Auditory discrimination and auditory memory IEP goals

By the IEP Atlas editorial teamLast updated November 1, 2026

Short answer

Good auditory memory and discrimination IEP goals describe what the student does in class: tells apart similar words, repeats or recalls spoken information, follows oral directions and uses a strategy when they miss something. Example: given 10 three-step oral directions said once, Leah will complete all steps in order for 8 of 10, up from 3 of 10. Rule out hearing loss first.

"Auditory memory" and "auditory processing" show up often in referrals and reports. As goal targets, they cause trouble. They describe something going on inside the student, and nobody can watch it or count it. A goal that says "will improve auditory memory" cannot be measured, and a goal built around a memory drill may not change anything that happens in class.

The goals below turn those concerns into skills a teacher or SLP can see and score. They are grouped into six sets, with 4 goals each. Numbers are illustrations, not benchmarks. For sound-level skills that feed reading, see the pillar on phonemic awareness interventions.

Before you write the goal: three checks

Hearing. Make sure a recent hearing screening or audiology evaluation is on file. Children with hearing loss can look like they have memory or attention problems.^[1] If hearing loss is present, a teacher of the deaf and hard of hearing and an audiologist belong on the team, and the auditory skills goals may fit better than the goals here.
Language. A student who forgets directions may not understand the words in them, such as "before," "unless" or "except." An SLP can check whether the problem is memory or language.^[2]
Attention and working memory. Holding spoken information while using it is part of working memory, one of the core executive function skills.^[3] If the student has the same trouble with information they see, the need is broader than listening.

An auditory processing disorder, when one is diagnosed, is identified by an audiologist with specialized testing.^[6] It is not one of the disability categories in IDEA. Students with listening difficulties qualify under a category such as specific learning disability, speech or language impairment, or other health impairment.^[4] Either way, the goals should target classroom skills.

A caution about training memory in isolation

Repeating longer and longer strings of digits or words is easy to measure, so it often ends up as the goal. The problem is transfer. A student can climb from 3 digits to 5 digits on a span task and still miss the second step of every direction in math class. Practice on a drill tends to improve that drill. A meta-analysis of working memory training found gains on tasks like the ones practiced, with no convincing transfer to skills such as word decoding or arithmetic.^[7]

Treat span tasks as a probe, if you use them at all. Write the goal around the classroom skill, teach strategies the student can use anywhere (repeating a direction, writing key words, asking for a repeat), and put supports like written directions into accommodations.

How to choose a goal

What the teacher sees	Goal set to use	How to measure
Mixes up similar words ("pin" and "pen") when listening	Auditory discrimination of words	Pairs correct out of 10
Spells or reads vowel and consonant sounds inconsistently	Discrimination tied to letters	Items correct out of 10
Loses part of a sentence or list before acting on it	Repeating and recalling spoken information	Items fully correct out of 10
Starts a direction, then stops or does step 1 only	Following oral directions	Directions completed out of 10
Cannot answer questions after a read-aloud	Recalling spoken content	Questions correct out of 5 or 10
Misses information and does nothing about it	Listening strategies	Opportunities used out of the total

Auditory discrimination of words

Goal 1. Given 10 spoken word pairs that differ by one sound (such as "pin" and "pen"), Mason will say whether each pair is the same or different for 9 of 10 pairs on 3 consecutive weekly probes. Baseline: 6 of 10. Template.
Goal 2. Given 10 spoken words and 2 pictures that differ by one consonant (such as "coat" and "goat"), Mason will point to the picture named for 9 of 10 items across 3 probes. Baseline: 5 of 10. Template.
Goal 3. Given 10 spoken word pairs, half the same and half different, Zoe will judge them correctly for 9 of 10 pairs with the speaker's mouth covered, on 2 consecutive probes. Baseline: 6 of 10. Template.
Goal 4. Given 10 spoken word pairs with classroom noise playing at a conversational level, Zoe will judge same or different for 8 of 10 pairs across 3 probes. Baseline: 4 of 10 in noise, 8 of 10 in quiet. Template.

Weak: "Mason will improve auditory discrimination skills." Measurable: Goal 1 above. It names the word type, the response and the denominator.

Same-or-different tasks have a 50% guessing rate. Keep criteria at 8 of 10 or higher, or use picture choices as in goal 2.

Discriminating sounds tied to letters

Goal 5. Given 10 spoken CVC words, Lily will say the middle vowel sound and point to its letter from a, e, i, o, u for 8 of 10 words on 3 consecutive probes. Baseline: 3 of 10, confuses /e/ and /i/. Template.
Goal 6. Given 3 spoken words and a target sound, Lily will name the word that contains the sound (such as /sh/ in "dish," "dip," "dot") for 9 of 10 sets across 3 probes. Baseline: 5 of 10. Template.
Goal 7. Given 10 spoken words, Andre will answer "yes" or "no" to whether each word has a named sound for 9 of 10 words on 2 consecutive probes. Baseline: 6 of 10. Template.
Goal 8. Given 20 dictated CVC words with short e and short i, Andre will write the correct vowel in 17 of 20 words on 2 consecutive weekly checks. Baseline: 10 of 20. Template.

Weak: "Lily will discriminate between short vowel sounds." Measurable: Goal 5 above. It adds the letter, so the skill feeds reading and spelling.

For more on sound skills tied to letters, see phoneme segmentation IEP goals.

Repeating and recalling spoken information

Goal 9. Given 10 spoken sentences of 8 to 10 words, Noor will repeat each sentence with every word correct for 8 of 10 sentences on 3 consecutive probes. Baseline: 3 of 10. Template.
Goal 10. Given a spoken list of 3 classroom items to collect, Noor will bring back all 3 items for 4 of 5 requests across 2 weeks. Baseline: 1 of 5. Template.
Goal 11. Given a dictated sentence of 6 to 8 words said once, Caleb will write the whole sentence with no missing words for 8 of 10 sentences on 2 consecutive probes. Baseline: 4 of 10. Template.
Goal 12. Given a spoken list of 4 words or numbers, Caleb will repeat the list in order after using a taught rehearsal strategy (saying it quietly twice) for 8 of 10 lists across 3 probes. Baseline: 3 of 10. Template.

Weak: "Noor will increase auditory memory to 5 digits." Measurable: Goal 10 above. It measures memory in a task the student does every day.

Goal 12 includes a strategy, so the student practices something they can use beyond the probe.

Following oral directions

Goal 13. Given 10 three-step oral directions said once during class routines, Leah will complete all steps in order for 8 of 10 directions on 3 consecutive weekly probes. Baseline: 3 of 10. Template.
Goal 14. Given a one- or two-step direction given once to the whole class, Leah will start the first step within 10 seconds and complete both steps for 4 of 5 directions across 3 observations. Baseline: 1 of 5. Template.
Goal 15. Given 10 two-step directions with location words (such as "put the red block under the cup"), Jayden will complete both steps correctly for 8 of 10 directions on 2 consecutive probes. Baseline: 4 of 10. Template.
Goal 16. Given a direction from across the room with typical classroom noise, Jayden will complete it correctly for 8 of 10 directions across 3 observations. Baseline: 4 of 10. Template.

Weak: "Leah will process oral directions." Measurable: Goal 13 above. It counts completed directions with a denominator.

More direction goals are on the following directions IEP goals page.

Recalling spoken content

Goal 17. After listening to a 2-minute passage read aloud, Ella will answer 4 of 5 literal questions correctly on 3 consecutive probes. Baseline: 2 of 5. Template.
Goal 18. After listening to a short story, Ella will retell the beginning, middle and end in order, scoring 5 of 6 on a story retell rubric across 3 probes. Baseline: 2 of 6. Template.
Goal 19. During a 10-minute read-aloud, Omar will answer 1 question about it when asked, correctly for 4 of 5 read-alouds across 2 weeks. Baseline: 1 of 5. Template.
Goal 20. Given a spoken message of 3 details (who, what, when), Omar will write down all 3 details for 4 of 5 messages on 2 consecutive probes. Baseline: 1 of 5. Template.

Weak: "Ella will improve listening comprehension and recall." Measurable: Goal 17 above. It names the passage length, the question type and the count.

See listening comprehension IEP goals for more.

Using listening strategies

Goal 21. When a direction was not heard or understood, Maya will ask for a repeat or clarification for 4 of 5 opportunities across 3 observations. Baseline: 0 of 5. Template.
Goal 22. Before starting a task given orally, Maya will restate the direction in her own words, with all key steps, for 8 of 10 directions on 3 consecutive probes. Baseline: 2 of 10. Template.
Goal 23. When given spoken information longer than 2 steps, Ben will ask for it to be written down or repeated for 4 of 5 opportunities across 2 weeks. Baseline: 1 of 5. Template.
Goal 24. When unsure of a direction, Ben will ask a peer or adult to repeat it before starting, rather than guessing, for 4 of 5 observed opportunities across 3 weeks. Baseline: 1 of 5. Template.

Weak: "Ben will use strategies to remember information." Measurable: Goal 23 above. It names the trigger, the strategy and the opportunities.

Strategy goals often give the most return, because the student can use them in every class. Working memory strategies for students lists more.

Goals versus accommodations

Some supports belong in the accommodations section, not in a goal. A goal is a skill the student learns; an accommodation changes the conditions.

Support	Goal or accommodation?
Directions given in writing as well as orally	Accommodation
Seating near the teacher and away from noise	Accommodation
Remote microphone system	Accommodation (or assistive technology)
Student asks for a repeat when needed	Goal (21)
Student writes key words from a direction	Goal (20)
Check for understanding before independent work	Accommodation

The remote microphone system glossary entry explains that device.

How to measure these goals

Use the classroom where you can. Goals 13, 14, 16, 19 and 21 to 24 are scored during real lessons, which shows transfer.
Count opportunities. For strategy goals, record each chance the student had and whether they used the strategy, on the opportunity trial data sheet.
Say items once. For probes, decide whether repeats are allowed and keep it the same.
Score retells with a rubric. Use the rubric scoring data sheet for goal 18.
Note the setting. Quiet room or classroom noise changes scores, so write it on the sheet.

The IEP must state how progress will be measured.^[5] Naming the probe and the count, as in each goal above, covers that.

Adapting by grade and need

Grade or need	Typical focus	Example goals
Preschool and K	Two-step directions, word discrimination with pictures	2, 14, 15
Grades 1 to 3	Vowel discrimination with letters, three-step directions	5, 8, 13
Grades 4 to 8	Recall of content, writing key details, strategies	17, 20, 22
High school	Self-advocacy for repeats and written information	21, 23
Hearing loss	Listening in noise, with the teacher of the deaf	4, 16

More templates are on the listening comprehension goals and working memory goals pages. For memory goals beyond listening, see working memory IEP goals. Paste any draft into the goal checker before the meeting.

Frequently asked questions

How do you write a measurable auditory memory IEP goal?

Describe a classroom task that depends on remembering spoken information, such as completing a three-step direction or writing a dictated sentence, and count it. For example: given 10 three-step oral directions said once, the student will complete all steps in order for 8 of 10.

Is auditory processing disorder a special education category?

No. An audiologist can diagnose it, but it is not one of the IDEA disability categories. A student with listening difficulties may qualify under a category such as specific learning disability, speech or language impairment, or other health impairment, if the team finds they need specially designed instruction.

Do digit span drills improve auditory memory in class?

Gains on a span drill tend to stay on that drill. A student can repeat longer digit strings and still miss steps in real directions. Teach strategies and measure the classroom skill instead, and use accommodations such as written directions.

Use it in IEP Atlas

Sources

Hearing Loss in Children, ASHA
Spoken Language Disorders, ASHA
A Guide to Executive Function, Center on the Developing Child, Harvard University
34 CFR §300.8: Child with a disability, Legal Information Institute, Cornell Law School
34 CFR §300.320: Definition of individualized education program, Legal Information Institute, Cornell Law School
Central Auditory Processing Disorder (Practice Portal), American Speech-Language-Hearing Association
Is Working Memory Training Effective? A Meta-Analytic Review (Melby-Lervåg and Hulme, 2013), Developmental Psychology, via PubMed

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.