Snip paper with scissors using a thumbs-up grip
When to use this goal
For students at the earliest stage of scissor use: those who hold scissors with the thumb down, use two hands to open the blades, or cannot yet open and close the blades on paper. Base the choice on present levels in cutting tasks; typical ages for snipping range widely.
- Baseline
- Offer the scissors and watch which hand and which grip the student chooses before correcting anything. Record whether the blades open fully, whether the elbow stays near the body, and whether the thumb points up. Try both standard and spring-loaded scissors and note which produced snips.
- Tips
- Fringe-cutting crafts give many natural trials. Switch from adult-held to student-held paper only after snipping is steady, since holding the paper adds a bilateral demand that belongs in the next goal.
- Limits
- Snipping does not predict cutting on a line; write a separate goal once the student can snip. Left-handed students need left-handed scissors or the blade orientation hides the line and the data will understate skill.
Original IEP Atlas template based on general measurement principles; not copied from any goal bank. ID mt-fm-003.
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Goal
By the annual IEP review date, given child-sized scissors and a strip of card stock held by an adult, the student will hold the scissors with the thumb up and make five single snips along the edge of the strip with the adult holding the paper in at least 4 of 5 trials, across 3 consecutive sessions, as measured by opportunity-by-opportunity data collected weekly during craft or OT time.
Baseline: 1 of 5 opportunities.
- Condition
- Observable behavior
- Criterion
- Measurement method
Measurability check11 of 11 met
Met: Observable behavior. Stated as an action.
Met: Condition. Stated.
Met: Unit fits the behavior. Opportunities fits this behavior.
Met: Explicit criterion. Number and unit stated.
Met: Mastery rule and schedule. Both stated.
Met: Method produces the metric. Opportunity (trial) recording gives opportunities data.
Met: Review timeframe. Stated.
Met: Baseline and target compatible. Same unit, change in the right direction.
Met: Aligned with area of need. Still about Fine Motor Skills.
Met: Level of support. Defined.
Met: Blanks filled in. Nothing left to fill in.
Checks structure and wording only. Whether the goal fits the student is the team's call.
Short-term objectives (optional)
When are objectives required?Required for students on alternate assessments (34 CFR §300.320(a)(2)(ii)); some states require them for everyone.
Paste into your IEP system
Most district systems have a separate box for each part of a goal. Copy them one at a time, or all at once as labeled text.
- Area of need
- Motor & Sensory Skills (OT, PT & Adapted PE) - Fine Motor Skills
- Baseline
- 1 of 5 opportunities.
- Annual goal389 characters
- By the annual IEP review date, given child-sized scissors and a strip of card stock held by an adult, the student will hold the scissors with the thumb up and make five single snips along the edge of the strip with the adult holding the paper in at least 4 of 5 trials, across 3 consecutive sessions, as measured by opportunity-by-opportunity data collected weekly during craft or OT time.
- Timeframe
- By the annual IEP review date
- Condition
- Given child-sized scissors and a strip of card stock held by an adult
- Behavior
- The student will hold the scissors with the thumb up and make five single snips along the edge of the strip with the adult holding the paper
- Criteria
- In at least 4 of 5 trials, across 3 consecutive sessions
- Evaluation method
- Opportunity-by-opportunity data
- Schedule
- Weekly during craft or OT time
Copied as plain text, with straight quotes and plain dashes.
Matching data sheet
Opportunity tracker. One box per opportunity in each session.
Opportunity tracker
Opportunities- Student label:
- Target:
- in at least 4 of 5 trials
- Mastery rule:
- across 3 consecutive sessions
- Collection schedule:
- weekly during craft or OT time
- Method:
- Opportunity (trial) recording
- Data collector:
Goal: By the annual IEP review date, given child-sized scissors and a strip of card stock held by an adult, the student will hold the scissors with the thumb up and make five single snips along the edge of the strip with the adult holding the paper in at least 4 of 5 trials, across 3 consecutive sessions, as measured by opportunity-by-opportunity data collected weekly during craft or OT time.
Key: + demonstrated independently · P demonstrated with a prompt (note type) · − not demonstrated · NA no opportunity occurred
| Date | Activity / context | 1 | 2 | 3 | 4 | 5 | # + (of 5) | Notes |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
Preview shows 4 of 12 rows.
- Record up to 5 opportunities per session, matching the goal's denominator.
- Define in advance what counts as an opportunity so every data collector records the same thing.
- Count only + marks toward the criterion unless the goal specifies prompted responses.
The CSV opens in Excel or Google Sheets, with formulas. Sheets print blank; no student data is stored.