IEP goals for visual tracking and scanning

By the IEP Atlas editorial teamLast updated November 1, 2026

Short answer

A visual tracking IEP goal measures a school task that depends on moving the eyes along a line or across a page, such as keeping your place while reading or finding the right problem on a worksheet. Example: while reading a grade-level passage aloud, Mia will read each line without skipping or repeating lines in 9 of 10 lines on 3 weekly probes.

Visual tracking is following a line or a moving object with the eyes. Visual scanning is searching a page or a space in an organized way. Students with weak tracking and scanning skip lines when reading, copy the wrong problem, lose their place in a table and miss the ball in PE. Those are the behaviors to measure. A goal that says "will track a pen light across midline" describes a therapy activity, and no teacher will ever see it at school.

The 24 goals below are grouped by the school task. Each has a fictional baseline and a link to its template. The numbers are illustrations. For copying shapes and designs, see the visual motor perceptual goals; for classroom practice ideas, see visual-motor activities for the classroom. The occupational therapy IEP goals pillar shows how visual motor goals fit with other OT goals.

Rule out a vision problem first

School OTs work on how a student uses vision in tasks. They do not diagnose eye conditions. Before writing a tracking goal, check the student's most recent vision screening with the school nurse. Refer for an eye exam through the family if you see:

head turning or tilting to read, or closing one eye;
eye rubbing, red eyes or headaches after near work;
complaints that words move, blur or double;
holding books very close or very far away.

If the student has a visual impairment, the teacher of students with visual impairments leads, and goals may sit under visual efficiency goals. The OT then supports the motor side.

How to choose a visual tracking goal

What you see	Sub-skill	Measurement method
Skips or rereads lines when reading aloud	Line tracking in text	Lines read in order out of total
Starts in the middle of the page, misses items	Organized page scanning	Items attempted in order out of total
Answers the wrong problem or writes in the wrong box	Locating information on worksheets	Items located correctly out of total
Cannot find a target in a busy picture	Figure-ground scanning	Targets found out of total in a time limit
Loses the row or column in a table	Scanning tables and charts	Questions answered from the table out of total
Misaligns digits, misreads graphs	Visual layout in math	Digits or values correct out of total
Misses moving balls, bumps into peers in games	Tracking moving targets	Catches or hits out of trials

Before choosing, separate tracking from reading skill. A student who skips lines because the words are too hard needs a reading goal. Test on text the student can decode easily: if line skipping continues, tracking is a factor.

Keeping your place in reading

While reading a passage at her independent level aloud, Mia will read each line in order without skipping or repeating a line in 9 of 10 lines on 3 weekly probes. Baseline: 6 of 10. Template.
Using a reading guide strip, Mia will keep her place across a 15-line page, losing her place no more than once, in 4 of 5 reading sessions. Baseline: loses her place 5 times per page. Template.
During independent reading, Leo will move his finger or a pointer under each line from left to right and return to the start of the next line in 8 of 10 lines observed. Baseline: 3 of 10. Template.
When the teacher says "find line 12" during a group lesson, Leo will find and point to the right line within 10 seconds in 4 of 5 opportunities. Baseline: 1 of 5. Template.
When reading a 2-column article, Sara will finish the first column before moving to the second in 4 of 5 articles. Baseline: reads across both columns in 3 of 5. Template.

Weak: "Mia will improve visual tracking." Measurable: Goal 1 above. Lines skipped or repeated are easy to count while the student reads.

Scanning worksheets and pages

Given a worksheet with 12 items, Owen will start at the top left and complete items in order, missing no more than 1, on 4 of 5 worksheets. Baseline: misses 3 to 5 items. Template.
When the teacher names a problem number, Owen will locate it on a worksheet of 20 problems within 15 seconds in 4 of 5 trials. Baseline: about 45 seconds. Template.
Given a bubble answer sheet, Ana will mark each answer in the row that matches the question number in 19 of 20 items on 3 practice quizzes. Baseline: 14 of 20. Template.
Given a matching worksheet with 8 items in 2 columns, Ana will draw a line from each item to its match without crossing to the wrong row in 7 of 8 items on 3 worksheets. Baseline: 4 of 8. Template.
Before turning in a worksheet, Ruby will scan each row from left to right to check for blank answers and fill them in on 4 of 5 worksheets. Baseline: turns in with blanks in 4 of 5. Template.

Weak: "Owen will attend to the whole page." Measurable: Goal 1 above. Items missed are counted on real worksheets.

Finding targets on a busy page

Given a busy picture with 10 hidden targets, Kai will find 8 within 2 minutes on 3 consecutive weekly probes. Baseline: 3 in 2 minutes. Template.
Given a 10 by 10 word search with 6 words, Kai will find 5 within 5 minutes on 3 of 4 trials. Baseline: 1 in 5 minutes. Template.
Given a color-by-code page with a key of 5 colors, Lily will color 90% of spaces with the matching color in 3 of 4 pages. Baseline: 60%. Template.
Given a page of 40 letters, Lily will circle every b in the set (6 targets) without circling a d or p in 3 of 4 probes. Baseline: 3 of 6, with 2 errors. Template.

Weak: "Kai will improve figure-ground skills." Measurable: Goal 1 above. Targets found in a set time.

Tables, schedules and math layout

Given a class schedule table, Jonah will answer 5 questions (such as "what time is lunch on Tuesday?") by finding the row and column, with 5 of 5 correct on 3 of 4 probes. Baseline: 2 of 5. Template.
When copying math problems from the textbook, Jonah will copy the numbers and signs correctly in 9 of 10 problems on 3 weekly assignments. Baseline: 6 of 10. Template.
When writing multi-digit addition problems, Theo will line up the digits in place-value columns in 9 of 10 problems on 3 weekly samples. Baseline: 5 of 10. Template.
Given a bar graph with a scale, Theo will read the value of each bar by tracking across to the scale in 4 of 5 bars on 3 graphs. Baseline: 2 of 5. Template.
Given a number line from 0 to 100, Ella will mark 5 named numbers in the correct place in 4 of 5 numbers on 3 probes. Baseline: 1 of 5. Template.

Weak: "Jonah will use visual skills in math." Measurable: Goal 2 above. Problems copied correctly, scored on class work.

Tracking moving targets

During a PE catching station, Dev will watch a ball tossed from 8 feet and catch it with two hands in 6 of 10 tosses. Baseline: 2 of 10. Template.
During a tablet game with moving targets, Dev will touch the moving target before it leaves the screen in 8 of 10 targets. Baseline: 4 of 10. Template.
During a paddle rally with a partner and a foam ball, Nora will hit the ball back 4 times in a row in 3 of 5 trials. Baseline: 1 hit. Template.

Weak: "Dev will track moving objects." Measurable: Goal 1 above. Catches out of 10 at a set distance and ball size.

Scanning for work and the building

Given a supply room shelf with labeled bins, Marcus will find 5 listed items by matching labels within 4 minutes in 4 of 5 trials. Baseline: 2 items in 4 minutes. Template.
When traveling to a new room in the building, Marcus will scan hallway signs and room numbers to arrive without adult help in 4 of 5 trips. Baseline: needs adult guidance in 5 of 5. Template.

Weak: "Marcus will scan his environment." Measurable: Goal 1 above. Five items, a time limit and labels to match.

Supports that help while the skill grows

These go in the accommodations, not the goal.

A reading guide strip or index card under the line.
Worksheets with fewer items per page and more white space.
Numbered or color-coded rows on tables and answer sheets.
Graph paper for math work.
A copy of board notes on the desk.

The visual motor integration and visual perception glossary entries explain related terms.

How to measure visual tracking goals

Count during the real task. Lines skipped while reading aloud, items missed on a worksheet, problems copied wrong. Report correct out of total.
Time scanning tasks such as find-the-problem or busy pictures. Keep the page the same difficulty each week.
Use the accuracy data sheet for counts and the opportunity data sheet for skills that come up during the day.
Note the supports. A reading guide strip changes the task. Mark which probes used one.

Reading teachers and classroom staff can collect line-tracking data during regular reading. Give them a tally sheet with one row per line. See data sheet in the glossary, or browse all free IEP data sheets.

Short-term objectives

For the line-tracking goal:

Reads 9 of 10 lines in order with a guide strip, on independent-level text.
Reads 9 of 10 lines in order with a finger as a pointer.
Reads 9 of 10 lines in order with no guide.

See the short-term objectives guide.

Adapting by grade

Grade band	Typical focus	Example change
Preschool	Left-to-right picture schedules, finding objects	Picture schedule scanning
K to 2	Line tracking with a pointer, simple worksheets	Large print, few items per page
Grades 3 to 5	Worksheets, tables, math columns, bubble sheets	Class assignments as probes
Middle school	Multi-column text, graphs, textbook copying	Fade guide strips
High school and transition	Schedules, signs, shelf labels at work	Job-site scanning tasks

All templates are on the visual motor perceptual goals page. For the comments you will write about these goals, see OT progress report comments. Paste your draft into the goal checker.

Frequently asked questions

What is a good visual tracking IEP goal?

One tied to a school task. For example, while reading independent-level text aloud, the student will read each line in order without skipping or repeating a line in 9 of 10 lines on 3 weekly probes.

Does school OT treat eye movement problems?

School OTs work on how a student uses vision during school tasks and can suggest supports. They do not diagnose eye conditions. If you suspect a vision problem, check the screening with the nurse and refer the family for an eye exam.

How do you tell a tracking problem from a reading problem?

Test on text the student can decode easily. If line skipping and lost place continue on easy text, tracking is likely part of the problem. If errors disappear, the text was too hard and a reading goal fits better.

Use it in IEP Atlas

Sources

American Occupational Therapy Association, AOTA
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.