Early literacy IEP goals for preschool

By the IEP Atlas editorial teamLast updated November 1, 2026

Short answer

A preschool early literacy IEP goal targets one emergent skill, such as handling a book, finding print, naming letters, hearing rhymes or answering story questions. Name the activity, the skill, the response mode and a count. For example: during shared reading, the child will point to the words instead of the picture when asked in 8 of 10 requests.

Early literacy goals for preschool are not about reading words. They target the skills that come before: knowing how books work, noticing print, learning letters, hearing the sounds in spoken words and talking about stories. The National Early Literacy Panel found that alphabet knowledge, phonological awareness and writing one's own name were among the early skills linked to later reading.^[1]

The 20 goals below are grouped by skill. Every baseline is an illustration of the format, not a norm for any age. For the kindergarten version, see kindergarten reading IEP goals. For writing the name, see name writing IEP goals. The preschool IEP goals pillar covers the other areas.

How to choose an early literacy goal

Watch the child during 2 shared reading sessions and 1 center time, and give a short letter and rhyme probe. Then find the matching row.

What you see	Skill to target	How to measure	Template
Holds books upside down, flips many pages at once	Book handling	Steps done correctly out of steps observed	Handle a book front to back
Points at pictures when asked "where are the words?"	Print concepts	Percent accuracy on print probes	Point to the words, not the picture
Knows few or no letters, including in their name	Letter knowledge	Letters named or pointed to out of a set	Point to a named letter
Does not notice rhymes or join in rhyming books	Phonological awareness	Correct responses out of items	Pick the picture that rhymes
Listens to stories but cannot answer simple questions	Story talk and vocabulary	Correct answers out of questions	Answer a question about the story

Choose response modes the child can use. A child who does not speak can point, eye gaze, use a switch or a device. The skill is the knowledge, not the speech.

Worked example: Nia's letters

Nia is 4 years 5 months old. Her teacher gave a letter probe in October: 26 uppercase letter cards shown in random order, asking "What letter?" and, for letters missed, "Show me ___" from a field of 3. Nia named 3 letters (N, I, A, the letters in her name) and pointed correctly to 6 more.

Her teacher repeated the probe twice more that week: 3, 4 and 3 letters named. The team wrote a receptive goal first, because pointing was ahead of naming: "Given a field of 4 uppercase letters, Nia will point to the letter named by the adult for 15 of 26 letters across 2 consecutive probes." They planned to add a naming goal at the midyear review. The accuracy data sheet has room for all 26 letters, so the team could see which ones were growing.

Book handling and print concept goals

#	Goal	Baseline (illustrative)	Template
1	During book choice time, the child will hold a book upright, open it from the front and turn pages one at a time in 4 of 5 opportunities.	1 of 5	rd-pc-001
2	During shared reading, the child will turn the page when the adult finishes reading it in 8 of 10 pages.	3 of 10	rd-pc-002
3	During shared reading, when asked "Where are the words?", the child will point to the print instead of the picture in 8 of 10 requests.	2 of 10	rd-pc-004
4	Given a familiar picture book, the child will find the title on the cover when asked in 4 of 5 books.	0 of 5	rd-pc-011
5	During a big book reading, the child will show where to start reading on the page in 4 of 5 pages.	Points at random	rd-pc-003
6	Around the classroom, the child will show where the print is on everyday items (cereal box, sign, label) in 4 of 5 items.	1 of 5	rd-pc-020

Weak: "Jaden will improve concepts of print."

Measurable: "During shared reading, when asked 'Where are the words?', Jaden will point to the print instead of the picture in 8 of 10 requests."

The library has more templates on the print concepts goals page.

Letter knowledge goals

#	Goal	Baseline (illustrative)	Template
7	Given a field of 4 uppercase letters, the child will point to the letter named by the adult for 15 of 26 letters across 2 consecutive probes.	9 of 26	rd-let-001
8	Given the letters of their first name on cards, the child will name each letter in 2 of 2 consecutive probes.	1 of 4 letters	rd-let-006
9	Shown uppercase letters in random order, the child will name 12 of 26 letters across 2 consecutive probes.	3 of 26	rd-let-002
10	Given a mixed set of 10 cards, the child will sort letters from numbers and shapes with no more than 1 error in 4 of 5 sessions.	4 errors	rd-let-007
11	During a letter song game, the child will say the sound for the letter shown when the song stops for 6 of 10 letters taught.	1 of 10	rd-let-023

Goal 8 uses the child's own name because it is the most familiar print they see. Name letters are often the first ones a child learns.

Weak: "Nia will learn her letters."

Measurable: "Given a field of 4 uppercase letters, Nia will point to the letter named by the adult for 15 of 26 letters across 2 consecutive probes."

Rhyme and sound awareness goals

These are listening skills. No print is needed, and they work well in songs and games. For older children, see phonemic awareness IEP goals.

#	Goal	Baseline (illustrative)	Template
12	Given a spoken word and 3 pictures, the child will pick the picture that rhymes in 8 of 10 items across 2 sessions.	3 of 10	rd-pa-010
13	During a predictable rhyming book, the child will supply the missing rhyming word at the pause in 4 of 5 pauses.	1 of 5	rd-pa-018
14	Given a spoken word split into syllables (such as "ba...na...na"), the child will blend and say or point to the word in 8 of 10 items.	2 of 10	rd-pa-009
15	Given a spoken sentence of 3 to 4 words, the child will move a block for each word in 4 of 5 sentences.	Moves blocks at random	rd-pa-007
16	Given 6 pictures, the child will sort them by 2 beginning sounds (such as /m/ and /s/) with no more than 1 error in 3 of 4 sessions.	3 errors	rd-pa-011

Weak: "Leo will develop phonological awareness."

Measurable: "Given a spoken word and 3 pictures, Leo will pick the picture that rhymes in 8 of 10 items across 2 sessions."

See the phonological awareness goals page for more templates.

Story talk and early writing goals

#	Goal	Baseline (illustrative)	Template
17	After a story at circle, the child will answer a who or what question about it, using a word, sign or picture choice of 3, in 4 of 5 questions.	1 of 5	fn-pk-023
18	Given a familiar book, the child will pretend-read it page by page, telling what happens on each page, for at least 4 pages in 3 of 4 opportunities.	Flips through in 10 seconds	rd-pc-021
19	During shared reading with an AAC device, the child will answer a print question (such as "Is this the first page?") in 4 of 5 questions.	1 of 5	rd-pc-016
20	During art or sign-in, the child will write or stamp their first name on their own work in 4 of 5 opportunities.	Scribbles a mark	fn-pk-045

Weak: "Ava will improve comprehension."

Measurable: "After a story at circle, Ava will answer a who or what question about it, using a word, sign or picture choice of 3, in 4 of 5 questions."

How to measure early literacy goals

Letter goals (7 to 11): a fixed set of letter cards, shown in a new random order each probe. Mark each letter so you can see which ones are learned. Use the accuracy data sheet.
Print and book goals (1 to 6, 18): probe during real shared reading, 5 to 10 questions per session.
Sound awareness goals (12 to 16): 10 items per probe, using pictures the child already knows by name.
Story and writing goals (17, 19, 20): count chances and responses during the routine. Keep a dated work sample for goal 20.

Probe 1 to 2 times a week, with new items or a new order each time. If the child answers the same 10 rhyme items every week, they may learn the items instead of the skill.

Short-term objectives for a letter goal

For goal 9 (naming uppercase letters), objectives could read:

By December, the child will name the letters in their first name plus 2 more, 6 of 26, across 2 probes.
By March, the child will name 9 of 26 uppercase letters across 2 probes.
By May, the child will name 12 of 26 uppercase letters across 2 probes.

Adapting by age and support level

Level	Focus	Example change to goal 9
Age 3	Book handling, name, rhyming songs	"Point to the first letter of their name among 3 letters"
Age 4	Letters in name, receptive letters, rhyme	"Point to 15 of 26 named letters in a field of 4"
Age 5, heading to kindergarten	Naming letters, first sounds	"Name 18 of 26 uppercase letters and say 6 letter sounds"
Uses AAC or eye gaze	Same skills, different response	"Select a named letter with eye gaze from a field of 4" (rd-let-020)

The Division for Early Childhood recommends teaching these skills inside everyday routines like shared reading, songs and sign-in.^[2] For classroom routine goals that pair with these, see school readiness IEP goals. For the move from early intervention, see moving from early intervention to a preschool IEP. Paste each draft into the goal checker.

Frequently asked questions

What are early literacy IEP goals for preschool?

They target skills that come before reading words: handling books, noticing print, learning letters, hearing rhymes and sounds in spoken words, and talking about stories. Each goal names the activity, the skill and how it will be counted.

How many letters should a preschooler know for an IEP goal?

Set the target from the child's own baseline and expected growth, not a fixed number. A child who points to 9 letters in October might aim for 15 by spring. Probe all 26 letters so the data shows which ones are learned.

Can a nonspeaking preschooler have early literacy goals?

Yes. The child can show letter and print knowledge by pointing, eye gaze, a switch or an AAC device. Write the response mode into the goal so the data measures the literacy skill, not speech.

Use it in IEP Atlas

Sources

Developing Early Literacy: Report of the National Early Literacy Panel (2008), National Institute for Literacy
DEC Recommended Practices, Division for Early Childhood, Council for Exceptional Children

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.