How to write a progress report when the goal was not met

By the IEP Atlas editorial teamLast updated November 1, 2026

Short answer

When an IEP goal was not met, say so plainly, then report the final level against the baseline and the target, how much of the planned growth the student made, what likely held progress back, and what the new IEP will change. Use the goal's own unit and the median of the last 3 data points. A clear "not met" with numbers is more useful than a soft code.

A goal that was not met is not a failure to hide. It is information the team needs to write the next IEP. The report that closes out the goal should tell a parent four things in plain words: where the student ended, how far they came, why the goal was not reached, and what will be different next year.

This guide covers writing that final entry, usually the last progress report before the annual review. If you are mid-year and the graph has gone flat, the decision steps are in when a student is not making progress on IEP goals. For the full reporting routine, see the IEP progress monitoring pillar.

What the report has to say

The IEP must describe how progress toward each annual goal will be measured and when periodic reports go home.^[1] The team must also review the IEP at least once a year and revise it to address any lack of expected progress toward the annual goals.^[2] A "not met" report is where that lack of progress is first written down. It should give the team enough to act on.

Each entry needs five parts:

The status, stated plainly: not met.
The final level in the goal's unit, with the baseline and target beside it.
The growth made, as a number and as a share of the planned growth.
The likely reasons, based on data, not on the student's character.
The plan: what the next IEP will change.

What you need before you start

The goal's exact wording, including the conditions and the criterion.
The graph with every data point, the baseline and the goal line.
Session logs showing services delivered and missed, from both sides.
Notes on changes made during the year, with dates.
Attendance for the year.

Step by step

Step 1: Confirm the goal was not met

Check the criterion word for word. If the goal says "on 3 consecutive probes," a single score at target does not meet it. Take the median of the last 3 points and compare it with the target. Example: last probes of 61, 66 and 64 correct letter sounds per minute, against a target of 75, give a final level of 64. The goal was not met.

Subtract the baseline from the final level. Then divide that growth by the planned growth (target minus baseline). Example: baseline 30, target 75, final 64. Growth is 34 sounds per minute. Planned growth was 45. The student made 34 of 45, or about 76% of the planned growth. That one number tells a parent the year was not lost.

Step 3: Look for the reasons in the data

Go through the likely causes in order. Were services delivered as written? Did attendance drop? Did the trend flatten after a specific date, such as a schedule change? Was the measure the same all year? Write down only what the records show. "Missed 14 of 72 scheduled sessions" is a reason. "Lacks motivation" is not.

Step 4: Pick the right status wording

Use your district's code for "not met" or "insufficient progress," whichever matches. Do not use "progressing" for a goal that ended below target. Codes vary by district; see IEP progress report codes for common ones.

Step 5: Write the narrative in four sentences

Sentence 1 gives the status and the final level. Sentence 2 gives the growth. Sentence 3 gives the reason. Sentence 4 gives the plan. Keep it under 90 words. A longer explanation belongs in the meeting.

Step 6: Say what changes, and carry it into the new IEP

The plan sentence must point at something real: a different method, more minutes, a changed goal, or a new measure. Then make sure the new present levels quote the same final level, so the two documents agree. The guide to how to write a PLAAFP covers that handoff.

Time each step takes

Step	What you do	Time per goal
1	Check the criterion and take the median of the last 3 points	2 minutes
2	Calculate growth and the share of planned growth	2 minutes
3	Review session logs, attendance and the graph for reasons	5 to 10 minutes
4	Pick the status code	1 minute
5	Write the four-sentence narrative	5 minutes
6	Note the change for the new IEP and match present levels	5 minutes
Total		20 to 25 minutes

Step 3 takes the longest, and it is the step teams skip. Without it, the plan sentence is a guess.

Worked example: Rosa's letter-sound goal

Rosa is a fictional first grader. Her goal: "By the annual review, given a 1-minute letter-sound probe, Rosa will say 75 correct letter sounds per minute on 3 consecutive weekly probes." Her baseline in October was 30.

The data. Weekly probes rose steadily from October to February, reaching 58 by mid-February. In March the trend went flat. Her last 3 probes in May were 61, 66 and 64. Median: 64.

The growth. 64 minus 30 is 34 sounds per minute. Planned growth was 45. She made 34 of 45, about 76% of the planned growth.

The reasons. Session logs show 14 of 72 scheduled small-group sessions were missed, 9 of them in March and April when the interventionist covered testing. Rosa's attendance was 96%. The flat stretch matches the missed sessions exactly.

The entry.

The missed sessions also raise a separate question for the team: whether the student is owed make-up services. The report should state the facts; the team decides at the meeting.

Common mistakes

Hiding the status in a soft code.

Weak: "Progressing. Rosa continues to work hard on letter sounds."
Better: "Not met. Rosa says 64 letter sounds per minute; the goal was 75."

Reporting only the shortfall.

Weak: "Rosa fell 11 sounds short of her goal."
Better: "Rosa grew from 30 to 64, about three quarters of the growth planned, and fell 11 short of 75."

Blaming the student.

Weak: "Rosa did not apply herself during intervention."
Better: "Progress slowed in March and April, when 9 sessions were missed."

A plan that changes nothing.

Weak: "Rosa will continue to work on this skill next year."
Better: "The proposed goal adds a make-up schedule and moves sessions to the morning block."

Using the best day as the final level.

Weak: "Rosa reached 70 sounds per minute in May."
Better: "Median of the last 3 probes: 64 (61, 66, 64)."

When the reason is the goal itself

Sometimes the data shows the target was too high from the start. A student who grew faster than peers on the same skill but still missed an ambitious target has not failed. Say what the growth was and propose a target based on this year's actual rate. The guide to setting realistic IEP goal targets shows how to project one.

Other times the measure changed partway through, such as new passages at a harder level. Say so, mark the date on the graph, and report the two stretches separately.

Tools

Graph the year's data on one page before you write. The aimline and trend line guide shows how.
Pull session counts from your logs, or from the service log tool if you track minutes there.
For wording across many goals, see IEP progress report examples.
If you write final reports for a whole caseload, IEP Atlas Pro graphs the session data and drafts batch progress reports with narratives you edit before they go home.

Frequently asked questions

Is it bad to mark an IEP goal as not met?

No. An accurate status is what the team needs to plan the next IEP. Marking a goal met or progressing when the data says otherwise hides a problem the student needs solved. Report the status, the growth made and the plan.

Should I tell the parent before the report goes home?

Yes, when you can. A short call or note before a not-met report arrives lets the parent hear the numbers and the plan from you, and it makes the annual review meeting calmer and more productive.

Can the same goal be repeated in the new IEP?

It can, if the skill is still the right target. Update the baseline to the final level, set the target from this year's actual growth, and change the instruction or services. Repeating a goal word for word with no other change rarely helps.

Use it in IEP Atlas

Sources

34 CFR §300.320: Definition of individualized education program, Legal Information Institute, Cornell Law School
34 CFR §300.324: Development, review, and revision of IEP, 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.