Rate how much something hurts on a pain scale
When to use this goal
For students who can tell an adult that something hurts but cannot say how much, so adults have to guess whether to send them to the nurse or call home. Base the choice on present levels in communication and on whether the student uses numbers, faces, or colors more reliably. Any scale the student already knows works; the team picks one and uses it everywhere.
- Baseline
- During 3 to 5 practice sessions, show injury pictures and ask the student to rate each one; record whether they chose a level and whether the level was in a sensible range (a scraped knee is not rated the same as a broken arm). Log any real pain reports for two weeks and how the student described them. Ask the family how the student tells them about pain at home.
- Tips
- Score correct when the student selects a level and the level is within one step of what the nurse or teacher would expect from the situation; there is no single right answer for pain. Always believe and act on a pain report, whatever the rating. Use the same scale in the classroom, nurse office, bus, and home so the student does not have to learn several. Students who use AAC should have the scale on their device with a quick path to it.
- Limits
- Pain is personal and some students rate high or low for reasons adults cannot see; the goal measures using the scale, not the accuracy of the pain. Real injuries are unpredictable, so practice sessions carry most of the data. This goal never replaces the nurse's assessment or a health plan.
Original IEP Atlas template based on general measurement principles; not copied from any goal bank. ID se-com-025.
Sign in to add this goal to a student.
Goal
By the annual IEP review date, when they report that something hurts and an adult shows them the class pain scale (faces or numbers from 0 to 5), the student will rate how much it hurts by pointing to, saying, signing, or selecting a level on the pain scale independently in at least 4 of 5 opportunities, across 3 consecutive weeks, as measured by opportunity-by-opportunity data collected weekly during nurse practice and from any real pain reports that week.
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 Functional Communication.
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
- Social-Emotional & Communication - Functional Communication
- Baseline
- 1 of 5 opportunities.
- Annual goal461 characters
- By the annual IEP review date, when they report that something hurts and an adult shows them the class pain scale (faces or numbers from 0 to 5), the student will rate how much it hurts by pointing to, saying, signing, or selecting a level on the pain scale independently in at least 4 of 5 opportunities, across 3 consecutive weeks, as measured by opportunity-by-opportunity data collected weekly during nurse practice and from any real pain reports that week.
- Timeframe
- By the annual IEP review date
- Condition
- When they report that something hurts and an adult shows them the class pain scale (faces or numbers from 0 to 5)
- Behavior
- The student will rate how much it hurts by pointing, saying, signing, or selecting a level on the pain scale independently
- Criteria
- In at least 4 of 5 opportunities, across 3 consecutive weeks
- Evaluation method
- Opportunity-by-opportunity data
- Schedule
- Weekly during nurse practice and from any real pain reports that week
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 opportunities
- Mastery rule:
- across 3 consecutive weeks
- Collection schedule:
- weekly during nurse practice and from any real pain reports that week
- Method:
- Opportunity (trial) recording
- Data collector:
Goal: By the annual IEP review date, when they report that something hurts and an adult shows them the class pain scale (faces or numbers from 0 to 5), the student will rate how much it hurts by pointing to, saying, signing, or selecting a level on the pain scale independently in at least 4 of 5 opportunities, across 3 consecutive weeks, as measured by opportunity-by-opportunity data collected weekly during nurse practice and from any real pain reports that week.
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.