Student Learning Objectives (SLO)

This guidebook from the Rhode Island Department of Education provides educators an update to the changes made to the state’s SLO process.  The guidebook reviews the process for setting, approving, monitoring, and scoring SLOs for the state.  The appendix includes guidance on selecting quality assessments.

This guide from the Ohio Department of Education provides Ohio’s LEAs with guidance on implementing SLOs.  This guide explains what is an SLO and the steps for setting SLOs.  The paper also provides districts with guidance on setting SLO policies and reviews some challenges and solutions for implementing SLOs.

The Austin Independent School District developed a rubric to determine the level of rigor of SLOs.  The rubric provides descriptors for exemplary, proficient, progressing, and does not meet standard SLOs and examines the assessment, objective, and growth target.   Included with the rubric is an SLO quality of entry checklist which lists the components and expectations for each component of an SLO.

This worksheet from the Austin Independent School District is the district’s template for writing SLOs.  The worksheet includes a template for writing an individual SLO and a team SLO. Teachers working on this handout must complete the different sections of their SLO by identifying the student growth, objectives, assessment, and the growth target.

This handbook from the Indiana Department of Education defines an SLO and its purpose.  The manual provides an overview of how SLOs fit into the teacher evaluation context in Indiana and then provides step-by-step instructions on how to write an SLO.  There are several example SLOs also included in the handbook.

The Indiana Department of Education developed several example SLOs.  This document includes:

• Kindergarten – 2nd Grade Teacher
• 5th or 7tlh grade Social Studies
• 4th or 6th grade Science
• Elementary Music Education
• Elementary English Language Learner
• Middle School English language arts
• 10th grade English
• High  School AP Chemistry Teacher
• 11th Grade U.S. History
• High School Drama
• High School Geometry

This manual from the New York State Department of Education provides background on SLOs and describes the rules for setting SLOs in New York.  This guidebook also provides guidance on scoring SLOs and the steps for districts to implement SLOs.

This video from the New York State Education Department provides an introduction to SLOs and explains the elements of an SLO.  The video also describes what additional resources are available to New York educators.

This video from the New York State Education Department provides guidance on how to construct an SLO.  The video also explains how to use the multi-state SLO rubric to measure the quality of an SLO.  

This video from the New York State Education Department explains how to develop an SLO using trend data in order to inform and determine appropriate growth targets.  The video explores two examples:  a U.S. History Regents course where the summative measure will be the Regents exam and an 8th grade science class that culminates in a state assessment.