Page 11 - Special Education One Sheets

Best Practices for IEP Goal Writing

Every IEP must include a statement of measurable annual goals, including academic and functional goals,
designed to (1) meet the child’s needs that result from the child’s disability, to enable the child to be involved in and
make progress in the general education curriculum, and (2) meet the child’s other educational needs that result
from the child’s disability. Additionally, for students taking alternative assessments aligned to alternate academic
achievement standards, the IEP must contain a description of benchmarks or short-term objectives. (34 C.F.R.
§ 300.320.)

5 Key Components of IEP Goals
1 Include an objectively measurable baseline.

> Baseline must be consistent with present levels of performance.
> Be specific about the student’s current level of functioning in the area to be addressed.
> Use the same baseline as the skills in the goal but at a different accuracy.

2 Identify the specific skill/behavior to be achieved.

> The parent should know what skill acquisition/improvement is expected from the student at the end of
year.
> Avoid subjective, vague, or undefined terms.

3 Identify any underlying conditions.

> Identify any circumstances under which the behavior will occur.
> Ex: “When given a passage at the 3rd grade reading level, Student will identify the main idea and two
supporting details with 80% accuracy in 4/5 trials.”
4 State the evaluation criteria.

> Each goal should state (1) how well and (2) over what period of time the student must perform the goal.

5 Include a measurement tool.

> How will the goal be measured?
> Ex: observations, data collection, student work samples, etc.

By (date)
IEP Goal Formula as measured by (how you will measure).
+
(Student’s Name) will
+
(skill/behavior being measured) with
+
(percentage/fraction of accuracy) over
+
(period of time/number of trials)
+
=

Best Practices for IEP Goal Writing Measurable and Defensible Goal LozanoSmith.com