The Milestone for Grit and Resilience was previously associated with the Leadership Milestone and was principally developed by a national working group -- a team of faculty and staff from different law schools. These resources were developed by the working group and reviewed by the Holloran Center. A PDF of the Milestone can be found to the right, alongside a bibliography of sources that contains scholarship on developing Grit and Resilience and ideas for classroom implementation.
Grit and Resilience Milestone
Grit is passion and perseverance for a long-term or important goal; it includes the characteristics of purpose, achievement-orientation, perseverance, conscientiousness, and resilience. Resilience is the capacity to recover quickly from challenges by maintaining a forward-looking perspective and adapting to changed circumstances. Grit and resilience can be cultivated and grow over time.
| Sub-Competencies | Novice Learner | Intermediate Learner | Competent Learner | Exceptional Learner |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1. Can identify and articulate a goal | Rarely acknowledges a goal or task they hope to complete. |
Sometimes acknowledges a goal or task they hope to complete. |
Often acknowledges a goal or task they hope to complete. |
Consistently acknowledges a goal or task they hope to complete. |
| 2. Perseveres toward a goal | Rarely persists in taking steps necessary toward achieving a goal or completing a task. |
Sometimes persists in taking steps necessary toward achieving a goal or completing a task. |
Often persists in taking steps necessary toward achieving a goal or completing a task. |
Consistently persists in taking steps necessary toward achieving a goal or completing a task. |
| 3. Has strong sense of purpose tied to goal | Rarely demonstrates sense of purpose and alignment between that purpose and pursuit of a goal or task. |
Sometimes demonstrates sense of purpose and alignment between that purpose and pursuit of a goal or task. |
Often demonstrates sense of purpose and alignment between that purpose and pursuit of a goal or task. |
Consistently demonstrates sense of purpose and alignment between that purpose and pursuit of a goal or task. |
| 4. Maintains focused effort | Rarely maintains focused effort and prioritizes time to do what is necessary to achieve a goal or complete a task. | Sometimes maintains focused effort and prioritizes time to do what is necessary to achieve a goal or complete a task. | Often maintains focused effort and prioritizes time to do what is necessary to achieve a goal or complete a task. |
Consistently maintains focused effort and prioritizes time to do what is necessary to achieve a goal or complete a task. |
| 5. Recovers quickly from a setback or failure | Rarely demonstrates forward-moving perspective and adapts after experiencing a setback, failure, or criticism. | Sometimes demonstrates forward-moving perspective and adapts after experiencing a setback, failure, or criticism. | Often demonstrates forward-moving perspective and adapts after experiencing a setback, failure, or criticism. | Consistently demonstrates forward-moving perspective and adapts after experiencing a setback, failure, or criticism. |