Kindergarten reading IEP goals

Kindergarten reading follows a predictable order. A student learns how books work and what letters are, then the sounds letters make, then how to hear and blend sounds in spoken words, and then how to put it together to read a word. A reading goal works best when it targets the first step in that order that the student has not mastered.

The 20 goals below are grouped by that order. Each one has a baseline, a criterion with a denominator and a probe you can give in under 5 minutes. Baselines are illustrations of the format, not benchmarks. The broader kindergarten IEP goal examples cover math, writing, communication and routines.

How to choose a kindergarten reading goal

The federal practice guide on foundational reading recommends teaching students to hear the sounds in words, link sounds to letters and decode words, starting in kindergarten.^[1] Give a short screener, find the first gap, and write the goal there.

Check present levels first. If they say "reads at a pre-K level," take a probe before you write the goal. How to collect baseline data explains how many probes you need.

Worked example: Eli in October

Eli is 5 years 7 months old. His teacher gives 3 letter-sound probes over 2 weeks in October: 26 lowercase letters in random order, 1 minute, one point per correct sound.

The median is 7 correct sounds per minute. He knows most consonants slowly, but no short vowels. The team writes: "Given the 5 vowel letters, Eli will say the short vowel sound for each, scoring 5 of 5 on 3 consecutive weekly probes." A second goal targets speed on all 26: "Given 26 lowercase letters in random order, Eli will say the most common sound for at least 25 letters within 1 minute on 3 consecutive weekly probes." Using the reading fluency data sheet, he gets one row per probe.

Print concepts goals

Weak: "Maya will develop print awareness."

Measurable: "During shared reading of a big book, Maya will point under each word as the adult reads a 1-line sentence, matching finger to spoken word for 4 of 5 sentences."

Letter name goals

Goal 4 and goal 5 set different criteria. Lowercase letters have more look-alikes (b, d, p, q), so a slightly lower target is fair for one year when the baseline is low.

Weak: "Eli will know his letters."

Measurable: "Given 26 uppercase letters in random order, Eli will name at least 24 correctly on 3 consecutive weekly probes."

Letter sound goals

Goal 9 is receptive. It fits a student who cannot yet say sounds clearly, or who uses a device, and it still shows whether the letter-sound link is there.

Weak: "Eli will learn his letter sounds."

Measurable: "Given the 5 vowel letters, Eli will say the short vowel sound for each, scoring 5 of 5 on 3 consecutive weekly probes."

Phonological awareness goals

Phonological awareness is hearing and working with the sound parts of spoken words, no print needed. It runs from larger parts (words, syllables, rhymes) to single sounds. The phonological vs phonemic awareness guide explains the difference.

Weak: "Sam will improve phonological awareness."

Measurable: "Given 3 pictures, Sam will point to the 2 that rhyme when the adult names them, in 8 of 10 sets on 3 weekly probes."

Phonemic awareness goals

These goals work at the level of single sounds, which is what reading and spelling rely on. The phonemic awareness IEP goals page has goals for later grades.

Goal 16 is a good fit for a student whose speech is hard to understand. It shows blending without asking the student to say the word.

Weak: "Ava will hear sounds in words."

Measurable: "Given a sound and 3 spoken words, Ava will tell which word has that sound at the beginning in 9 of 10 items on 3 weekly probes."

Phonics goals for kindergarten

Phonics links what the student hears to what is printed, and decoding is using those links to read a word. The National Reading Panel found that systematic phonics instruction helped kindergarten and first grade students learn to read.^[2]

The full set of decoding templates, from CVC words to vowel teams, is on the phonics decoding goals page. For goals beyond kindergarten, see phonics IEP goals examples and sight word IEP goals.

Weak: "Eli will read at grade level."

Measurable: "Given 10 printed CVC words with taught short vowels, Eli will blend the sounds without stopping between them and read the word in 8 of 10 words on 3 weekly probes."

"Grade level" in kindergarten moves every month. A fixed probe of 10 CVC words means the same thing in October and in May.

How to measure kindergarten reading goals

Most of these goals use short, repeated probes. Give the same kind of probe every week or two, with different items from the same set, so the student cannot memorize it.

• Timed goals (7 and 18) use 1-minute probes. Count correct responses only. Graph them weekly.
• Untimed goals use 10-item probes scored out of 10, or a fixed set, such as all 5 vowels.
• Receptive goals (9, 10 and 16) let the student point. They are useful when speech or attention gets in the way of a spoken answer.

The reading progress monitoring tools guide compares published probes. The accuracy data sheet works for the 10-item probes. If 6 weekly points sit flat below the goal line, change the instruction, not the goal.

Short-term objectives for kindergarten reading

For goal 7 (letter sounds in 1 minute), objectives could read:

1. By December, the student will say the sound for at least 12 letters within 1 minute.
2. By March, the student will say the sound for at least 19 letters within 1 minute.
3. By May, the student will say the sound for at least 25 letters within 1 minute.

Each step raises the count on the same probe. That keeps the steps comparable.

Adapting reading goals by grade and support

For the kindergarten year in other areas, see social-emotional IEP goals for kindergarten and speech IEP goals for kindergarten. All templates for this grade band sit on the K to 2 IEP goals page. Paste each draft into the goal checker before the meeting.

Frequently asked questions

Use it in IEP Atlas

• K 2 IEP goals
• Phonics decoding goals (reading)
• Letter knowledge goals for K to 2
• Phonological awareness goals for K to 2
• Phonics in the IEP glossary
• Decoding in the IEP glossary
• IEP goal checker

Related guides

• IEP goals for preschoolers: examples by area
• IEP goals for kindergarten: examples by area
• Social-emotional IEP goals for kindergarten
• Phonemic awareness IEP goal examples
• Phonics and decoding IEP goal examples
• Preschool to kindergarten transition

Sources

1. Foundational Skills to Support Reading for Understanding in Kindergarten Through 3rd Grade, What Works Clearinghouse, Institute of Education Sciences
2. Report of the National Reading Panel: Teaching Children to Read, Eunice Kennedy Shriver National Institute of Child Health and Human Development (NICHD)

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.