Talk about past and future events
When to use this goal
For young students whose talk is almost all about what is in front of them. Talking about things that are not here (yesterday's trip, what will happen after lunch) is a key step for later narrative and literacy. Base the choice on a language sample showing few such utterances.
- Baseline
- Record two or three 15-minute samples and mark each utterance as about the here and now or about another time or place. Count the second group. Ask the family for one or two recent events to talk about so adults can prompt meaningfully.
- Tips
- Count each spontaneous or prompted utterance about a past or future event; one word counts if its meaning is clearly about another time. Family photos sent to school (or school photos sent home) make this natural. Adults should comment on past and future events often during the day.
- Limits
- Counts depend on adult talk and photos available; keep them similar across samples. The goal does not measure past-tense grammar or the order of events. Adults need to know what happened to judge the utterance.
Original IEP Atlas template based on general measurement principles; not copied from any goal bank. ID sl-exp-047.
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Goal
By the annual IEP review date, during a 15-minute play or snack time with an adult who comments on past and upcoming events, the student will produce utterances about an event that is not happening now (something that happened before or will happen later) using speech, sign, or their device independently at least 5 times per 15-minute activity, across 3 consecutive weekly samples, as measured by frequency recording collected weekly.
Baseline: 1 times per 15-minute activity.
- 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. Frequency fits this behavior.
Met: Explicit criterion. Number and unit stated.
Met: Mastery rule and schedule. Both stated.
Met: Method produces the metric. Frequency (event) recording gives frequency 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 Expressive Language.
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
- Speech & Language - Expressive Language
- Baseline
- 1 times per 15-minute activity.
- Annual goal436 characters
- By the annual IEP review date, during a 15-minute play or snack time with an adult who comments on past and upcoming events, the student will produce utterances about an event that is not happening now (something that happened before or will happen later) using speech, sign, or their device independently at least 5 times per 15-minute activity, across 3 consecutive weekly samples, as measured by frequency recording collected weekly.
- Timeframe
- By the annual IEP review date
- Condition
- During a 15-minute play or snack time with an adult who comments on past and upcoming events
- Behavior
- The student will produce utterances about an event that is not happening now (something that happened before or will happen later) using speech, sign, or their device independently
- Criteria
- At least 5 times per 15-minute activity, across 3 consecutive weekly samples
- Evaluation method
- Frequency recording
- Schedule
- Weekly
Copied as plain text, with straight quotes and plain dashes.
Matching data sheet
Frequency & rate tracker. Records the count and the observation length.
Frequency & rate tracker
Frequency- Student label:
- Target:
- at least 5 times per 15-minute activity
- Mastery rule:
- across 3 consecutive weekly samples
- Collection schedule:
- weekly
- Method:
- Frequency (event) recording
- Data collector:
Goal: By the annual IEP review date, during a 15-minute play or snack time with an adult who comments on past and upcoming events, the student will produce utterances about an event that is not happening now (something that happened before or will happen later) using speech, sign, or their device independently at least 5 times per 15-minute activity, across 3 consecutive weekly samples, as measured by frequency recording collected weekly.
| Date | Observation period (start–end) | Minutes observed | Activity / context | Count (tally) | Rate per minutecount ÷ minutes (only if periods vary) | Notes |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
Preview shows 4 of 12 rows.
- Count each occurrence of the defined behavior per 15-minute activity.
- Keep the observation length the same each session. If it varies, compare rate per minute, not raw counts.
- Write the behavior definition at the top of the sheet so all data collectors count the same thing.
The CSV opens in Excel or Google Sheets, with formulas. Sheets print blank; no student data is stored.