Ready to shift: Supporting goal transitions through self-assessment and calibration in middle school mathematics

Abstract

Setting goals involves establishing standards that guide learners’ actions. A key aspect of effective goal setting is students’ ability to accurately assess their progress on the skills and steps, so they can shift attention toward learning outcomes. Middle school mathematics educators can draw on research in self-assessment and calibration to foster core metacognitive competencies within a broader framework of self-regulatory competence. We offer practical strategies for providing feedback that promotes learning from errors and self-assessment techniques to help students monitor their learning, calibrate their progress, and reflect on the accuracy of their evaluations as they shift from process-focused to outcome-oriented goals. These practices support the development of self-regulated learners equipped to set and achieve mathematics learning goals.