Well-written and well-conceived program objectives guide your evaluation plan; they indicate what will be measured to track program impact. SMART objectives are Specific, Measurable, Achievable, Realistic and Time-phased.
Specific: Who? (Target population / Persons doing the activity) What? (Action / Activity)
Measurable: How much change is expected
Achievable: Can be realistically accomplished given current resources and constraints
Realistic: Addresses the scope of the problem and proposes reasonable programmatic solution
Time-phased: Provides a timeline indicating when the objective will be met
Example
Not SMART: All students will attend the new class on nutrition and physical activity and will pass the quiz at the end of class.
SMART: Over the next 18 months, 80% of overweight and obese students at My Middle School will participate in the new 2-hour class on improving nutrition and increasing physical activity, and 80% will record scores of 80% or higher on the quiz at the end of the class.