Printable and Digital SMART Goals Planning Template
Help your students maximize their potential by teaching them to set SMART goals. SMART is a goal-setting acronym that stands for Specific, Measurable, Attainable, Relevant, and Timely. Use the printable and digital planning template linked below to guide your students through the goal-setting process.
Specific
- Your goal must be specific. This means it should be clearly defined and understandable. Specific goals are fine-tuned and exact. A specific goal has a much greater chance of being accomplished than a general goal. To make sure your goal is specific, include as many answers to the 5Ws (who, what, when, where, and why) as possible.
Example: Decreasing your mile time is a general goal. Running a mile in less than ten minutes is a specific goal.
Measurable
- A goal needs to be measurable. There must be a way to track progress and determine if the goal is achieved. An easy way to do this is to set mini-goals that can be accomplished while working towards the larger goal. To determine if your goal is measurable, ask yourself the following questions:
- How much?
- How many?
- How will I know if I achieved my goal?
Example: If you are trying to run a mile in less than ten minutes, you can measure your progress in 30-second intervals.
Attainable
- A goal should be attainable. A goal that is possible to achieve is an attainable goal. It is important that your goal is challenging, but it needs to be something you can realistically accomplish with hard work.
Example: Setting a goal to run a mile in less than ten minutes is only attainable if you can run a mile without stopping.
Click here to download the free SMART Goals Planning Worksheet
Relevant
- A goal is relevant if it is meaningful, important, and worthwhile. Relevant goals are more likely to be achieved because they are aligned with your values and future plans.
Example: An athlete may want to run a ten-minute mile to make the track team or get a better grade in gym class. Either way, the goal has a deeper meaning.
Timely
- Establishing a deadline is a critical step in the goal-setting process. It is critical that the goal have time constraints. There is no urgency created by an open-ended goal.
Example: Setting a six-month deadline to run a mile in less than ten minutes creates urgency, making the goal more likely to achieve.
Click the link below for more SMART goals teaching materials. The close reading unit includes leveled reading comprehension passages, vocabulary support, writing worksheets, and an assessment!
SMART Goals FREE Reading and Writing Unit
“SUCH a great resource for my staff to use when working on their SMART goals for their students. This was just a different template for staff to choose from when selecting their goals, ensuring all components are there, as well as tracking them.” -Melissa L.
