Rhyming IEP goals: 24 examples with baselines and data sheets

By the IEP Atlas editorial teamLast updated November 1, 2026

Short answer

A rhyming IEP goal names the rhyme task, the materials, how the student responds and a criterion with a denominator. Example: given 10 spoken word pairs, Mila will say whether each pair rhymes for 9 of 10 pairs on 3 consecutive weekly probes, up from 5 of 10. Write a rhyme goal only when rhyme is the student's real next step.

Rhyme is an early phonological awareness skill. Hearing that "cat" and "hat" share an ending helps young children notice that words have sound parts. It is not a requirement for reading, though, and it is not a gate to phoneme work. Before writing a rhyme goal, check whether the student can already blend or isolate first sounds. If so, a phoneme goal is usually the better use of the year. See phonemic awareness IEP goals for those.

The 24 goals below are grouped by rhyme task. Each shows the condition, a baseline, the criterion and the measure, with a link to the closest template on the phonological awareness goals page. Numbers are illustrations, not benchmarks. For teaching ideas, see rhyming activities for kindergarten intervention.

How to choose a rhyming goal

Student profile	Rhyme task to target	How to measure
Preschooler who does not notice rhyme in songs	Completing a rhyme in a familiar song or book	Items correct out of 10 in a set routine
Says "yes" to any two words with the same first sound	Rhyme judgment with tricky non-rhymes	Pairs correct out of 10
Judges pairs but cannot pick from a set	Matching or odd one out with pictures	Sets correct out of 10
Judges and matches, cannot make a rhyme	Rhyme production, nonsense words accepted	Words correct out of 10, or rhymes in 1 minute
Limited speech or uses AAC	Picture choice or device response	Items correct out of 10
Rhymes well, cannot blend or isolate sounds	Skip rhyme; write an onset-rime or phoneme goal	See the phonemic awareness goals

The What Works Clearinghouse guide for kindergarten to grade 3 recommends moving students toward awareness of individual sounds and linking them to letters.^[1] A rhyme goal should be a short step on that path.

Recognizing rhyme

Goal 1. Given 10 spoken word pairs, half rhyming, Mila will say "yes" or "no" to whether each pair rhymes for 9 of 10 pairs on 3 consecutive weekly probes. Baseline: 5 of 10. Template.
Goal 2. Given 10 spoken word pairs in which the non-rhyming pairs share a first sound (such as sun and sit), Mila will judge rhyme correctly for 8 of 10 pairs across 3 probes. Baseline: 3 of 10. Template.
Goal 3. Given 2 picture cards named aloud, Owen will give a thumbs up for rhyming pairs and a thumbs down for non-rhyming pairs for 9 of 10 pairs on 2 consecutive probes. Baseline: 6 of 10. Template.
Goal 4. Given 20 spoken word pairs during a 5-minute game, Owen will judge rhyme correctly for 17 of 20 pairs on 2 of 3 weekly probes. Baseline: 11 of 20. Template.

Weak: "Mila will recognize rhyming words." Measurable: Goal 1 above. It names the materials, the response and the denominator.

Matching rhymes and finding the odd one out

Goal 5. Given a target picture and 3 picture choices named aloud, Ruby will point to the picture that rhymes with the target for 8 of 10 items on 3 consecutive probes. Baseline: 4 of 10. Template.
Goal 6. Given 3 spoken words, two rhyming and one not, Ruby will name the word that does not rhyme for 8 of 10 sets across 3 probes. Baseline: 2 of 10. Template.
Goal 7. Given 8 picture cards making 4 rhyming pairs, Theo will match all 4 pairs and name each pair aloud in 4 of 5 sessions. Baseline: 1 of 4 pairs matched. Template.
Goal 8. Given 3 spoken words with no pictures, Theo will name the word that does not rhyme for 9 of 10 sets on 2 consecutive weekly probes. Baseline: 5 of 10 with pictures, 2 of 10 without. Template.

Weak: "Ruby will match rhymes with 80% accuracy." Measurable: Goal 5 above. "80% accuracy" gives no item type or denominator.

Completing rhymes in books and songs

Goal 9. During a shared reading of a familiar rhyming book, when the adult pauses before the rhyming word, Ivy will supply a word that rhymes and fits for 7 of 10 pauses across 3 sessions. Baseline: 2 of 10. Template.
Goal 10. During a name song in circle time, Ivy will supply a rhyming nonsense name for a classmate (Jack to "Mack" or "Zack") for 4 of 5 turns across 3 sessions. Baseline: 0 of 5. Template.
Goal 11. Given 10 spoken sentences that end in a rhyme with the last word missing ("The cat sat on the ___"), Noah will say a rhyming word that makes sense for 8 of 10 sentences on 3 consecutive probes. Baseline: 3 of 10. Template.
Goal 12. During a rhyming book read with an unfamiliar text, Noah will supply the rhyming word at 6 of 8 adult pauses on 2 consecutive probes. Baseline: 2 of 8. Template.

Weak: "Ivy will participate in rhyming songs." Measurable: Goal 10 above. Participation is not a skill; supplying the rhyme is.

Goals 9 and 12 differ on one point: a familiar book versus a new one. Moving from 9 to 12 is a good way to check that the skill holds up without memory.

Producing rhymes

Goal 13. Given 10 spoken one-syllable words, Leo will say a real or made-up word that rhymes for 8 of 10 words on 3 consecutive weekly probes. Baseline: 0 of 10. Template.
Goal 14. Given 10 spoken words, Leo will say 2 different rhyming words for each for 7 of 10 words across 3 probes. Baseline: 2 of 10. Template.
Goal 15. Given a spoken word and 1 minute, Maya will say 6 or more different rhyming words, real or made-up, on 3 of 4 weekly probes. Baseline: 2 rhymes per minute. Template.
Goal 16. Given a picture named aloud, Maya will say a rhyming word and then change the first sound again to make another rhyme ("cat, bat, sat") for 8 of 10 pictures on 2 consecutive probes. Baseline: 3 of 10. Template.

Weak: "Leo will produce rhymes." Measurable: Goal 13 above. It states that made-up words count, which keeps vocabulary from blocking the skill.

Goal 15 is timed. Record it as rhymes per minute on the rate per minute page.

Rhyme goals for students with limited speech or AAC

Goal 17. Given a target picture and 2 choices on a speech-generating device, Sam will select the rhyming picture for 8 of 10 items on 3 consecutive probes. Baseline: 4 of 10. Template.
Goal 18. Given 10 spoken word pairs, Sam will touch a green "yes" card for rhyming pairs and a red "no" card for non-rhyming pairs for 8 of 10 pairs across 3 probes. Baseline: 5 of 10, chance level. Template.
Goal 19. Given 3 objects named aloud, Ari will eye-gaze to the object that does not rhyme for 7 of 10 sets across 3 sessions. Baseline: 3 of 10. Template.
Goal 20. During a shared rhyming book with a 4-picture choice board, Ari will select the rhyming word at 6 of 8 pauses on 2 consecutive probes. Baseline: 1 of 8. Template.

Weak: "Sam will answer rhyme questions using AAC." Measurable: Goal 17 above. It names the device response and the denominator.

A yes or no task has a 50% guessing rate, so a score of 5 of 10 can mean no skill at all. For goals like 18, set the criterion at 8 of 10 or higher, or use a 3-choice format.

Bridging from rhyme to sounds and letters

Goal 21. Given 10 spoken words, Luca will say the word in two parts, the first sound and the rest ("m ... at"), for 8 of 10 words on 3 consecutive probes. Baseline: 2 of 10. Template.
Goal 22. Given an onset and rime said with a pause, Luca will blend them into a word for 9 of 10 items across 3 probes. Baseline: 5 of 10. Template.
Goal 23. Given a rime card (such as "at") and 6 onset letter tiles, Elena will build and read 5 rhyming words for 4 of 5 rime cards on 2 consecutive probes. Baseline: 1 of 5. Template.
Goal 24. Given 10 spoken words, Elena will change the first sound to make a rhyming word when told the new sound ("cat, /m/") for 9 of 10 items across 3 probes. Baseline: 4 of 10. Template.

Weak: "Elena will learn word families." Measurable: Goal 23 above. It counts words built and read, with a clear denominator.

How to measure rhyming goals

10-item probes. Say each item once at a normal pace. Use new words each probe from a pool of at least 40.
Record each item. Use the opportunity trial data sheet: one box per item, plus or minus, total out of 10.
Control guessing. Mix rhyming and non-rhyming pairs evenly, and use non-rhymes that share a first sound.
Timed production. For goals like 15, count different rhymes in 1 minute.
Probe weekly. Rhyme skills can change in a few weeks, so weekly probes show quickly when to move on.

The IEP must state how progress on each goal will be measured.^[2] Naming the probe and item count in the goal, as above, covers that. The IEP data sheets page has the other formats.

Short-term objectives for rhyming goals

Step up the difficulty, not just the percentage. For goal 13: by the first report, 8 of 10 with a picture of a rhyming option available; by the second, 8 of 10 with no picture; by the third, 8 of 10 including words from small rhyme families such as "fox." The short-term objectives guide has the format.

Adapting by grade and need

Grade or need	Typical rhyme focus	Example change
Preschool	Completing rhymes in songs and books	Goals 9 and 10, with familiar texts
Kindergarten, fall	Judgment and matching	Goals 1, 5 and 6
Kindergarten, spring	Production, then onset-rime	Goals 13 and 21
Grade 1 and up	Rarely rhyme; move to phonemes	Goal 23 as a bridge, then phoneme goals
AAC users	Picture or device choices	Goals 17 to 20
English learners	Check rhyme in the home language with the family or an interpreter	Accept rhymes the student knows; avoid unfamiliar vocabulary

Grade-band templates are on the phonological awareness goals page. The baseline glossary entry explains how to set a starting point. The National Early Literacy Panel lists phonological awareness among the early skills linked to later reading.^[3] Paste any draft into the goal checker before the meeting.

Frequently asked questions

What is a good rhyming IEP goal?

One that names the rhyme task, the materials, the response and a criterion with a denominator. For example: given 10 spoken word pairs, the student will say whether each pair rhymes for 9 of 10 pairs on 3 consecutive weekly probes.

Should a student master rhyming before working on phonemes?

No. Rhyme is not a gate to phoneme skills. If a student can blend sounds or isolate first sounds, a phoneme goal usually helps reading more. Use a rhyme goal when rhyme is the student's real next step.

Do made-up words count in a rhyme production goal?

They should, and the goal should say so. A made-up rhyme like zat for cat shows the student changed the first sound and kept the ending. Requiring real words turns the goal into a vocabulary test.

Use it in IEP Atlas

Sources

Foundational Skills to Support Reading for Understanding in Kindergarten Through 3rd Grade, What Works Clearinghouse, Institute of Education Sciences
34 CFR §300.320: Definition of individualized education program, Legal Information Institute, Cornell Law School
Developing Early Literacy: Report of the National Early Literacy Panel (2008), National Institute for Literacy

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.