What are SMART goals?
SMART goals help students set clear, achievable learning targets:
Specific: Clearly state what the student will improve.
Measurable: Use data such as accuracy, words per minute (WPM), lessons completed, or practice time.
Achievable: Choose a target that challenges the student without being unrealistic.
Relevant: Connect the goal to the student’s typing skills and classroom needs.
Time-bound: Include a deadline or review date.
How to use SMART goals in Typing Agent
Typing Agent has different default settings for students at all grade levels. These are general goals based on students' age, grade level, and experience. They are not set in stone. If you see that your students need help or are "flying" through the program without a challenge, don't hesitate to adjust our defaults to meet your students' individual needs. To do so:
Review the student’s starting point.
Use Typing Agent Progress reports (Detailed and Summary) to check average accuracy, WPM, completed lessons, and time spent practicing.Choose one main area to improve.
Prioritize accuracy before increasing speed. Typing Agent measures lesson performance using both accuracy and WPM.Write the SMART goal.
As students do their activities in Typing Agent, have them note their Accuracy and WPM targets. As they do the activities, have them use the self-assessment worksheets to gauge how they are doing and how they feel. (Write support@typingagent.com if you don't have our worksheets.)Set appropriate targets.
Teachers can use Typing Agent’s Target Settings to establish WPM and accuracy expectations for a class or individual students. Keep targets challenging but attainable.Write a SMART goal.
After at least three weeks of work, meet with students individually to see how they're doing. Review their actual results and decide together whether they'd like more or less challenge. Once you've decided, have them express their keyboarding goals for the next few weeks. For example, they can say or write:
“Over the next four weeks, I will increase my typing speed from 20 to 22 WPM while maintaining at least 90% accuracy by completing three Typing Agent lessons each week.”Monitor progress regularly.
Review the Progress Report every two to three weeks. Celebrate improvement and adjust the goal if it becomes too easy or too difficult.
SMART goals are not a separate Typing Agent feature; they are a goal-setting framework that works well with the program’s target settings, lessons, and reports. Learn about Target Settings and Progress Reports.