Goal Setting with #KFkinders

This week your kinder sat down with me to talk about their FAST test results.  You will be getting these results on Thursday, September 22nd!  This test is hard for kinders at the beginning of the year because they aren't the most confident testers yet.  We take that in to consideration when moving forward with these test results and try to prepare them with the skills necessary to keep learning, and also the skills necessary to be confident with taking tests and performing for all types of adults!  If you have any questions or comments about the FAST results when you receive them, please do not hesitate to contact me.  I would love to give you my insight on these and how I use them to plan for your kinder's academic development!

The FAST results that come home will have what your kinder scored on each sub-test, what the benchmark goal was, and what the Winter Benchmark will be when we test again in January.  You will notice that there is a color coded graph, this helped your kinder start to understand what these numbers and goals meant.  We set some goals for our January testing date, and talked about ways we are going to achieve those goals.  It sounds crazy, but it is amazing how much even our youngest learners understand about setting goals.  Keep these goals fresh in your conversations...THEY ARE MOTIVATED!!

After we talked about our FAST results, we also spent some time looking over our priority standards and I Can statements for kindergarten.  Click on the hyperlinked text for a copy for you to use at home (Priority Standards/I Can Statements)!  These are posted in our rooms, we talk about them on a daily when we highlight our schedule for the day, and they will begin to become very familiar for your kinder by the end of the year.   Each #KFkinder picked one literacy priority standard, and one math priority standard (we will eventually mix in PBIS behavior standards, writing, and science standards).  We worked together to fill out a goal sheet that will be coming home in your kinder's folder tonight.  On it you will find what standard they picked, what their current skill status is, what we will do at school to practice this skill, and what are some things at home you can do to practice this skill.  Most of the writing was recording what your kinder was saying.  I want them to make the connections of things they can be doing at school and at home to practice their skills.  The description will only highlight one or two things you can do, please know that if you have your own ideas or resources to practice them, DO IT!!

       Here are our kindergarten Literacy, Behavior, Math, and Writing Learning Targets

with I Can statements.

This is an example of the Learning Target goal sheet that will be coming home weekly with your kinder in their folder.

Each week we will have one-on-one check-ins to access their skills.  At this check-in meeting we can continue the skill practice and talk about more ways we can practice it, change our goal, or we will see that your kinder has met their goal.  Please note that it may take a few weeks/months to meet a goal.  All the goals are different levels of complexity and some are not expected to be mastered until the end of kindergarten.  Please be patient with the process and encourage your kinder to keep showing growth in their skill, independence, and problem-solving abilities.  That is what goal setting is all about!  If you are needing resources to practice this skill at home, please do not hesitate to contact me and we can get you hooked up!

When you kinder meets a goal, that means they have MASTERED the standard.  We will celebrate that milestone by earning an "I Can..." crown.  These crowns will have the visual we use in the classroom for our I Can statements that are hooked to our priority standards.  It will also have a spot for your kinder to sign, for me to sign, and then they get a chance to walk down to Mr. Junge's office and celebrate/sign with him!  They are pretty proud when they earn these crowns, so please celebrate their learning at home too!

Here are some of our #KFkinders that met a goal yesterday and earned their first crown.  There will be many more to come for everyone!  Keep practicing!

That is our goal setting in a nutshell.  If any of this was not totally clear, please contact me!  Goal setting will continue all year long.  Please continue to look for these weekly goal sheets in their folders so you can encourage and support their learning at home!

Also, remember to follow our learning...

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--Kim