Hey Teachers!

Learning targets and success criteria shouldn’t just live on the board.

If students are going to use them, we have to do more than post them at the beginning of class and hope students make the connection. The real work is helping students understand what they are learning, what success looks like, and how they can use that information throughout the lesson.

In Part 2 of this Instructional Spotlight, we move from creating learning targets and success criteria to actually using them as part of instruction.

In this episode, we’ll talk about:

• Why posting a learning target is only the beginning
• Ways to bring the learning target into the lesson instead of mentioning it once
• How success criteria can help students recognize quality work
• The difference between using learning targets for compliance and using them for clarity
• How we can help students take more ownership of where they are in their learning

Because posting is visibility. Using them is clarity.

And, as always, you’ll leave with a 30-Minute Prep Challenge you can try in your classroom.

Ready to put this into practice? The Creating Clarity Lesson Planner is a free resource designed to help you think through how your learning target and success criteria will actually show up throughout your lesson.

You can find it on The Hayes Learning Collective website.

We’re wrapping up this Instructional Spotlight with Part 3: Common Mistakes with Learning Targets & Success Criteria. We’ll look at some of the ways good intentions can get in the way of clarity and, more importantly, what we can do differently.

🎙️ Follow The 30 Minute PD so you don’t miss the final installment, and if this episode made you think of a teacher, coach, or educator you work with, share it with a colleague and keep the conversation going.

Instructional Spotlight: Creating Clarity for Students Through Learning Targets and Success Criteria — Part 1: Creating Clarity Begins with the Learning

Hey Teachers! Learning targets and success criteria are posted in classrooms everywhere—but are students actually clear about what they’re learning?

In the first episode of Instructional Spotlight, we’re going beyond posting an “I can” statement on the board and getting clear about what learning targets and success criteria are actually designed to do.

We’ll break down the difference between a standard, learning target, success criteria, and activity, explore why a learning target isn’t simply a standard rewritten in student-friendly language, and look at how each piece works together to create clarity and coherence for students.

Because just because we know where students are supposed to go doesn’t mean they do.

In this episode, you’ll explore:

• The difference between standards, learning targets, success criteria, and activities

• Why learning targets should reflect the learning progression

• How success criteria make successful learning visible

• Why completing an activity isn’t the same as demonstrating learning

• How creating clarity connects to accomplished teaching

Plus, take on the 30-Minute Prep Challenge by looking at one upcoming lesson through a new lens.

The big idea: Accomplished teaching begins by creating clarity.

Because the goal isn’t to rewrite the standard. The goal is to create clarity.

🎙️Next Episode: Instructional Spotlight: Creating Clarity for Students Through Learning Targets and Success Criteria— Part 2: Making Learning Visible Throughout the LessonEnjoying Instructional Spotlight?? Follow The 30 Minute PD so you never miss an episode, and share this conversation with a colleague or teaching partner who could use a little encouragement as they begin the school year.

Back-to-School You: Five Questions For A More Intentional Year.

Episode 5 of 5: What Will Back-to-School You Thank You For?

The first day of school isn't the finish line.

It's the beginning of the story you'll write all year long.

In the final episode of the Back to School You series, we reflect on one last question:

What will Backt o School You thank you for?

Every intentional decision you make today becomes a gift to the educator you'll be tomorrow. Before students walk through your classroom doors—or as you settle into a new school year—you have an opportunity to create habits, systems, and mindsets that will continue to support you long after the excitement of back-to-school season fades.

In this episode, we'll discuss:

Why small, intentional decisions have a lasting impact throughout the school year.

The importance of giving yourself grace while staying committed to your goals.

How to create a simple plan that your future self will genuinely appreciate.

Whether you've listened to one episode or all five, I hope this series reminds you that accomplished teaching isn't about perfection—it's about making intentional decisions, reflecting often, and continuing to grow.

30-Minute Prep Challenge: Write a short letter to your future self. What commitments are you making today? What do you hope you'll remember when the school year becomes busy? Save it somewhere you'll revisit during the first month of school.

Thank you for joining me for the Back-to-School You series!

If these conversations encouraged you, I'd love for you to follow The 30 Minute PD, leave a review, and share the series with a colleague who could use a little encouragement as the school year begins.

And don't forget to come back for our next Season 3 series, First Month You, because preparing for the school year is only the beginning. Our Season 3 journey continues in First Month You.