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Goal line (aimline)

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A goal line is a line on a progress graph drawn from the baseline to the annual target, showing the rate of growth needed to meet the goal.

Topic: Evaluation and assessment

In plain terms

The goal line, also called an aimline, starts at the baseline score on the first week and ends at the goal score on the goal date. Each new data point is plotted against it. Points above the line mean the student is ahead of pace; points below mean the student is behind. A trend line through the actual data can be compared with the goal line too.

How it shows up in an IEP

Goal lines turn progress data into decisions. A common rule is that four consecutive points below the goal line mean the teacher should change instruction, while points consistently above it may mean the goal should be raised.

Example

A baseline of 30 words correct per minute in September and a target of 66 by June means a goal line rising about one word per week. After four weeks below it, the teacher adds a repeated reading routine.

Related terms

  • Progress monitoringProgress monitoring is the regular, repeated measurement of a student's performance on a skill to check whether instruction is working.
  • BaselineA baseline is a student's measured performance on a skill before instruction toward a new goal begins, used as the goal's starting point.
  • Curriculum-based measurement (CBM)Curriculum-based measurement is a set of brief, standardized, timed probes that measure a general skill, such as reading or math, to track growth over time.
  • Benchmark (IEP)In an IEP, a benchmark is an expected level of performance at a set point in the year, marking progress toward an annual goal.
  • Progress report (IEP)An IEP progress report tells parents, on a schedule stated in the IEP, how much progress the student is making toward each annual goal.

On IEP Atlas

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