Physical therapy IEP goals: examples for school-based PT

By the IEP Atlas editorial teamLast updated November 1, 2026

Short answer

A school physical therapy IEP goal names a movement task the student needs during the school day, such as climbing the bus steps, keeping up in the hallway or joining PE, plus the support level and a measurable criterion. Example: using the handrail, Maya will go up and down a flight of 12 school stairs with alternating feet and standby help on 4 of 5 days.

School physical therapy goals are about moving safely and independently around the school: getting off the bus, walking the halls with the class, using the stairs, transferring to a toilet, joining PE and recess. Each example below gives a condition, a baseline, a criterion and the measure, with a link to the full template. The numbers are illustrations.

The examples cover gross motor skills, functional mobility, mobility equipment, and fitness and PE. A section on skill-component rubrics shows how to get a baseline that moves when the student improves.

What makes a PT goal educational

Physical therapy is a related service under IDEA, provided when a student needs it to benefit from special education.^[1] So the question for every school PT goal is: what can the student not do at school, and how does it limit access to learning or to peers?

That framing changes the goal. A clinic goal targets a body measure, such as range of motion or a strength grade. A school goal targets the task the body measure is meant to serve. The body measure can still go in present levels, where it explains why the task is hard.

Physical education is part of special education under IDEA, and schools must make it available to students with disabilities.^[2]^[3] Many PT goals connect to PE. When the student needs a specially designed PE program, adapted PE goals may belong to the adapted PE teacher, with the PT consulting.

Medical-model and educational-model PT goals

Medical-model goal	Educational-model goal for the same need
Increase hamstring range of motion by 15 degrees	Sit on the floor for 15 minutes of morning meeting with legs crossed or out front
Improve single-leg stance to 10 seconds	Step up onto the bus and down the steps using the rail, completing 6 of 6 steps
Ambulate 300 feet with a walker	Walk from the bus loop to the classroom with a walker within 8 minutes
Increase quadriceps strength to 4 of 5	Stand up from a classroom chair without using arms in 4 of 5 tries
Improve cardiovascular endurance	Walk or jog continuously for 6 minutes during the PE warm-up
Improve dynamic balance	Walk on grass, wood chips and curbs at recess with no falls in 4 of 5 recesses
Improve wheelchair propulsion	Wheel to lunch and arrive with the class in 4 of 5 days
Increase trunk control	Sit upright at the desk for a 20-minute lesson with a supportive chair

The right column is the IEP goal. The left column describes how the PT may work toward it and can be noted in present levels.

Using skill-component rubrics for baselines

Many motor skills are hard to score as pass or fail. A student can throw a ball every time and still throw with an immature pattern. A skill-component rubric breaks the skill into parts and scores each part as present or absent across several trials. The baseline is the number of components shown, and the goal raises it.

Example: an overhand throw rubric with 4 components.

Component	Trial 1	Trial 2	Trial 3
Side turned toward the target before the throw	Yes	No	Yes
Throwing arm swings down and back	No	No	No
Steps forward with the foot opposite the throwing arm	No	Yes	No
Arm follows through across the body	Yes	Yes	Yes
Components shown (of 4)	2	2	2

The baseline is 2 of 4 components on 3 of 3 trials. A goal of 4 of 4 components on 3 of 4 trials is measurable and specific. The same method works for running, jumping, galloping, catching and kicking. Score from a short video when you can; it is hard to watch four components at once. Use the rubric scoring data sheet and see rubric scoring.

Gross motor goals

These goals target movement skills the student needs in the building and on the playground. See the gross motor goals page for 55 templates.

Using the handrail, Maya will go up and down a flight of 12 school stairs with alternating feet and standby help on 4 of 5 days. Baseline: step-to pattern with contact guard help. Template.
During PE and classroom movement breaks, Theo will stand on one foot for 8 seconds on each side in 3 of 4 trials. Baseline: 2 seconds on the right, 3 on the left. Template.
During a PE throwing station, Eli will throw a tennis ball overhand showing 4 of 4 rubric components on 3 of 4 trials. Baseline: 2 of 4 components. Template.
During recess and PE, Eli will jump forward with both feet together and land without falling for a distance of 24 inches in 4 of 5 trials. Baseline: 8 inches, falls in 3 of 5. Template.
Given a playground ball tossed from 6 feet, Ruby will catch it with two hands, without trapping it against her chest, in 7 of 10 tosses. Baseline: 2 of 10. Template.

Weak: "Maya will improve stair negotiation." Measurable: Goal 1 above. It names the stairs, the pattern, the support and the count.

Functional mobility goals

Functional mobility goals get the student where the class goes, on time and safely. Write them around school routes and routines. The functional mobility goals page has 40 templates.

Using the bus steps and handrail, Noah will board and exit the school bus completing 6 of 6 task steps with standby help on 4 of 5 days. Baseline: 3 of 6, with contact guard. Template.
Using his walker, Noah will walk from the bus loop to his classroom within 8 minutes on 4 of 5 mornings. Baseline: 15 minutes, with 3 rest stops. Template.
In her manual wheelchair, Ava will wheel from her classroom to the cafeteria and arrive within 1 minute of her class on 4 of 5 days. Baseline: arrives 6 minutes after the class. Template.
Using a slide board, Ava will transfer from her wheelchair to a classroom chair completing 8 of 8 steps with standby help in 4 of 5 transfers. Baseline: 4 of 8, with moderate help. Template.
During fire drills, Ava will exit the building in her wheelchair along the planned route within the drill time, completing 5 of 5 steps, in 3 of 3 drills. Baseline: pushed by an adult. Template.
During passing periods, Jay will walk between classes with his backpack and arrive before the bell on 4 of 5 days. Baseline: arrives 2 to 4 minutes late daily. Template.

Weak: "Ava will be independent with transfers." Measurable: Goal 4 above. It names the transfer, the steps and the level of help.

Mobility equipment goals

Equipment goals teach the student to use and manage a walker, crutches, a power chair or a stander as part of the school day. The mobility equipment goals page has more.

Using his walker, Noah will open and pass through a heavy classroom door completing 5 of 5 steps without help on 4 of 5 trials. Baseline: waits for an adult. Template.
Each morning, Leo will complete the 6-step power chair safety check (battery, brakes, joystick, belt, footrests, tires) with a picture checklist on 4 of 5 days. Baseline: 1 of 6 steps. Template.
During table activities, Mia will stand in her stander for 30 minutes while taking part in the lesson on 4 of 5 days. Baseline: 10 minutes. Template.

Measure: task analysis for multi-step routines; duration for standing time.

Fitness and PE goals

Fitness goals help the student keep up with PE and the physical demands of the school day. Work with the PE or adapted PE teacher so the goal fits the class's units. See the physical fitness and PE goals page.

During the PE warm-up, Sam will walk or jog continuously for 6 minutes on 3 of 4 PE days. Baseline: 2 minutes before stopping. Template.
With a picture sequence, Sam will complete the 5-step PE warm-up routine with his class, doing 5 of 5 steps on 4 of 5 PE days. Baseline: 2 of 5. Template.
During PE laps, Ava will propel her wheelchair continuously for 5 minutes on 3 of 4 PE days. Baseline: 90 seconds. Template.

Sport skills such as striking, dribbling and swimming are on the sport and game skills page. These often belong to the adapted PE teacher.

Weak and measurable PT goals

Weak: "Theo will improve balance and coordination." Measurable: "During recess, Theo will walk on grass, wood chips and curbs with no falls in 4 of 5 recesses." It names the setting and a count a teacher can check.

Weak: "Noah will increase endurance with his walker." Measurable: Functional mobility goal 2 above. A school route and a time give a number every morning.

Weak: "Eli will improve ball skills." Measurable: Gross motor goal 3 above, with a component rubric for the baseline.

Paste your draft into the goal checker to catch a missing support level or criterion.

How to measure PT goals

Skill-component rubrics for motor patterns. Score each part present or absent across 3 to 4 trials.
Task analysis for multi-step routines: bus steps, transfers, fire drills, equipment checks. Use the task analysis data sheet; task analysis examples show how to break a routine into steps.
Time and distance for routes, endurance and standing. Use the duration data sheet and see duration recording.
Opportunities for skills that come up a set number of times, such as catches out of 10 tosses or falls out of 5 recesses.

Define the level of help in the same words every time: independent, standby (adult nearby, no touch), contact guard (hand on the student, no lifting), minimal or moderate help. A change from contact guard to standby is real progress and should show in the data. Teachers and paraprofessionals can record route times and falls at recess on a simple card.

Adapting by grade

Grade band	Typical PT focus	Example change
Preschool	Floor to stand, stairs, playground access, tricycle	Measure in play and on the playground
K to 2	Bus, hallway with the class, jumping, catching	Component rubrics for motor patterns
Grades 3 to 5	Stairs with a backpack, PE participation, fitness	Add carrying materials to the condition
Middle school	Passing periods, lockers, crowded halls, equipment care	Time between classes; student-led equipment checks
High school	Campus travel, community access, work sites	Use job sites and community routes

Fine motor, handwriting and sensory goals are covered in occupational therapy IEP goals. Every motor skill page is listed on the motor skills goals hub. The PT role page gathers goals from other areas that PTs support, and the adapted PE role page covers goals the adapted PE teacher often owns. For the baseline itself, see how to collect baseline data.

Frequently asked questions

What is the difference between school PT and outpatient PT goals?

School PT goals target tasks the student needs at school, such as stairs, the bus, the hallway and PE. Outpatient goals often target body measures such as strength or range of motion. The school goal can draw on those measures, but it must tie to access and participation at school.

How do you measure gross motor skills for an IEP goal?

Use a skill-component rubric for movement patterns, a task analysis for routines like bus steps or transfers, and time or distance for routes and endurance. Always state the level of adult help, because it changes the score.

Who writes PE goals, the PT or the adapted PE teacher?

It depends on the student and the district. When the student needs a specially designed PE program, the adapted PE teacher usually writes the PE goals and the PT consults. When the need is mobility in the building, the PT usually writes the goal.

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Sources

34 CFR §300.34: Related services, Legal Information Institute, Cornell Law School
34 CFR §300.39: Special education, Legal Information Institute, Cornell Law School
34 CFR §300.108: Physical education, U.S. Department of Education (IDEA website)
APTA Pediatrics, Academy of Pediatric Physical Therapy, American Physical Therapy Association

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.