If we sat down right now and discussed goals for the upcoming year, what would they be?

Sample Answer: My biggest goals for the year are to prepare my students to meet their core competencies by the end of the year.  I believe that every teacher should set a goal of recognizing where individual students are struggling and then finding a way to get each student up to speed with where they need to be.  I also believe that students should demonstrate the ability to perform at grade level before going on to the next grade.  It is my intent to have all my students reach their goals before being promoted to the next level in school.  I also want to make sure that my students are in school and ready to learn every day, and have plans of implementing an attendance incentive to encourage them to come to school.

Tip: All school districts have goals that must be met in order to qualify for federal funding dollars. School districts and interviewers want to see that you are on board with their goals, and under the No Child Left Behind Act, those goals are similar.  Each child should be able to demonstrate the core competencies for their grade level.  If they don’t, schools lose money.