IEP progress report comment examples

By the IEP Atlas editorial teamLast updated November 1, 2026

Short answer

A good IEP progress report comment names the current score in the goal's unit, compares it with the baseline or the aimline, and says what happens next. "Maya solves 7 of 10 two-step problems, up from 3, and is on pace for 9 of 10" works. "Maya is making progress" does not. The 24 comments below are sorted by what the data shows.

Progress report comments go wrong in two predictable ways. They describe effort instead of data, or they say "progressing" without a number. The fix is the same every time: start from the graph, not from your impression of the student. The IEP already promised how each goal would be measured and when parents would hear about it.^[2]

The comments below are grouped by data pattern, because the pattern decides what the comment must say. Each row shows a weak comment, a strong rewrite and what makes the rewrite work. The students and numbers are fictional. For the step-by-step method, see how to write an IEP progress report, and for the cycle that produces the data, the IEP progress monitoring pillar.

Match the comment to the data pattern

Look at the last 4 to 6 points on the graph against the goal line, then pick the section.

What the graph shows	Pattern	What the comment must include
Points on or near the aimline	On pace	Score, baseline, "on pace"
Points above the aimline, or goal reached	Ahead or met	Evidence and what happens to the goal
Points level for 4 or more weeks	Flat	Gap to the aimline and the instructional change
Rising, but under the aimline	Behind but growing	Growth and the gap, plus a plan to close it
Points falling	Slipping	Possible reason from the data and the response
Points bouncing, or few points	Uneven or thin data	What explains it and how data will change

On pace (comments 1 to 4)

#	Weak	Strong	What makes it strong
1	"Maya is doing great in math."	"Maya solves 7 of 10 two-step word problems correctly, up from 3 of 10 in September. She is on pace to reach 9 of 10 by the annual review."	Fraction of a fixed set, baseline, pace
2	"Noah is working on his speech sounds."	"Noah produces /s/ correctly in 16 of 20 sentences (80%), up from 5 of 20 at word level. He is on track. Practice moves to conversation next quarter."	Denominator, level of practice, next step up
3	"Olivia is getting better at writing her name."	"Olivia writes all 6 letters of her first name legibly in 4 of 5 tries, up from 2 letters. She is on pace for her handwriting goal."	A countable, visible result
4	"Pedro is following directions better."	"Pedro starts a task within 1 minute of a direction in 7 of 10 observed work periods, up from 2 of 10. That is on pace for 8 of 10 by May."	Clear behavior and a time limit

Ahead of pace or goal met (comments 5 to 8)

#	Weak	Strong	What makes it strong
5	"Quinn met the goal."	"Goal met. Quinn has scored 9 or 10 of 10 on the last 3 weekly fraction probes (goal 8 of 10). The IEP team will meet to set the next fraction goal."	Evidence across 3 probes and a plan
6	"Rosa is doing really well."	"Rosa's last 4 scores are above the line she needs: she now greets peers in 9 of 10 chances, up from 2 of 10. The team will discuss raising the goal to include starting a conversation."	Above the aimline, so raise the bar
7	"Sam has mastered this."	"Sam completes all 8 steps of his morning arrival routine on his own on 5 of the last 5 days. Next quarter we will check that he keeps the skill with a substitute teacher."	Mastery plus a generalization check
8	"Tara exceeded expectations."	"Tara types 22 correct words per minute, past her goal of 18. Her accuracy stayed above 95%. She will use typing for written assignments, and her next goal will focus on composing."	Met goal turned into a use in class

Flat (comments 9 to 12)

#	Weak	Strong	What makes it strong
9	"Uma continues to work on math facts."	"Uma writes 20 digits correct in 2 minutes, the same as 5 weeks ago, and below the 26 she needs by now. Starting this week she practices facts for 5 extra minutes daily with a self-graphing chart. We will review in 4 weeks."	Admits the plateau, names the change and the date
10	"Victor is still having trouble with outbursts."	"Victor has averaged 4 outbursts per day for 6 weeks, down from 7 at baseline but not moving toward the goal of 1. The team will review his behavior plan on November 14."	Count per day and a team date
11	"Will needs to participate more in speech."	"Will uses 3-word sentences in 4 of 10 chances in therapy, the same as last quarter. We are adding a visual sentence strip and practice in his classroom twice a week."	Flat named plainly, support added
12	"Xena has not shown much growth."	"Xena reads 12 of 25 high-frequency words correctly, compared with 11 in September. Growth has stalled. Instruction changes from flashcards to daily word-building practice, 10 minutes a day."	Says what changes in teaching

Behind but growing (comments 13 to 16)

#	Weak	Strong	What makes it strong
13	"Yusuf is improving slowly."	"Yusuf scores 6 of 12 on the paragraph rubric, up from 3 of 12, but under the 8 he needs by now. He gains about 1 point a month and needs about 1.5. We are adding a planning organizer for every writing task."	Rate of growth compared with the rate needed
14	"Zoe is making some progress in reading comprehension."	"Zoe answers 5 of 10 questions correctly on grade 4 passages, up from 3. She is behind the pace for 8 of 10. Most errors are inference questions, so small-group work will target those."	Gap plus the error pattern
15	"Aaron is trying hard with his OT goals."	"Aaron cuts along a curved line within 1/4 inch on 3 of 5 tries, up from 1 of 5. He needs 4 of 5 by May. The OT is moving from loop scissors to standard scissors with a hand-over-hand fade."	Measurable motor result and the next teaching move
16	"Bella is learning to use her device."	"Bella uses her communication device to request in 6 of 10 opportunities, up from 2, but needs 8 of 10. Staff will model on the device during snack and recess, not just in therapy."	Moves practice into more settings

Slipping (comments 17 to 20)

#	Weak	Strong	What makes it strong
17	"Caleb has regressed."	"Caleb's scores fell from 7 of 10 to 4 of 10 over the last 4 probes, which started after his schedule change in October. We are moving his math support back to the morning and will check again in 3 weeks."	Links the drop to a dated event
18	"Dana's behavior got worse this quarter."	"Dana left her seat without permission an average of 9 times per class in the last 3 weeks, up from 5. The increase started when her seat moved near the door. Her seat is moving back, and the team will review the data on December 2."	Count, a likely cause from the data, action
19	"Evan seems to have forgotten his skills."	"After 2 weeks of absence, Evan's scores dropped from 30 to 22 correct letter sounds per minute. His last 2 probes are climbing again (24, 26). We expect him back on pace within 4 weeks."	Explains the dip and shows recovery
20	"Faith is not doing well."	"Faith completes 3 of 10 assigned tasks, down from 5 last quarter. Her teachers note she often waits for help. We will start a check-in after the first problem of each task and review in 4 weeks."	Concrete measure and a specific response

Uneven or thin data (comments 21 to 24)

#	Weak	Strong	What makes it strong
21	"Gina is inconsistent."	"Gina's scores ranged from 2 to 8 of 10 this quarter. She scored 7 or higher on the 5 days she had breakfast at school and 4 or lower on the others. The team is sharing this with her family and the nurse."	Turns the bounce into a pattern
22	"Not enough data to report."	"Only 3 probes were possible this quarter because of state testing and 6 absences. Those 3 scores (5, 6, 6 of 10) suggest growth from a baseline of 4. Probes move to Mondays to protect the schedule."	Honest count and a fix
23	"Hugo has good days and bad days."	"Hugo's time on task ranged from 4 to 18 minutes in a 20-minute block. Longer times happened in morning sessions. The team is moving his independent work to the morning for 4 weeks to test this."	A testable change
24	"Isla is progressing."	"Isla's correct responses vary from 40% to 80% of 10 trials from session to session, with a median of 60% (baseline 30%). The SLP is adding a warm-up so scores reflect the skill, not the start of the session."	Median, range and a fix for the measure

Printable version

Print this page or copy the six patterns into your planning notes. No sign-up is needed. For each goal, check off:

The score is in the goal's own unit, with a denominator if it is a percent.
The comment names the baseline or the aimline value for this point in the year.
The trend is stated in plain words: on pace, ahead, flat, behind or slipping.
Any change in instruction is named, with a review date.
No comment would fit another student unchanged.

How to measure so these comments are possible

Every strong comment above needs a schedule of probes and a graph with an aimline. The free IEP data sheets match each measure, and the measurement methods pages explain scoring. Brief, repeated measures and a set decision rule are what let you tell flat from slow growth.^[1] For full entries organized by goal type, see the IEP progress report examples. Reading teachers will find fluency, decoding and comprehension wording in the progress report comments for reading.

When a comment says the team will change instruction, the guide on what to do when a student is not making progress covers the next steps.

Adjusting comments by grade and support level

Student	Adjust the comment
Pre-K and K	Use counts of chances and plain verbs. Skip percent.
Elementary	Add the error pattern in one short clause.
Secondary	Tie the score to class work and write so the student can read it.
Significant support needs	Always report prompt level next to the score.
Related services	Name the setting where the skill was measured (therapy room or classroom).

Frequently asked questions

What should I avoid writing in IEP progress report comments?

Avoid effort words with no data (working hard, trying), vague verbs (improving, struggling), grade equivalents and copied comments. Each comment should give a number in the goal's unit, a comparison and a next step.

How do I write a comment when the student made no progress?

State the current score, how long it has been flat, and the gap to where the student should be by now. Then name the change in instruction and when you will review the data. Honest comments build more trust with families than vague ones.

Should progress report comments use percentages?

Only when the goal uses them, and always with the denominator, such as 8 of 10 problems or 80% of 20 trials. If the goal is written in minutes, counts or words per minute, use that unit instead.

Use it in IEP Atlas

Sources

Progress Monitoring: Data & Goal Setting, National Center on Intensive Intervention
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.