Use a chosen fluency-shaping strategy in structured speaking tasks
Live goal preview
By the annual IEP review date, during 10 structured speaking turns with the SLP (e.g., saying sentences, answering questions, or reading aloud), the student will use their chosen fluency-shaping strategy (e.g., easy onset or light articulatory contact) at the start of the speaking turn independently in at least 8 of 10 opportunities, across 3 consecutive therapy sessions, as measured by opportunity-by-opportunity data collected during each therapy session.
Baseline: 3 of 10 opportunities.
- 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. Opportunities 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 opportunities 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 Speech Fluency (Stuttering).
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 who stutter and who, with the SLP, have chosen to practice a speech strategy such as easy onset or light articulatory contact. Present levels, the SLP's fluency evaluation, and the student's own goals, not grade, decide fit. Strategy use is a tool the student chooses, not a requirement to sound fluent.
- Baseline considerations
- After teaching the strategy, record 10 structured speaking turns and note whether the strategy was used as taught. Ask the student which strategy feels most useful and in which situations they want to use it.
- Usage notes
- Each structured speaking turn is one opportunity. Score correct when the SLP observes the strategy as it was taught (for easy onset, a gentle, gradual start of voicing; for light contact, reduced pressure on the first sound), regardless of whether stuttering occurs elsewhere in the turn. Stuttering is not scored as an error. The student and SLP choose the strategy together.
- Known limitations
- Stuttering varies by situation, listener, and day, so structured-task performance does not predict speech in other settings. Strategy use, communication attitudes, and participation are the targets, chosen with the student; this goal does not make fluent speech or zero stuttering the measure. The template does not diagnose.
- Source
- Original IEP Atlas draft (AI-assisted) based on general measurement principles; not copied from any goal bank. Template ID
sl-flu-001.
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.
Matching data sheet
Opportunity tracker. Your goal counts opportunities, so the sheet has one box per opportunity in each session.
Opportunity tracker
Opportunities- Student label:
- Target:
- in at least 8 of 10 opportunities
- Mastery rule:
- across 3 consecutive therapy sessions
- Collection schedule:
- during each therapy session
- Method:
- Opportunity (trial) recording
- Data collector:
Goal: By the annual IEP review date, during 10 structured speaking turns with the SLP (e.g., saying sentences, answering questions, or reading aloud), the student will use their chosen fluency-shaping strategy (e.g., easy onset or light articulatory contact) at the start of the speaking turn independently in at least 8 of 10 opportunities, across 3 consecutive therapy sessions, as measured by opportunity-by-opportunity data collected during each therapy session.
Key: + demonstrated independently · P demonstrated with a prompt (note type) · − not demonstrated · NA no opportunity occurred
| Date | Activity / context | 1 | 2 | 3 | 4 | 5 | 6 | 7 | 8 | 9 | 10 | # + (of 10) | Notes |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
Preview shows 4 of 12 rows.
- Record up to 10 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 for the calculated columns. Sheets are blank: IEP Atlas doesn't store student data.