Math goals and intervention
Math goals tend to fail in one of two ways: they name a standard instead of a skill, or they measure a skill once a quarter on a worksheet that changes every time.
These guides cover goals for number sense, computation, fact fluency, word problems and functional math such as money, time and measurement. They show how to build a short probe that samples the same skill each week, how to use digits correct per minute for fluency, and which interventions fit each gap, from concrete materials to schema instruction for word problems.
Start here
- IEP goals for math: calculation, problem solving and functional math
18 math IEP goal examples across 8 skills, with digits correct, rubric and accuracy baselines, an error pattern table and how to measure each goal.
How-to guides
- Concrete-representational-abstract (CRA) for math goals
How to use the concrete-representational-abstract sequence in math: plan the three stages, set rules for moving on, and write CRA into IEP goals and objectives.
- How to measure math fact fluency (digits correct per minute)
How to score digits correct per minute on a math fact probe: build the forms, time 2 minutes, count correct digits, divide by the time and graph an aimline.
- How to measure money skills with real purchases
A money skills assessment in three layers: a table probe with real coins, a classroom store run and a real purchase scored step by step with prompt levels.
- Math fact fluency interventions that fit an IEP
Math fact fluency interventions matched to the student's stage: strategy teaching, cover-copy-compare, incremental rehearsal, timed practice and self-graphing.
- Number sense activities: teaching with manipulatives
Number sense activities with manipulatives for special education: counting, subitizing, ten-frames, number lines and bundling tens, with a worked example.
- Schema-based instruction for word problems: how to teach it
How to teach schema-based instruction for word problems: one problem type at a time, a diagram for each, a solving routine, then mixed sets and transfer.
- Teaching money skills (next-dollar, coin counting)
How to teach money skills in special education: check prerequisites, teach coin counting or the next-dollar strategy, then practice real purchases.
- Teaching time and elapsed time in special education
How to teach telling time in special education: hour hand first, then counting by 5s, minute hand, digital matching and elapsed time on an open number line.
Examples
- Data and graphing IEP goals
16 data and graphing IEP goals: tallies, bar graphs, line plots, reading graphs, mean and median, and graphing own progress, each with a baseline and criterion.
- Fractions IEP goals
16 fractions IEP goals from unit fractions to word problems, each with a baseline, condition, criterion and measure, plus a decision table and a grade table.
- Functional math IEP goal examples for high school
20 functional math IEP goals for high school: money, budgets, time, job math and bills, with baselines and how to measure them in the community.
- IEP goals for calculator use
16 calculator IEP goals for entering numbers, checking entries, money and job math, percents and the graphing calculator, with baselines and a decision table.
- IEP goals for calendar skills, with activities
24 calendar skills IEP goals from the morning calendar routine to due dates and work schedules, plus calendar activities, a decision table and baselines.
- IEP goals for decimals and percent
24 decimal and percent IEP goals for place value, comparing, rounding, operations, conversions and percent problems, with baselines and a decision table.
- IEP goals for division and long division
20 division IEP goals from sharing objects to long division steps, remainders and two-digit divisors, with a task analysis data sheet and a decision table.
- IEP goals for geometry, area and perimeter
20 geometry IEP goals from naming shapes to area, perimeter, volume and the Pythagorean theorem, with a decision table, baselines and varied criteria.
- IEP goals for high school math (algebra and beyond)
20 high school math IEP goals for expressions, equations, linear functions, systems and applied math, with a decision table, baselines and varied criteria.
- IEP goals for math calculation
20 math calculation IEP goals for facts, multi-digit work, division, decimals and integers, each with a baseline, a criterion and a filled-in data sheet.
- IEP goals for math concepts and applications
12 math concepts and applications IEP goals for number lines, fractions, data and percents, with baselines, criteria and a filled-in accuracy data sheet.
- IEP goals for measurement with a ruler and other tools
24 measurement IEP goals for comparing lengths, using a ruler and tape measure, reading scales, converting units and measuring on the job, with baselines.
- IEP goals for multiplication facts and multi-digit multiplication
12 multiplication IEP goals for arrays, fact fluency, fact strategies and multi-digit multiplication, with rate per minute measurement and a sample data sheet.
- IEP goals for order of operations and exponents
12 order of operations and exponent IEP goals with baselines, criteria and a decision table, plus why the PEMDAS mnemonic causes the most common errors.
- IEP goals for place value
12 place value IEP goals from tens and ones to expanded form, rounding and decimals, with a decision table, baselines, criteria and a sample data sheet.
- IEP goals for regrouping, and how to teach it
16 regrouping IEP goals for addition, subtraction, zeros and beyond, plus a teaching sequence from base-ten blocks to the written method, with sample data.
- Math fact fluency IEP goals
16 math fact fluency IEP goals for addition, subtraction, multiplication and division, timed and oral, with digits correct per minute and sample data.
- Math problem solving IEP goal examples
20 math problem solving IEP goals for word problems, with baselines, varied criteria, a profile table, 6th grade examples and how to measure them.
- Math vocabulary IEP goals
24 math vocabulary IEP goals for term meaning, word problem language, symbols, explanations and test directions, each with a baseline, criterion and measure.
- Money IEP goals, including the next-dollar strategy
16 money IEP goals from naming coins to paying with the next-dollar strategy and making change, with a decision table, baselines and varied criteria.
- Rounding and estimation IEP goals for shopping and daily math
12 rounding and estimation IEP goals for numbers, prices, sums, quantities and shopping, each with a baseline, a scoring rule and a filled-in data sheet.
- Telling time and elapsed time IEP goals
20 telling time and elapsed time IEP goals, from the hour on an analog clock to schedules and timers, with a decision table, baselines and varied criteria.
IEP Atlas Pro
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Count trials, prompts, and minutes live in the session; the graph and trend line draw themselves; progress reports are drafted from your data.