Standards-based IEP
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A standards-based IEP connects a student's present levels and goals to the grade-level academic standards that all students in the state are expected to learn.
Topic: The IEP document
In plain terms
In a standards-based IEP, the team starts from the grade-level standard, identifies the skills the student is missing to reach it, and writes goals that close that gap. The goal does not have to be the standard itself; it can target a prerequisite skill, as long as the connection to grade-level work is clear. Many states require or encourage this approach.
How it shows up in an IEP
Standards-based goals keep the IEP connected to the general curriculum, which IDEA requires the team to consider. Teachers should still write the goal measurably, with a baseline and a criterion, rather than copying the standard's wording.
Example
A sixth-grade standard asks students to cite text evidence. The student cannot yet find the sentence that answers a question, so the goal targets locating supporting sentences in a sixth-grade passage.
The rule
Rules vary by state. Check your state's regulations and your district's procedures.
Related terms
- Measurable annual goalA measurable annual goal is an IEP goal written so that two different people could observe the student and agree on whether it was met.
- PLAAFP (present levels of academic achievement and functional performance)The PLAAFP is the IEP section that describes how a student is currently doing in school and how the disability affects progress in the general curriculum.
- Alternate academic achievement standardsAlternate achievement standards are less complex expectations, linked to grade-level content, for students with the most significant cognitive disabilities.
- Functional goalA functional goal targets the everyday skills a student needs at school, at home and in the community, outside academic subjects.
- Specially designed instruction (SDI)Specially designed instruction is teaching adapted in content, method or delivery to meet a student's disability-related needs.
On IEP Atlas
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