IEP goals for author's purpose and point of view
By the IEP Atlas editorial teamLast updated
Short answer
An author's purpose IEP goal names the texts, the purposes to choose from and a clue the student must cite. Example: given 6 short unpracticed texts, Rosa will name each author's main purpose (inform, persuade, entertain or explain how) and point to one clue, with 5 of 6 correct on 3 probes. A purpose without a clue counts as a guess.
Author's purpose is why the author wrote the text: to inform, persuade, entertain or explain how to do something. Point of view has two meanings on IEPs. In stories, it is who tells the story (first or third person). In informational and argument texts, it is what the author thinks about the topic. Both skills ask the student to look past what the text says to who is saying it and why.
The 12 goals below cover purpose, narrator point of view and the author's perspective. Each has a condition, a baseline, a criterion with a denominator and a template link. Numbers are illustrations. For comprehension goals in every area, see IEP goals for reading comprehension. The pillar on reading comprehension strategies covers how to teach comprehension routines.
How to choose an author's purpose goal
Give the student 6 short texts of different types (an ad, a recipe, a news article, a short story, an opinion letter, a how-to) and ask why each was written and how they know.
| What the student does | Sub-skill to target | Measurement method |
|---|---|---|
| Answers "to inform" for everything | Sorting texts by purpose | Texts correct, out of 6 |
| Names the right purpose but cannot say why | Purpose with a clue | Purpose plus clue, out of 5 or 6 |
| Cannot tell who is telling a story | Narrator point of view (first, third) | Passages correct, out of 5 |
| Treats an opinion article as plain fact | Author's point of view and perspective | Rubric with evidence |
| Misses how ads and speeches try to persuade | Persuasive choices | Techniques named with an example |
The What Works Clearinghouse guide on adolescent literacy recommends direct and explicit comprehension strategy instruction and extended discussion of text meaning.[1] Author's purpose goals work best when the student talks through the clue, not just picks a label.
Author's purpose: sorting and clues (grades 2 to 5)
- Given 6 short unpracticed texts, Rosa will name each author's main purpose (inform, persuade, entertain or explain how) and point to one clue, with 5 of 6 correct on 3 probes. Baseline: 2 of 6, answers "inform" for most. Template.
- After reading a grade 3 passage, Rosa will state the author's purpose and the sentence or feature that shows it, scoring 2 of 2 points in 4 of 5 passages. Baseline: 1 of 5 with a clue. Template.
- After listening to 5 short audio clips (an announcement, a story, an ad), Jamal will tell why each speaker is talking, with 4 of 5 correct across 3 sessions. Baseline: 2 of 5. Template.
Weak: "Rosa will identify author's purpose." Measurable: Goal 1 above. It names the choices, the number of texts and the clue.
Persuasive purpose and choices (grades 5 to 12)
- Given 6 print or online ads, Jamal will name the persuasion technique in each (bandwagon, expert, emotion, testimonial) and the words or image that show it, with 5 of 6 correct on 3 probes. Baseline: 2 of 6. Template.
- Given a short speech, Elena will explain how 2 of the author's choices (a story, a repeated phrase, a statistic) serve the purpose, scoring 3 of 4 rubric points on 3 probes. Baseline: 1 of 4. Template.
- Given 6 newspaper articles, Elena will label each as news or opinion and name one feature that shows it, with 5 of 6 correct on 3 probes. Baseline: 3 of 6. Template.
Weak: "Elena will understand persuasive writing." Measurable: Goal 2 above. It names the text, the number of choices and the rubric.
Narrator point of view (grades 3 to 8)
- Given 6 unpracticed story passages, Leo will label each as first or third person and circle 2 pronouns that show it, with 5 of 6 correct on 3 probes. Baseline: 2 of 6. Template.
- After reading a short story, Leo will name who is telling the story and how he knows, with both correct in 4 of 5 stories. Baseline: 1 of 5. Template.
- After reading a story told in first person, Kim will name one thing the narrator could not know and explain why, scoring 2 of 2 points in 4 of 5 stories. Baseline: 1 of 5. Template.
Weak: "Leo will identify point of view." Measurable: Goal 1 above. It names the choice, the evidence and the count.
The author's point of view (grades 6 to 12)
- After reading a grade 7 opinion article, Kim will state the author's point of view on the topic and 2 sentences that show it, scoring 3 of 4 rubric points on 3 probes. Baseline: 1 of 4. Template.
- After reading an informational article, Ty will explain how the author's perspective shapes what facts are included or left out, scoring 3 of 4 rubric points on 3 of 4 probes. Baseline: 1 of 4. Template.
- Given a social media ad, Ty will explain who made it, who it targets and 2 ways it tries to persuade, scoring 4 of 5 rubric points on 3 probes. Baseline: 2 of 5. Template.
Weak: "Kim will understand the author's perspective." Measurable: Goal 1 above. It asks for the view and 2 supporting sentences.
How to measure author's purpose goals
- Score the label and the clue. One point for the purpose or point of view, one for the clue. Count items with both toward the criterion.
- Mix text types on every probe. If 5 of 6 texts are informational, a student who always says "inform" scores well without learning anything.
- Use real-world texts. Ads, menus, letters and news are the texts students meet after school.
- Track on one sheet. The accuracy data sheet for labeled sets; the rubric scoring data sheet for rubric goals.
Probe every 2 weeks and graph the results; repeated measures over time show the trend.[2]
Short-term objectives for author's purpose goals
Add choices or remove support. For goal 1: by the first report, 5 of 6 with 3 purposes and a clue word list; by the second, 4 purposes with the list; by the third, 4 purposes with no list. The IEP must describe how progress on each goal is measured and reported.[3] See the short-term objectives guide.
Adapting by grade and support level
| Grade band or need | Typical focus | Example change |
|---|---|---|
| Grades 2 to 3 | Inform, persuade, entertain | Short texts with pictures |
| Grades 4 to 5 | Purpose with a clue, explain how | Mixed sets of 6 texts |
| Middle school | First vs third person, author's view | Stories and opinion articles |
| High school | Perspective, rhetoric, media | Speeches, editorials, ads |
| Access needs | Choice of 3 purposes with icons | Text read aloud, AAC |
The literary analysis goals page holds templates for purpose, point of view and persuasion. The comprehension goals page has the rest. For the message a story carries, see IEP goals for theme and central idea, and for comparing two authors, see IEP goals for compare and contrast. Paste a draft into the goal checker.
Frequently asked questions
What is a good author's purpose IEP goal?
One that names the texts, the purposes to choose from and a clue the student must give. For example: given 6 short unpracticed texts, the student will name each author's purpose and point to one clue, with 5 of 6 correct on 3 probes.
What does PIE stand for in author's purpose?
Persuade, inform and entertain, the three most common purposes taught in elementary school. Many teachers add explain how, for directions and recipes, because students often mislabel those texts as inform.
Is point of view the same as author's purpose?
No. Purpose is why the author wrote the text. Point of view is either who tells a story, such as first or third person, or what the author thinks about the topic. Goals should name which one they mean.
Use it in IEP Atlas
- Literary analysis goals (reading)
- Comprehension goals (reading)
- Reading comprehension strategies goal hub
- Reading comprehension in the IEP glossary
- IEP goal checker
Related guides
- Reading comprehension strategies for struggling readers
- Reading comprehension IEP goal examples
- IEP goals for theme and central idea: 20 examples
- IEP goals for compare and contrast: 24 examples
- IEP goals for main idea and details
- How to measure reading comprehension without a percent-of-questions trap
Sources
- Improving Adolescent Literacy: Effective Classroom and Intervention Practices, What Works Clearinghouse, Institute of Education Sciences
- 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.