Maintenance probes after mastery

By the IEP Atlas editorial teamLast updated November 1, 2026

Short answer

Maintenance data show whether a mastered skill holds once teaching stops. After a student meets the mastery criterion, probe the skill with no teaching at 1, 2, 4 and 8 weeks. Set a keep rule before you start, such as staying within 10 points of the mastery level. If a probe falls below it, reteach briefly and restart the schedule.

Maintenance data are probes of a skill after the student has met the mastery criterion and direct teaching has stopped. They answer one question: is the skill still there? A student who read 45 of 50 sight words in October and 31 in February did not keep the skill, and only a maintenance probe will catch that before the annual review.

Mastery and maintenance are different claims. Mastery means the student met the criterion while the skill was being taught. Maintenance means the skill held after teaching moved on. The core practices that the Council for Exceptional Children and the CEEDAR Center publish for special educators include teaching students to keep new learning over time.^[1] For the data methods that come before mastery, see the IEP data collection pillar.

What you need before you start

A mastered skill with a clear criterion. The mastery criteria should already be written, such as "9 of 10 on 3 consecutive probes." See the guide to IEP mastery criteria if the goal's rule is vague.
The mastery-level score. Use the median of the last three teaching probes, not the best day.
A probe that matches the goal. Same materials, same measure, same level of help. A probe in a new format is a generalization check, not a maintenance check.
A calendar. The schedule thins out over time, so put the dates in now or they will slip.

Step by step

Step 1: Record the mastery level and date

Write the date mastery was met and the median of the last three probes at the top of the maintenance sheet. Every later probe is compared with that number.

Example: "Multiplication facts 0 to 5, mastered 10/14. Median of last 3 probes: 38 digits correct in 2 minutes."

Step 2: Write the keep rule

Decide before the first probe what counts as maintained. A common rule is staying within 10 percent of the mastery level, or at or above the goal's criterion. Pick one and write it down.

Example: "Maintained if the probe is 34 digits correct or more (about 90% of 38)."

Step 3: Set a thinning schedule

Probe at 1 week, 2 weeks, 4 weeks and 8 weeks after mastery. After that, probe once a grading period until the annual review. Thinning matches the question: if the skill lasts 8 weeks without teaching, it probably does not need weekly checks.

Example: probes on 10/21, 10/28, 11/11 and 12/9, then once in each grading period.

Step 4: Probe without teaching

Give the probe cold: no warm-up, no review of the skill that day, and no feedback during the probe. Score it the same way as during teaching. A probe after a review lesson measures the review, not the memory.

Example: the fact probe is given first thing Monday, before math, with no fact practice that morning.

Step 5: Apply the rule and act

If the probe meets the keep rule, move to the next date. If it falls below, give a short booster, usually 2 or 3 brief sessions, then probe again within a week. If the skill falls below the rule twice in a row, the team should treat it as not yet mastered and bring it back into regular teaching.

Example: a probe of 31 digits correct falls below 34, so the student gets three 5-minute fact sessions that week and a probe the following Monday.

Step 6: Report it

Put the maintenance result in the progress report next to the goal it came from. Parents read "mastered" as "done." A line like "still at 37 digits correct 8 weeks after teaching ended" shows the skill is kept.

Time each step takes

Step	Time	How often
Record mastery level and date	2 minutes	Once per mastered skill
Write the keep rule	3 minutes	Once
Set the thinning schedule	5 minutes	Once
Run one probe	1 to 5 minutes for most academic skills	4 times in 8 weeks, then once per grading period
Apply the rule	1 minute	After each probe
Booster sessions if needed	5 to 10 minutes each, 2 or 3 sessions	Only after a missed probe
Report the result	2 minutes	Each progress report

Worked example: Priya's sight words

Priya is a fictional second grader. Her objective: read 45 of 50 first-grade high-frequency words within 3 seconds each on 3 consecutive weekly probes. She met it on 10/3 with probes of 46, 47 and 46. Her mastery level is 46.

Her teacher sets the keep rule at 42 or more (about 90% of 46, rounded up) and the schedule at 1, 2, 4 and 8 weeks. Teaching moves on to the second-grade list.

Date	Weeks after mastery	Words read in 3 seconds	Keep rule (42+)	Action
10/10	1	46	Met	Next probe in 1 week
10/17	2	44	Met	Next probe in 2 weeks
10/31	4	40	Not met	Booster: 3 sessions of 5 minutes
11/7	5	45	Met	Restart: next probe in 2 weeks
11/21	7	45	Met	Next probe in 4 weeks
12/19	11	44	Met	Once per grading period

The 10/31 dip came after a week out sick. Her teacher looked at which words she missed: 5 of the 6 misses were words with silent letters, such as "know" and "write." The booster targeted those words only. Priya was back above the rule a week later and stayed there. Her January report reads: "Priya still reads 44 of 50 first-grade words within 3 seconds, 11 weeks after teaching ended."

Common mistakes

Weak: probing the day after a review lesson. Better: probe cold, before any practice of that skill that day.
Weak: deciding after the probe whether 40 is "close enough." Better: write the keep rule before the first probe, so the decision is not a judgment call.
Weak: dropping a mastered goal from all data collection. Better: keep it on a thinning schedule through the annual review.
Weak: reteaching the whole skill after one low probe. Better: look at the errors and give a short booster on what was missed.
Weak: reporting "mastered" with no date. Better: report the mastery date and the latest maintenance probe.

Maintenance data and extended school year

Maintenance probes are also useful evidence when a team considers extended school year services. Federal rules require ESY only when the IEP team decides it is needed for a free appropriate public education, Standards for that decision differ by state, and many look at regression and recoupment.^[2] Probes before and after long breaks give the team real numbers instead of memories. The guide to ESY vs summer school explains the difference.

The IEP must say how progress is measured and when it is reported.^[3] Maintenance results fit inside that same reporting cycle. For whether a skill also transfers to new settings and people, use generalization probes. For what "mastered" means to a parent reading the report, see what mastery means on a progress report. Keep the probes on the same data sheet as the teaching data; the free IEP data sheets and the glossary entry on the goal criterion help match them.

Frequently asked questions

How often should I probe a mastered IEP goal?

A thinning schedule works well: 1, 2, 4 and 8 weeks after mastery, then once per grading period until the annual review. Restart the schedule after any booster.

What if a student fails a maintenance probe?

Look at the errors and give a short booster, often 2 or 3 brief sessions, then probe again within a week. If the skill misses the keep rule twice in a row, bring it back into regular teaching.

What is the difference between maintenance and generalization?

Maintenance asks whether a skill lasts over time in the same conditions. Generalization asks whether it shows up in new settings, with new people or with new materials. Probe each one separately.

Use it in IEP Atlas

Sources

High-Leverage Practices for Students with Disabilities, Council for Exceptional Children and CEEDAR Center
34 CFR §300.106: Extended school year services, Legal Information Institute, Cornell Law School
34 CFR §300.320: Definition of individualized education program, Legal Information Institute, Cornell Law School

Written and checked by the IEP Atlas editorial team under our editorial policy. This guide describes general practice and federal rules. It is not legal advice; your state may add requirements, and the IEP team makes the decisions for each student.