3. Learning objectives and success criteria

Foundation Stage/Year 1

Hampshire

Teachers had used various strategies to get pupil generated success criteria, such as comparing one good with one poor product, using a visualiser. It was easier to create success criteria for skills like phonics. It was agreed that children need to experience things first before they can generate success criteria, so that the criteria are in their realm of understanding.

Success criteria had been generated for talk partners and other real life contexts such as listening, communicating, washing hands, tidying up etc. with visual illustrations.

Being clear about learning objectives had made the teachers all stop and think and make sure it was rigorous. Children are now able to verbalise what they are learning.

Mid-lessons stops to look at how the success criteria are being tackled and reflecting ensures that children are all on track. Comparing good and poor products has been a powerful way of helping children see expectations and end results.

Essex

One teacher has built up a bank of generic success criteria which children remember. This has made children more focused in lessons. Discussion also takes place about the meaning of the learning objectives so that children have a better understanding.

All teachers agreed that they use decontextualised learning objectives, which keeps them more focused on what they really want children to learn. Learning objectives are referred to throughout lessons, which has helped keep children on task and have a better understanding of what is expected.

All teachers had shown children contrasting old pieces of work in order to help children generate the criteria which teachers found very successful. Teachers refer children back to the criteria throughout lessons, which reminds them about what to include.

One teacher prints the LO and success criteria and children tick them off the sheet. This has meant that children can keep track of their achievement throughout a lesson, which has improved the overall standard of children’s work.

Three teachers had used a visualiser regularly and had found it very helpful, as all children can clearly see anything discussed.

The technical vocabulary used to describe learning objectives and success criteria is replicated by the children, even though many are only 4 years old.

Sheffield

Teachers agreed that getting pupil generated success criteria was really difficult at first because it was hard for children to be specific and they had been used to being spoon fed the criteria. Teachers began with well known things such as cutting skills which children found really easy. There had been lots of visualiser use; using poor examples of old work against good ones. Eventually children were able to produce success criteria, using pictures and photos, although there is still a tendency for children to list everything they know about something (e.g. spellings etc) rather than those things which relate purely to the learning objectives.

Overall children are now more willing and motivated to assess their own learning.

Hertfordshire

Most teachers found this tricky. It was easier to have pupil generated success criteria with practical examples, such as musical instruments and PE, where there was a demonstration of how to do it well then badly. One teacher has a ‘cheeky monkey’ puppet who demonstrates how not to do things/shows bad examples which teachers felt gave examples without blame.

In a nursery class, the children designed the role play area and then came up with ‘top tips’ on how to look after and use the area properly. The teacher said that this was the best role play area she had ever had. Children had total ownership and knew exactly how to look after the area.

One teacher showed children good and bad examples of a sentence then children told the teacher what they need to remember to do next time. Children had a clear process to follow.

Year 1/2

Hampshire

Learning objectives are focused and decontextualised so children understand the precise learning focus. Some teachers already had this clear focus. Children are more aware of what they are really learning. In some cases, planning had changed: LO, success criteria, model, content, learning outcome. The word ‘success’ is used all the time.

Teachers agreed that they are moving away from putting a lid on expectations. Showing a high quality example of work has led to children being able to generate success criteria and then wanting to include these in their subsequent work. Success criteria are not differentiated across groups, so all children are now aiming higher.

Analysing good and poor work, asking what are the effective elements etc. has led to children being far more critical, evaluative and reflective, in a positive way. The 2 stars and a wish strategy has become more meaningful with success criteria.

Success criteria have led to children taking responsibility and improving their work, and understanding how to be successful. The message is that all children can be successful. Children are more motivated to achieve the success criteria.

There are regular ‘pit stops’ to show work on the visualiser, analysing against the criteria, which has given children time to improve their work and develop it.

Children have clear recognition of the usefulness of success criteria.

Success criteria are more difficult to generate for mathematics and teachers were worried that they were simply producing a long list of instructions. This has led to a sharpening of teachers’ knowledge of skills.

Essex

Teachers had used simplified learning objectives which children could understand and had tried to be as specific as possible. Children now clearly understand what they will be learning and teachers are now more aware of the importance of skills which need to be taught in order for children to achieve the objective. After this stage children could then generate their own criteria.

All teachers had used the visualiser to compare old pieces of work to help children generate the success criteria. It had been helpful to keep secretarial features of writing on a separate poster so that the criteria were focused exclusively on a skill. The resulting criteria have been referred to throughout a lesson. Children are now more critical of their learning and lower achievers have in particular gained more confidence.

Hertfordshire

Teachers felt that this area was still tricky. They agreed that the teacher need to know the criteria first. Where success criteria are linked to a transferrable skill, children are able to transfer across lessons and remember the criteria.

Some teachers are giving children ‘challenge options’ for mathematics, where the work is differentiated but children have choice and sit with their talk partner.

Some teachers use puppets to model good and bad examples, thus detaching the examples from children. Children are motivated and talking about the success criteria.

Criteria are used to make improvements and to self assess. Children are confident about their next steps and what they have learnt. They are no longer talking about handwriting and secretarial features but the elements of the learning objective.

Year 3/4

Hampshire

Teachers had used excellent examples of old work to generate success criteria from the children. This has given recognition of the specifics of a skill and enables all children’s work to be valued throughout a session. Using the visualiser to look at children’s work mid-lesson had highlighted misconceptions early in the lesson.

Talking about success criteria has now become second nature and children are now much more aware of what makes a successful piece of work. Their understanding of themselves as learners has become more specific, which has made a huge difference. Peer assessment is strengthened and they have become more aware of each other as learners.

Expectations are raised for all children and success criteria create a learning thread for children to assess themselves against. Teachers can better mark children’s work.

Teachers saw that they need to unpick the learning.

Essex

Teachers had decontextualised their learning objectives, writing the context separately, so that learning objectives are now more generic. Teachers agreed that they are thinking more carefully about learning objectives.

It was successful to show a good example against a poor example using a visualiser in order for children to generate the success criteria. Posters have been produced displaying success criteria. Children’s writing has improved as a result.

The process of generating success criteria can be time consuming, so it was important to add to children’s ideas in order to speed thing up.

Some teachers had found it useful to create criteria in numeracy, whereas others had mostly found this easier in Literacy.

Children in some classes had set their own targets for each lesson using a target/writing ladder which displays the success criteria. This has improved both motivation and learning.

Sheffield

When success criteria have already been generated, children can recap the criteria in subsequent lessons.

Visualisers have been used successfully comparing good and poor old work to generate success criteria. Success criteria generated tend to be used in the next lesson when children do the task.

Sometimes children come up with too many criteria, so it is important to have a separate chart for ‘every time we write’.

Teachers were trying to make learning objectives and criteria generic and decontextualised.

Success criteria had been used successfully to ‘uplevel’ a piece of writing as a class activity.

Hertfordshire

Teachers are using the visualiser to show good and poor examples or sometimes one good example (e.g. a formal letter) for children to generate the criteria. The process ahs made teachers stop and think, although some said it was onerous. It was agreed that the teacher needs to orchestrate the criteria from the children, adding things they forget etc.

One teacher who used old pupil work to demonstrate settings in Literacy found that children lifted the good vocabulary and used it in their work but were also inspired to use new vocabulary.

Another teacher had tried giving the children incorrect success criteria or words missing in the criteria which had gained the children’s attention and helped promote understanding.

A point was made that quality discussions need to take place before children work on open learning objectives.

Year 5/6

Hampshire

Teachers had taken knowledge out of learning objectives and are now more focused on skills, putting up the context separately. Teachers have really broken down what they want the learning objective to be. Children now know what they are learning and why. Children use success criteria more than before and are able to identify where they are stuck because of them.

Children are able to generate their own success criteria and that ownership has made it possible for them to edit and improve their work thus raising the quality.

Generic criteria are being established in subject areas. In mathematics it has tended to be step by step criteria.

Showing good and poor work really aids the process of children developing criteria.

Essex

Teachers had asked children to identify the learning objective and also analysed a piece of work with the visualiser to discuss what was successful and what could be improved. Children were then very clear about what they were learning.

Teachers agreed that a visualiser had had a tremendous impact on the quality of children’s learning. By seeing good examples, children are confident about what they need to do.

Four teachers selected children’s work throughout a lesson to show on the visualiser which had led to children automatically editing and improving their work as they go.

One teacher had, for some learning objectives, changed ‘success criteria’ to ‘features of’, which had been very successful and stopped children pointing out secretarial features.

Low achievers are more productive once they see examples of past children’s work. They try to incorporate lots of elements of the success criteria.

Using criteria in mathematics had led to children being more accurate, following clear steps.

Sheffield

Teachers were focusing learning objectives on skills, with children generating the success criteria and choosing what strategies to use.

Children in one school are writing self assessment comments alongside the success criteria.

Generic success criteria are being created then used repeatedly. The visualiser had been invaluable for showing good and poor examples of old work as a means of generating the criteria.

Hertfordshire

Teachers had used the Literacy learning objectives across subjects, which had made the learning more relevant and purposeful and children were making the links themselves.

Once pupils have generated the criteria these can be used in future lessons, so that they can retrieve their knowledge.

It was felt that pupil led criteria can end up with them losing their way, so some objectives need to have teacher led criteria.

Showing good and poor examples then having talk partner discussions works well.

Secondary

Essex

Teachers agreed that looking at clear learning objectives had made both teachers and students really think about and review its meaning at the very beginning of a lesson. Two teachers were getting pupils to come up with the success criteria for an objective. In mathematics this has led to students being able to analyse answers to problems and understand the solutions.

Three teachers were using a visualiser to generate criteria which had led to increased quality in student writing. Students can also spot errors in their work and say what needs to be done to improve.

Teachers have displayed success criteria for generic skills, laminating them and revisiting often. Students are able to remember these and transfer them across different lessons.

Three teachers found it helpful to differentiate between generic and specific success criteria, helping teachers and students to assess what has been successful and what could be better next time.

Students have used their criteria to assess their outcomes. This has led to self and peer assessments being more targeted and had built confidence.

Hertfordshire

Three teachers had used success criteria, using the same criteria repeatedly. Students had been invited to adapt the criteria. Criteria were used for evaluation by students, which has led to students realising that what they value in their work may not be the same as the criteria demands.

Teachers had used good and poor examples to generate criteria, but without showing different versions of excellence, this had stumped creativity.

Teachers agreed that there are clear links to grading from exam board criteria. Students know what to do to improve their grade and have greater confidence and achievement.