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Produce the target sound correctly while reading aloud or retelling

Unreviewed draft3-5, 6-8Percent accuracy

Student reference

Use a generic label rather than a student's name. Review goals within your school's approved IEP system.

Current baseline

Sample numbers are illustrative. Set the baseline and target from the student's own assessment data and team judgment.

Condition

Setting, materials, or situation, such as a passage level or a work period.

Observable behavior

Something an adult can see, count, or time. Avoid “understand,” “improve,” or “know.”

Level of support

Say exactly what support counts, such as “with one verbal prompt.” Leave “independently” if none.

Criterion

Percent of attempted items answered correctly.

Measurement method

Each planned or naturally occurring opportunity is recorded as correct/independent, prompted, or not demonstrated.

Mastery rule

Timeframe and monitoring

You can type a date, such as “By May 15, 2027”.

Match the schedule to the skill. Fluency often uses weekly probes. Writing rubrics may be scored every few weeks.

Live goal preview

By the annual IEP review date, while reading aloud a short passage at their independent reading level that contains at least 20 occurrences of the target sound (e.g., /r/), the student will produce the target sound correctly while reading aloud or retelling independently with at least 85% accuracy on target-sound occurrences, across 3 consecutive weekly probes, as measured by opportunity-by-opportunity data collected weekly.

Baseline: 55% accuracy.

  • Condition
  • Observable behavior
  • Criterion
  • Measurement method

Measurability check10 of 10 met

All structural checks are met.

  • Met: Observable behavior. The behavior is stated as an action.

  • Met: Condition. The goal states when or under what conditions the behavior occurs.

  • Met: Unit fits the behavior. Percent accuracy is a reasonable way to quantify this behavior.

  • Met: Explicit criterion. The success criterion is stated with a number and unit.

  • Met: Mastery rule and schedule. Mastery rule and collection schedule are stated.

  • Met: Method produces the metric. Opportunity (trial) recording can produce percent accuracy data.

  • Met: Review timeframe. The goal includes a timeframe.

  • Met: Baseline and target compatible. Baseline and target use the same unit and show change in the intended direction.

  • Met: Aligned with area of need. The wording still relates to Articulation.

  • Met: Level of support. The level of support is defined.

What this checks: the goal's structure and wording, using fixed rules: observable behavior, condition, criterion, method, mastery rule, timeframe, baseline/target consistency, and support. It can't judge whether the goal is appropriate, ambitious enough, or legally sufficient for a particular student. That requires assessment data and the IEP team.

About this template
Level guidance
For students accurate at the sentence level who need a bridge to connected speech. Use a passage at the student's independent reading level so decoding does not interfere; for non-readers, use the retell condition. Present levels and sentence-level data, not grade, decide fit.
Baseline considerations
Record the student reading two or three passages and retelling one story, then score every occurrence of the target sound. Note whether accuracy drops near the end of a passage or on longer words.
Usage notes
Count every occurrence of the target sound in the passage or retell; score correct when the sound is produced without a substitution, omission, or distortion on the first attempt. Words the student misreads (decoding errors) are not scored. Audio recording lets the SLP score accurately and lets the student listen back.
Known limitations
Reading aloud is still a structured task; it does not show use in spontaneous conversation (see sl-art-004). Decoding difficulty can affect results, so check passage level. Retell content varies, so the number of opportunities may differ between probes.
Source
Original IEP Atlas draft (AI-assisted) based on general measurement principles; not copied from any goal bank. Template ID sl-art-003.

Short-term objectives (optional)

When are objectives required?

Federal IDEA regulations require benchmarks or short-term objectives only for students who take alternate assessments aligned to alternate academic achievement standards (34 CFR §300.320(a)(2)(ii)). Your state or district may require them more broadly.

Build objectives by

Matching data sheet

Accuracy tracker. Your goal is scored as percent correct, so the sheet records number correct and number attempted.

The CSV opens in Excel or Google Sheets with formulas for the calculated columns. Sheets are blank: IEP Atlas doesn't store student data.

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