A Student Growth Objective, or SGO, is a long-term academic goal for groups of students set by teachers in consultation with their supervisors. An effective SGO must be:

Specific and measurable
Aligned to New Jersey's curriculum standards
Based on available prior student learning data
A measure of student growth and/or achievement
Ambitious and achievable

Research has found that educators who set high quality objectives often realize greater improvement in student performance.

The SGO Development Process: Teacher objective setting is a collaborative activity between principals, supervisors, and teachers. The objective-setting process has the greatest impact on student learning when teachers and principals use it to think through the classroom practices that are having a positive impact on student growth. Initially, the conversation creates focus. Throughout the year, it leads to reflection on student academic progress and classroom practice. At the end of the year or semester, it provides an opportunity for teachers and their principals to sum up how well students have done.

How many SGO's do teachers need to create?

According to Achieve NJ, all teachers who receive an SGP score are required to complete 1-2 SGOs. In Fair Lawn, we advise any teacher whose total student count is near 20 to complete 2 SGOs. In case the student number drops below 20, the 2nd SGO would balance the loss of an SGP score.

Fair Lawn Public Schools