Activating hard thinking
Scaffolding: success criteria
Success criteria formation
Success criteria are the evidence needed to determine if a student has gained the intended
learning. They describe what a student needs to say, do, or create to demonstrate they have met a
specific learning aim. They include the objective features of a complex task or piece of work,
therefore they aren’t needed for every lesson. They help students answer the question: How am I
doing?
Success criteria framing
When deciding how to frame success criteria, think about how the learning aims will be achieved
(e.g., by knowing and using rules, a procedure, a list of key features, or a combination of these).
Write these down and group them into different components of the task.
Success criteria communication
Success criteria can be shared alongside the learning aim. This will help students develop a sense
of “Where am I going?” and connect it to “How am I doing?” They can link what is expected to a
specific learning goal. Success criteria can also be shared in conjunction with a worked example.
This helps students understand expectations through a representation.
When drawing students’ attention to success criteria, pause and give them time to process; they
could verbalise their understanding with a partner or by themselves. Ensure students have access
to the success criteria during the learning process (e.g., by providing them with copies, referencing
to the success criteria regularly during lessons, providing reflective tasks related to the success
criteria).
Things to consider
The age of your students
Potential of co-constructing success criteria with students
The level of prior knowledge your students have
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