Give a listener the background needed to follow a story or event
Live goal preview
By the annual IEP review date, when telling an unfamiliar listener about a past event or a favorite game, show, or book, the student will introduce the people, place, and topic by name before using pronouns (he, she, it, they) so the listener can follow the account independently in at least 4 of 5 opportunities, across 3 consecutive weekly sessions, as measured by opportunity-by-opportunity data collected weekly.
Baseline: 1 of 5 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 Pragmatic Language.
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 whose listeners often get lost because the student starts in the middle, uses "he" or "it" before saying who or what, or assumes the listener already knows the context. Present levels, narrative samples, and the SLP's assessment, not grade, decide fit.
- Baseline considerations
- Collect 5 or more short accounts with listeners who do not know the content and record whether each one introduces people, place, and topic before pronouns. Ask a listener to report whether they could follow it.
- Usage notes
- Each account is one opportunity. Score correct when, within the first few sentences, the student names the people, place, and topic, and every pronoun has a clear referent the listener could identify. Listener questions are a natural repair and are recorded, not penalized. Accounts can be spoken, signed, typed, or generated on AAC.
- Known limitations
- Topic familiarity and excitement affect how much background the student gives. The goal does not measure the overall organization of the account (see sl-exp-004 for story grammar). Listener familiarity must be consistent across probes.
- Source
- Original IEP Atlas draft (AI-assisted) based on general measurement principles; not copied from any goal bank. Template ID
sl-prag-005.
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 4 of 5 opportunities
- Mastery rule:
- across 3 consecutive weekly sessions
- Collection schedule:
- weekly
- Method:
- Opportunity (trial) recording
- Data collector:
Goal: By the annual IEP review date, when telling an unfamiliar listener about a past event or a favorite game, show, or book, the student will introduce the people, place, and topic by name before using pronouns (he, she, it, they) so the listener can follow the account independently in at least 4 of 5 opportunities, across 3 consecutive weekly sessions, as measured by opportunity-by-opportunity data collected weekly.
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 for the calculated columns. Sheets are blank: IEP Atlas doesn't store student data.