Goals in Xello
userEducatorTime3 minutes

Planning for life after school or college can feel overwhelming and many students need a helping hand to get started. Goals in Xello is a way to teach students about how to begin the process of goal-setting and give them the confidence to plan for their futures. Students can learn about different types of goals, set practical steps to achieve them, and reflect on their goals to see how they connect to larger plans.

In the meantime, educators gain valuable insights that support their students’ success.

Goals & Portfolios recording

Xello has two tools to help students better prepare for their futures: Goals and Portfolios! Students can now set realistic goals and create actionable to-do lists to help them stay on track towards short or long term achievements. As well as, the ability to create vibrant, shareable portfolios to showcase their work and highlight the self-exploration and planning they’ve done in Xello. Watch this session to learn the ins-and-outs of these features, and how you can view their work, track completion, and support them in showcasing their work and achievements through Xello.

Watch this recording to learn:

  • How the Portfolios and Goals tools work
  • Viewing and tracking your students' Goals and Portfolios
  • Key settings and functionality for Portfolio sharing
  • How parents and guardians explore their child's goals and portfolios
  • Key resources to support goal setting and portfolio building

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Students and Goals

When planning for the future, not all plans need to be long-term and revolve around future education. Goals in Xello help students set goals that may not revolve around career and education.

Students access the Goals feature by clicking Plans in the top navigation or My goals and plans from their dashboard.

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Once they click Set a goal, they give their goal a title. Then they choose one of eight different categories their goal fits into. If they're not sure, or if they'd like to view an example, they can click Not sure? Learn about these options. to read more.

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Next, they choose a timeframe for when they plan to complete the goal. They can choose less than a year or longer.

The next page suggests three tasks to help them achieve their goal. These tasks can be removed or added.

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Once the goal has been created, they can go back in and review or edit it. They can change the timeframe, edit the task list, and add notes to record their ongoing progress.

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Finally, when they've marked their goal as complete, they celebrate with a confetti blast! And of course, a chance to reflect on what they learned while completing the goal.

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Educators and Goals

In your educator account, run reports to see how many students have set a goal. Reports you can run based on Goals are:

  • Goals by student
  • Goals by year
  • Goals by Category

Or, educators can view a student's plan to check out their to-do list, what pathway they chose, and how committed they are to the plan.

View a student's Goal

View completed student Goals on the student's profile page, in the About student tab.

To view a student's complete Goals:

  1. In the search bar located at the top of any page in your educator account, enter the student's name or ID.
    Search bar in Xello educator account highlighted with cursor hovering
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    Search bar in Xello educator account highlighted with cursor hovering
    tipTip: Alternatively, from the left menu, click Students and select Student list to browse the full list of students.
  2. Click on the student's name. The About student tab of their profile opens.
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    pointer hovering over search bar
  3. Click on the Goals & plans tab to see their goals.
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  4. Click on a goal to check out what the student entered.

Run reports on student Goals

To run a report on students' Goals:

  1. From your educator account, click Reports and select Student work.
    left menu open in educator account. Report dropdown open and Student work being selected
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    left menu open in educator account. Report dropdown open and Student work being selected
  2. In the Goals card, click Select report and choose which report you'd to like to view.
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    • Once you've selected a report to view, from the top left of the list, click the dropdown to select a different Goals report.

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Delivering Goals in the classroom

Check out the below resources to help you implement the Goals feature in the classroom face-to-face, online, or in a blended learning environment.

Xello activity lesson plan

To get students started, the My goals lesson will help you successfully introduce the Goals feature to your students. Get your students ready to set their own goals with discussion prompts, reflection activities, and teaching strategies.

This standalone lesson will take about 25-30 minutes and includes:

  • Inquiry prompts
  • Tips for preparing to teach the lesson
  • Teaching strategies
  • Step-by-step guidance for assisting students in setting a goal
  • A discussion prompt for students to complete in a Xello assignment
  • pdfActivity Lesson Plan
    Activity Lesson PlanMy goals