Related services goals: who writes what

By the IEP Atlas editorial teamLast updated November 1, 2026

Short answer

Related services goals are written by the provider who delivers the service, such as the SLP, OT, PT or counselor, and should target a skill the student needs to benefit from special education. A strong goal has a condition, an observable behavior, a criterion and a measurement method. Example: during class discussion, the student will produce /s/ correctly in 18 of 20 words, measured weekly.

Related services are the supports a student needs to benefit from special education, such as speech-language therapy, occupational and physical therapy, counseling, orientation and mobility and school health services.^[1] The IEP states the measurable annual goals and the services that support them.^[2] For the full list of services, see related services under IDEA.

The provider who delivers a service usually drafts its goals and takes the data. The case manager makes sure each goal connects to the student's school day, avoids duplicates across providers and has a service row behind it. All 20 goals below are illustrations for fictional students; set every number from your own baseline.

Who writes what

Service	Usually drafts the goal	Usually collects the data	Common goal areas
Speech-language therapy	SLP	SLP, sometimes the teacher for carryover	Articulation, language, fluency, pragmatics, AAC
Occupational therapy	OT	OT, teacher or para with an OT-made sheet	Handwriting, fine motor, self-care, sensory regulation
Physical therapy	PT	PT, adapted PE teacher	Mobility, stairs, balance, positioning
Counseling	School counselor, psychologist or social worker	Same provider, teacher ratings	Coping, social problem solving, attendance
Orientation and mobility	O&M specialist	O&M specialist	Route travel, cane skills
School health services	School nurse with the team	Nurse, trained staff	Self-management of health routines
Transportation	Case manager with transportation staff	Bus aide, driver	Bus safety, riding with less support

When two providers work on the same skill, such as an OT and a special educator both addressing writing, write one goal and name both providers rather than two overlapping goals.

Decision table

Student profile	Sub-skill to target	Measurement method
Speech errors affect intelligibility in class	Sound accuracy in words, then sentences, then conversation	Percent accuracy on word lists and conversation samples
Limited expressive language	Sentence length, vocabulary, retell	Opportunities or rubric scoring of samples
Handwriting illegible to others	Letter formation, spacing, sizing	Percent of letters legible on a writing sample
Needs help with self-care	Steps of a routine	Task analysis, steps done independently
Unsafe on stairs or in crowds	Mobility with or without devices	Trials with a prompt level, or duration
Shuts down when frustrated	Use of a coping strategy	Frequency of use per opportunity, teacher rating
Travels with adult guidance only	Independent route travel	Steps of a route done independently

Speech-language therapy goals

Written by the SLP. See the speech-language goal bank for templates.

Goal 1: Articulation. Given picture cards, the student will produce /s/ in the initial position of words with 90% accuracy (18 of 20 words) across 3 consecutive sessions. Baseline: 6 of 20. Articulation templates.
Goal 2: Articulation carryover. During a 5-minute conversation in class, the student will produce /r/ correctly in 80% of attempts (at least 16 of 20) on 2 of 3 monthly samples. Baseline: 35% of attempts.
Goal 3: Expressive language. After hearing a grade-level story, the student will retell it including 5 of 6 story elements on 3 consecutive weekly probes. Baseline: 2 of 6. Expressive language templates.
Goal 4: Pragmatics. During structured small-group activities, the student will stay on the group's topic for 3 or more conversational turns in 4 of 5 opportunities per session for 4 consecutive weeks. Baseline: 1 of 5.
Goal 5: AAC. Using a speech-generating device, the student will make a request with 2 or more symbols in 15 or more opportunities per school day across 5 consecutive days. Baseline: 3 single-symbol requests per day. AAC templates.

Weak vs measurable: "The student will improve speech sounds." Measurable: goal 1 above, which names the sound, the position, the task, the criterion and the number of sessions.

Occupational therapy goals

Written by the OT. See OT goals by role.

Goal 6: Handwriting legibility. Copying a 3-sentence passage from a near-point model, the student will write with 90% of letters legible to an unfamiliar reader on 4 of 5 weekly samples. Baseline: 55% of letters. Handwriting templates.
Goal 7: Spacing. When writing a 5-sentence response, the student will leave a finger-width space between words in 85% of word boundaries across 3 consecutive samples. Baseline: 40%.
Goal 8: Self-care. Given a visual sequence, the student will complete all 7 steps of putting on and zipping a coat independently on 4 of 5 school days. Baseline: 2 of 7 steps.
Goal 9: Sensory regulation. When showing signs of overwhelm (covering ears, leaving the group), the student will request or choose a break strategy in 4 of 5 observed instances per week for 4 weeks. Baseline: 1 of 5. Sensory processing templates.

Weak vs measurable: "The student will improve fine motor skills." Measurable: goal 6, which ties fine motor work to the classroom result the teacher cares about.

Physical therapy goals

Written by the PT. See PT goals by role.

Goal 10: Stairs. The student will go up and down a 12-step flight using one handrail, without adult contact, in 4 of 5 trials across 2 consecutive weeks. Baseline: needs contact guard on every trial.
Goal 11: Hallway mobility. Using a walker, the student will travel from the classroom to the cafeteria (about 300 feet) within 4 minutes during passing time on 4 of 5 days. Baseline: 9 minutes with 3 rests. Functional mobility templates.
Goal 12: Floor to stand. The student will move from sitting on the floor to standing without help within 10 seconds in 4 of 5 trials. Baseline: 30 seconds with hand support.
Goal 13: Playground access. At recess, the student will climb and use 2 pieces of playground equipment with standby assistance on 3 of 4 observed days. Baseline: does not access equipment.

Weak vs measurable: "The student will improve balance." Measurable: goal 10, which describes balance as a school task with a support level.

Counseling goals

Written by the school counselor, psychologist or social worker. See counseling as a related service.

Goal 14: Coping. When given a task the student rates as hard, the student will use a chosen coping strategy and return to work within 3 minutes in 4 of 5 recorded opportunities per week for 6 weeks. Baseline: 1 of 5. Coping skills templates.
Goal 15: Problem solving. Given a peer conflict scenario, the student will name the problem, 2 possible solutions and a likely result for each in 4 of 5 scenarios on 3 consecutive sessions. Baseline: names the problem only.
Goal 16: Attendance. The student will arrive at school by 8:30 on 90% of school days (at least 18 of 20 days) per month for 3 consecutive months. Baseline: 11 of 20 days. Attendance templates.

Weak vs measurable: "The student will manage anxiety." Measurable: goal 14, which names the trigger, the action and the time to return to work.

Goal 17: Orientation and mobility. Using a long cane, the student will travel from the bus loop to the classroom (4 turns, 2 doors) independently in 4 of 5 trials. Baseline: needs verbal cues at 3 of 4 turns. O&M templates.
Goal 18: School health. At the scheduled time, the student will check blood glucose, record the number and tell the nurse the next step in 9 of 10 checks across 2 weeks. Baseline: completes the check with adult help on each step. Health self-management templates.
Goal 19: Audiology and hearing technology. At the start of each school day, the student will check that their hearing aids are on and report any problem to the teacher in 9 of 10 days for 4 weeks. Baseline: 2 of 10 days. Hearing technology templates.
Goal 20: Transportation. Riding the bus, the student will remain seated with the seat belt fastened for the entire route on 18 of 20 trips, measured by the bus aide's log. Baseline: 9 of 20 trips. See transportation as a related service.

Weak vs measurable: "The student will be safe on the bus." Measurable: goal 20, which names the behavior, the duration and who takes the data.

How to measure progress

Each provider takes data on their own goals at least every 2 weeks, and weekly for goals that change quickly, like articulation and AAC requests. Record a data point in the session note on the service log so the log doubles as progress evidence. Report progress on the schedule the IEP states, usually with report cards.

Adapting by grade and support level

Level	How goals change	Example shift
Preschool and K	Play-based conditions, short routines, adult models	Goal 8 becomes a 4-step routine with picture cues
Elementary	Classroom tasks, peer settings	Goal 2 measured during a reading group
Middle and high school	Independence across classes, self-monitoring	Goal 14 adds the student tracking their own strategy use
Students with significant support needs	More steps broken out, prompt levels in the criterion	Goal 11 measured by prompt level per segment of the route
Students near exit from a service	Generalization and maintenance	Goal 2 measured in 3 settings, then monthly checks

For how these goals fit with minutes, see aligning goals to services and minutes. For SDI goals that sit next to them, see specially designed instruction examples.

Frequently asked questions

Does every related service need its own IEP goal?

Practice varies by state. Many states expect each direct related service to support at least one goal. A related service can also support a goal written by another provider, such as OT supporting a writing goal. Consult-only services sometimes have no goal of their own.

Can two providers share one goal?

Yes. When an OT and a special educator both work on writing, one shared goal that names both providers is clearer than two overlapping goals. Agree on who collects which data.

Who reports progress on related services goals?

Usually the provider who delivers the service writes the progress note for their goals, and the case manager gathers all notes into one progress report for the family.

Use it in IEP Atlas

Sources

34 CFR §300.34: Related 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.