Gecko Tessellations Goals and Declarations Display

New City School Staff and Student Goals and Declarations

Minneapolis, MN

Student Goals and Declarations Examples

Staff Declarations of Support for Students, School Year 2011-2012
Before the start of the school year, New City School staff members devote time to creating declarations of support for the students. Regardless of a person's role at the school-a teacher, a custodian, or the principal-her goals for the upcoming school year are important and honored. They are the launching pad for how the staff will work and play together all year long.

Here are pieces of their 2011-2012 school year display, created with oil pastel on acetate layered over watercolor washes. See example staff declarations listed below.

Read more about New City School's process for creating staff goal displays: Creating Staff Hopes and Dreams, published in Developmental Designs: A Middle Level Newsletter, Fall 2010

New City School Staff Declared Goals for Students
I will utilize songs so that students learn from moving and singing.

I will develop personal connections so that students feel connected to our community.

I will implement writer's workshop and design effective mini-lessons so that students improve their writing.

I will collaborate with colleagues about reading lessons so that my students will enjoy reading.

I will provide a motivating learning environment so that my students are engaged in their work.

I will scaffold and model activities so that students will experience success and feel safe.

I will use hands-on experiences (such as observing in the Monarch Meadow) so that students are more aware of their surroundings. 

I will balance the details and the big picture of learning so that students can succeed.

I will continue to learn and be a sponge for knowledge so that students have their needs met.

I will give feedback in small steps so that students can be successful.

I will model consistency in my work and behavior so that students will consistently engage in their work and be well-behaved.

I will successfully manage all parts of the nutrition program so that students will eat healthy food.

Clara Barton Open School, Room 6, 7th and 8th Grade Aspirations

Minneapolis MN

Middle-level educator Allison Rubin Forester starts off the school year by asking her advisory students to think about their goals and aspirations for themselves in school at the present moment and later in life. These conversations about their aspirations become the spark for the class to generate agreed upon class rules to help create a positive learning environment. Students make the connection that their positive behaviors can help everyone succeed in school to achieve their goals.

The following examples are a sampling from this group of eager and aspiring adolescents.

We, the students of room 6, have great aspirations for our lives.

• Be significant-do something worthwhile that nobody else has done
• Write a book!
• Live to over 100!
• Be really charming so everyone likes me
• Go to school; keep learning something always
• Have a dream job: well-paying and fun
• Still play sports while working a professional job
• Act in the movies

To achieve these great aspirations, we will strive to:

• Be the best person I can be, inside AND out!
• Be more responsible; take charge and do something that means a lot
• Learn persistence; to become an actor, keep on it and don't give up
• Help other people
• Be organized in school.
• Don't try to mess with teachers; just DO THE WORK
• Be healthy; don't smoke

Room 6 Rules

Allison develops class rules from the students' aspirations, asking students to consider what rules are needed to make sure they move toward their goals.  Here are the rules that support the above aspirations:

We, the people of Room six, challenge ourselves to have fun and put in the effort. We will:

• Contribute and participate
• Be nice
• Go green (Reduce, Reuse, Recycle)

As with any set of rules that are global to cover a lot of behaviors, Allison  found that she needed to explore each rule in more detail. Especially important was helping students learn what it actually means to "be nice." She and her students discussed what specific behaviors one might see if a seventh or eighth grader is being nice. They felt that being nice included: working with everyone, encouraging others, keeping the peace by stepping in if someone was following this code of behavior.