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Measurable annual goal

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A measurable annual goal is an IEP goal written so that two different people could observe the student and agree on whether it was met.

Topic: The IEP document

In plain terms

A goal is measurable when it says who will do what, under what conditions, how well, and how it will be checked. "Will improve reading" is not measurable. "Given a second-grade passage, will read 70 words correct per minute on two of three weekly probes" is. The target should come from a baseline and be ambitious but reachable in a year.

How it shows up in an IEP

IDEA requires measurable annual goals and a description of how progress toward them will be measured. Measurability is what lets a teacher pick the right data sheet, a parent read a progress report, and a team decide whether the student is on track.

Example

The vague goal "will improve behavior in class" becomes: "During 30-minute independent work periods, the student will remain on task for at least 80% of 1-minute intervals across 4 of 5 days, measured by momentary time sampling."

The rule

Federal reference: 34 CFR §300.320(a)(2)(i), 34 CFR §300.320(a)(3).

Related terms

  • Annual goalAn annual goal is a statement in the IEP of what the student is expected to achieve within one year in an area of need.
  • 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.
  • Condition (in a goal)The condition in an IEP goal describes the circumstances under which the student will perform the skill, such as materials, setting or level of support.
  • CriterionThe criterion in an IEP goal is the level of performance that counts as success, such as 80% accuracy, 60 words per minute, or 4 of 5 opportunities.
  • Operational definitionAn operational definition describes a behavior in observable, measurable terms, so different people would agree on whether it happened.
  • Mastery criteriaMastery criteria state how consistently a student must reach a goal's criterion, such as on three consecutive probes, before the goal counts as met.

On IEP Atlas

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