Assessing residents' written learning goals and goal writing skill: validity evidence for the learning goal scoring rubric.

Purpose: To provide validity evidence for use of the Learning Goal Scoring Rubric to assess the quality of written learning goals and residents' goal writing skills.

Method: This two-part study used the rubric to assess University of Colorado third-year pediatric residents' written learning goals to obtain validity evidence. In study 1, five raters independently scored 48 goals written in 2010-2011 and 2011-2012 by 48 residents, who also responded to the Jefferson Scale of Physician Lifelong Learning (JeffSPLL).