In my January 2026 blog, I describe the importance and techniques for aligning Success Criteria to Student Learning Target(s). In this blog I would like to share answers to practical application questions about Success Criteria based on my 25 years of providing professional learning workshops on “timeless” essential practices to school and district leaders and PK-12 educators. For a refresher on what Success Criteria are and some related fundamentals, check out my January blog: https://www.larryainsworth-claritypathway.com/blog/successcriteria

Q: “Aren’t Success Criteria the same as rubrics?” 

Success Criteria are not the same as rubrics.  Success Criteria are a single set of objectively worded verb phrases that clearly list what students need to do to “hit the bullseye” of the Student Learning Target(s).  Rubrics, even though worded with verb phrases like Success Criteria, include different levels of proficiency, with each level listing the verb phrases specific to that level only.  Rubrics, also known as scoring guides, are multi-level Success Criteria—but only if they are correctly written with objectively worded—not subjectively worded—verb phrases.

Q: “How do you write effective Success Criteria?”

Start by brainstorming short verb phrases describing what students need to do to demonstrate they've achieved the Student Learning Target from the “unwrapped” Essential Standard from which that learning target is derived. Write Success Criteria in specific, objective, age-appropriate wording appropriate for your students' grade level.

One of the most effective ways to learn how to write clearly worded Success Criteria, either on your own or with colleagues, is to study well-written examples from other educators. Success Criteria must meet every element in the Student Learning Target. Here is an example: 

Student Learning Target: Compare and contrast characters, settings, and events in stories using text details.

Success Criteria (Using text details, I can...):

• Compare how characters are similar
• Contrast how characters are different
• Compare how settings are similar
• Contrast how settings are different
• Compare how events are similar
• Contrast how events are different

Notice the intentional repetition here. It's fine to use the same wording, but underline, bold, or italicize the key differences (here: characters, settings, events) so students don't just read over them because they all look the same.

Critical Alignment Principle

Success Criteria must align to both the Student Learning Target and the "unwrapped" Essential Standard. This ensures that the concepts and skills of the Essential Standard remain the primary focus. Keep referring to the "unwrapped" Essential Standard when writing your criteria to make sure they directly align!

From Teacher Language to Student-Worded Criteria

Your first draft might use "teacher wording" that is beyond students' understanding. You'll need to "wordsmith" those phrases. Here's an example from Dylan Wiliam:

Teacher-worded: "Shows understanding of the chosen genre or form."

Student-worded: "Shows you understand what type of book it is."

The goal is to achieve clarity without losing precision.

Bringing It All Together

Here's the beauty of this approach: when your "unwrapped" Essential Standards, Student Learning Targets, and Success Criteria are all intentionally aligned, they provide the solid foundation for everything that follows—your instruction, learning activities, resource selection, and assessments. Everything becomes deliberately integrated and connected to enable students to achieve those targeted outcomes.

Students who can articulate the Success Criteria before they begin their work are more focused, more motivated, and more willing to take responsibility for their own learning. They know exactly what success looks like, and they can monitor their own progress as they work.

This is not just good teaching practice—it's transformational clarity that changes everything.

Q: “What is a motivational way of introducing Success Criteria to students?”

I especially like Michael Absolum’s visual technique for introducing both Student Learning Targets (which he calls “learning intentions”) and Success Criteria to his students:

I introduced the term learning intention to my students and explained that this was going to be the flashlight in my teaching and their learning.  We talked about our learning being like a journey through a tunnel.  This was where I introduced success criteria, and we likened them to signposts along the way through the tunnel.  Often a picture of the flashlight was placed beside the words learning intention and signposts beside the success criteria. (Absolum, Clarity in the Classroom, 2010, p.83) 

Q: “How many Success Criteria should a single lesson have as opposed to the entire unit of study?” 

This is a practical question that matters greatly for student clarity and engagement. Let me give you the principle first, then the practical application.

The Guiding Principle

Here's the guiding principle: It is important to show students the Success Criteria simultaneously when you first introduce them to the Student Learning Targets. Students need to see the direct connections between the two. However, think carefully about how many unit Success Criteria you plan to introduce to students at the beginning of the unit. If you show students all the criteria at once, this will quite likely overwhelm and discourage them from wanting to learn when they have yet to even begin their study.

Practical Application

The average number of Success Criteria range from approximately six to eight for a complete unit of study. For a single lesson within that unit, however, it’s on average only one or two.

Because there are always multiple Success Criteria for a multi-week unit of study based on multiple Essential Standards, show students only a few criteria at a time, or even one by one when you begin teaching each related skill and concept for that day’s lesson. This will help them progress day-by-day toward “hitting the bullseye” of the unit Student Learning Target(s) by the end of the multi-week unit.

The Bottom Line

Quality over quantity. A few well-written, clearly worded Success Criteria that students can use to guide and monitor their progress are far more valuable than a long list of criteria that overwhelms them.

Here’s the way to test the efficacy (effectiveness) of this process: Teach your students how to (1) achieve the unit learning goals and expectations (represented by the Student Learning Targets) with the Success Criteria, (2) check their ongoing daily progress against the Success Criteria, (3) adjust their learning strategies as self-corrections, and by the end of the unit (4) show that they have met all the criteria for success.   

The bottom line is this: How effectively we use Success Criteria with our students is what will make all the difference in the dramatic impact Success Criteria can have on student learning.

ADDITIONAL CLARITY PATHWAY RESOURCES FOR STUDENT LEARNING TARGETS AND SUCCESS CRITERIA:

We are excited to announce that Larry’s second online video course, Clarity for All: Student Learning Targets and Aligned Success Criteria, will be available in the first quarter of 2026! For updates on this be sure you are signed up for our free monthly newsletter here.

Click here for information about Larry's in-person or virtual workshop, LEARNING TARGETS AND SUCCESS CRITERIA FOR STUDENT CLARITY 

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