Student Learning Objectives: Benefits, Challenges, and Solutions

Not all student growth measures are alike, nor are they designed to be. But when student growth measures are used for educator evaluation, fairness and comparability become critical. This paper focuses on the benefits and challenges of student learning objectives (SLOs) and their use in educator effectiveness systems. To support educators in implementing fair and equitable SLOs, this paper highlights the work of leading states and districts as they develop innovative solutions to improve the quality of SLOs as a measure of student growth and, in turn, as a measure of educator effectiveness.