Which instructional objective is written completely and correctly?

Which instructional objective is written completely and correctly?

• A. Produce a sound with tongue dorsum raised, after hearing and seeing model of /k/, and with tongue blade holding tongue tip down, over 3 consecutive trials, before proceeding to next step.
• B. Say the word 'sword' with tongue behind teeth during /s/ target production 3 consecutive times in order to receive a sword to put in the pop-up pirate.
• C. When playing Battleships, correct spontaneous production when calling hits required on 90% of turns before proceeding to practice at spontaneous sentence level.
• D. Produce /ʤ/ in syllables containing various vowels, after seeing and hearing a prior model, with accurate tongue placement required to progress to next step.

Answer: (A)

Clear instructional objectives specify exactly what the learner will do, under what conditions, and how well (the observable behavior, the setup, and the mastery criterion). In this item, the target behavior is producing the /k/ sound. The conditions are explicit: the learner must do this after hearing and seeing a model of /k/ and while using a specific articulatory cue (tongue blade holding the tongue tip down). The criterion is concrete: the behavior must be produced correctly over three consecutive trials before moving on to the next step. This combination makes the objective observable, measurable, and progression-based, so mastery can be reliably tracked. The other options don’t meet these standards as cleanly. One includes extrinsic reinforcement tied to a game, and the articulatory description is off for the target sound. Another uses an impractical context and vague requirements, making it hard to measure. The last option describes producing the sound in varied syllables after a model but lacks a clear, quantifiable criterion to determine mastery.

Clear instructional objectives specify exactly what the learner will do, under what conditions, and how well (the observable behavior, the setup, and the mastery criterion). In this item, the target behavior is producing the /k/ sound. The conditions are explicit: the learner must do this after hearing and seeing a model of /k/ and while using a specific articulatory cue (tongue blade holding the tongue tip down). The criterion is concrete: the behavior must be produced correctly over three consecutive trials before moving on to the next step. This combination makes the objective observable, measurable, and progression-based, so mastery can be reliably tracked.

The other options don’t meet these standards as cleanly. One includes extrinsic reinforcement tied to a game, and the articulatory description is off for the target sound. Another uses an impractical context and vague requirements, making it hard to measure. The last option describes producing the sound in varied syllables after a model but lacks a clear, quantifiable criterion to determine mastery.