Reading comprehension IEP goal examples

By the IEP Atlas editorial teamLast updated November 1, 2026

Short answer

A measurable reading comprehension IEP goal names the text (type, level and whether it is read aloud), the comprehension skill, a criterion with a denominator, and how it is measured. Example: given an unpracticed grade 4 informational passage, the student will state the main idea of each paragraph with 80% accuracy on 3 consecutive biweekly probes.

Comprehension goals go wrong in a few predictable ways. They say "will improve comprehension" with no skill named. They use "80% of questions" with no passage level or question type. Or they target comprehension when the real problem is decoding.

Each of the 16 goals below shows a fictional baseline, a criterion and a measure, and links to the template with full wording you can adapt. All numbers are illustrations, not benchmarks. For the teaching side of each skill, see the pillar on reading comprehension strategies.

How to choose the right comprehension goal

Start from what the student does wrong, not from the grade. Use the table to move from the error pattern to a sub-skill and a measure.

What you see	Likely need	Goal type	Measure
Misses questions on text read alone, answers well when you read aloud	Decoding or fluency	Not a comprehension goal yet; see phonics and decoding goals	WCPM, accuracy
Cannot answer who, what, where after a read-aloud	Literal comprehension, language	Wh- questions	Percent accuracy
Retells only the last event, or events out of order	Story structure	Retell, sequencing	Story grammar rubric
Names a detail or the topic when asked for the main idea	Main idea	Main idea, summary	Accuracy, rubric
Answers "why" questions with no reason from the text	Inference	Inference with evidence	Rubric
Reads to the end without noticing confusion	Monitoring	Fix-up strategy use	Opportunities
Gets lost in textbooks and articles	Text structure, text features	Structure, features	Accuracy
Older student, needs to read forms and policies	Functional reading	Functional texts	Accuracy

Wh- questions and literal comprehension

These goals fit younger students and students with language needs. The text is often read aloud, which makes this a listening comprehension goal. Say so in the condition.

Goal 1: Wh- questions after a read-aloud (template). Baseline: 4 of 10 who, what and where questions correct. Goal: After listening to a picture book read aloud, the student will answer who, what and where questions with 80% accuracy across 3 consecutive sessions, measured on 10 questions per session.
Goal 2: Why and how questions (template). Baseline: 1 of 6. Goal: After a story read aloud, the student will answer why and how questions using a detail from the story on 5 of 6 questions in 3 of 4 sessions.
Goal 3: Literal questions on text read independently (template). Baseline: 50% on grade 3 passages. Goal: Given an unpracticed grade 3 passage at instructional level, the student will answer literal questions with 85% accuracy on 4 consecutive weekly probes of 8 questions.

Weak: "Student will answer comprehension questions with 80% accuracy." Measurable: goal 3 above. It names the passage level, the question type, the number of questions and the timeline.

Retell and sequencing

Score retell on a story grammar rubric, not on a count of facts. A rubric shows which parts are missing.

Goal 4: Story grammar retell (template). Baseline: 5 of 12 rubric points. Goal: After reading an unpracticed grade 3 narrative, the student will retell the story including character, setting, problem, 3 key events and solution, scoring 10 of 12 points on a story grammar rubric on 3 consecutive probes.
Goal 5: Sequencing events (template). Baseline: 2 of 5 events in order. Goal: After reading a short story, the student will tell 5 key events in the correct order with 90% accuracy across 4 of 5 sessions.
Goal 6: Informational retell (template). Baseline: 2 of 6 rubric points. Goal: After an informational read-aloud, the student will retell 3 accurate facts in their own words, scoring 6 of 6 rubric points in 3 consecutive sessions.

Weak: "Student will retell a story." Measurable: goal 4. It lists the story parts and the rubric score, so two adults would score it the same way. More goals are in the retelling hub and the sequencing hub.

Main idea and summary

Goal 7: Main idea of informational paragraphs (template). Baseline: median 3 of 10 paragraphs. Goal: Given an unpracticed grade 4 informational passage, the student will state the main idea of each paragraph in their own words with 80% accuracy on 3 consecutive biweekly probes.
Goal 8: One-sentence summary (template). Baseline: 2 of 5 rubric points. Goal: After reading an informational paragraph at instructional level, the student will write a one-sentence summary scoring 4 of 5 on a summary rubric (topic, key point, own words, no minor details, complete sentence) on 4 of 5 probes.
Goal 9: Objective summary of an article (template). Baseline: 4 of 12. Goal: Given a grade 7 article read with text-to-speech, the student will write an objective summary scoring at least 9 of 12 on a summary rubric across 3 consecutive monthly probes.

Weak: "Student will find the main idea 80% of the time." Measurable: goal 7. "Of the time" has no denominator. Paragraphs on a probe do. See the main idea hub.

Inference

Every inference goal should require a text clue. Without it, a correct guess counts the same as real reasoning.

Goal 10: Inference with text evidence (template). Baseline: 4 of 12 rubric points across 3 responses. Goal: Given a grade 5 passage and 3 inference questions, the student will answer each with an inference and a supporting quote, scoring 9 of 12 rubric points on 3 consecutive probes.
Goal 11: Character inferences (template). Baseline: 30%. Goal: After reading a short story, the student will infer why a character acted and name a clue from the text with 75% accuracy on 8 questions per probe across 4 biweekly probes.

Weak: "Student will make inferences." Measurable: goal 10. It defines a scored response: inference plus quote. The inferencing hub has goals from kindergarten up.

Text structure and text features

Goal 12: Text structure (template). Baseline: 3 of 10 passages. Goal: Given short informational passages, the student will name the structure (sequence, compare and contrast, cause and effect, problem and solution, description) and complete a matching organizer with 80% accuracy on 10 passages per probe in 3 of 4 probes.
Goal 13: Text features (template). Baseline: 3 of 10 items. Goal: Given a grade-level science textbook chapter, the student will use headings, bold words, the index and the glossary to locate answers to 10 questions with 90% accuracy across 3 consecutive weekly probes.

Weak: "Student will use text features." Measurable: goal 13. It names the features, the text and the count of questions.

Comprehension monitoring and strategy use

These goals count whether the student used a strategy at planned stopping points. Measure them as opportunities. Teaching students to monitor their understanding appears in the federal practice guides for both the early grades and grades 4 to 9.^[2]^[3]

Goal 14: Fix-up strategy (template). Baseline: 1 of 5 stops. Goal: While reading an instructional-level passage with 5 marked stopping points, the student will state whether the section made sense and, when it did not, use a fix-up strategy from a list, at 4 of 5 stops in 4 consecutive sessions.
Goal 15: Paraphrase at stopping points (template). Baseline: 1 of 4. Goal: While reading a grade 6 science passage, the student will paraphrase each section in 1 or 2 sentences at 4 of 4 planned stops on 3 of 4 probes.

Weak: "Student will use reading strategies." Measurable: goal 14. It names the strategy, the number of chances and the condition.

High school and functional reading

Goal 16: Policy and handbook text (template). Baseline: 4 of 10. Goal: Given a workplace or school policy of 1 to 2 pages, the student will answer 10 questions about rules, steps and deadlines with 85% accuracy on 3 consecutive probes, using text-to-speech as needed.

For high school students reading near grade level, use the claim and evidence goals instead, such as find the claim and reasons in an argument. Both types belong in a transition-age IEP when reading supports the student's postsecondary goals. See high school IEP goals for more.

How to measure progress

Use unpracticed passages at a fixed level for every probe. If the passage gets easier or harder from week to week, the scores cannot be compared.

Goal type	Method	Data sheet	How often
Wh- and literal questions, main idea, structure	Percent accuracy	Accuracy data sheet	Weekly or biweekly
Retell, summary, inference	Rubric scoring	Rubric scoring data sheet	Biweekly
Monitoring and strategy use	Opportunities	Opportunity data sheet	Each session or weekly

On the rubric sheet, write the rubric rows in once and score each probe in a new column. That way a progress report can show which story parts the student now includes. The guide on how to measure reading comprehension for IEP goals walks through one student's probes and the common traps.

Short-term objectives for comprehension goals

Break a comprehension goal into steps by support or text difficulty, not by smaller percentages of the same task. For goal 4 (story grammar retell), objectives might read:

With a picture story map, the student will retell 5 story grammar parts, scoring 7 of 12 points.
With a word-only story map, the student will score 9 of 12 points.
With no map, the student will score 10 of 12 points on an unpracticed narrative.

The short-term objectives guide covers when objectives are required and how to write them.

Adapting by grade and support level

Level	Text and format	Typical goals	Measure
K to 2	Picture books read aloud	Wh- questions, retell, main topic	Accuracy, rubric
Grades 3 to 5	Instructional-level narrative and informational text	Story grammar retell, main idea, inference	Rubric, accuracy
Middle school	Textbooks and articles, with text-to-speech as needed	Summary, text structure, monitoring	Rubric, opportunities
High school	Articles, arguments, functional documents	Claims and evidence, objective summary, policies	Rubric, accuracy
Significant support needs	Adapted text with pictures; pointing or AAC responses	Yes or no questions, picture choices	Opportunities

For students who respond by pointing or with AAC, the adapted story questions template keeps the comprehension demand while removing the speech demand.

Every goal needs a measurable criterion and a plan for reporting progress.^[1] When your draft is ready, paste it into the goal checker to catch missing conditions or a criterion without a denominator. For goals across every reading skill, see IEP goal examples for reading.

Frequently asked questions

What is a good reading comprehension IEP goal?

One that names the text type and level, the specific comprehension skill, a criterion with a denominator, and the measure. For example: given an unpracticed grade 3 narrative, the student will retell it scoring 10 of 12 points on a story grammar rubric on 3 consecutive probes.

Should comprehension goals use percent of questions correct?

Only for skills where each item is right or wrong, such as literal questions or main idea per paragraph. For retell, summary and inference, a rubric shows growth more clearly. Always say how many questions or items the percentage is based on.

Can a comprehension goal use text read aloud to the student?

Yes. Many students with decoding needs should have comprehension goals on text read aloud or through text-to-speech. Write that in the condition, so everyone knows the goal measures listening comprehension, and keep a separate goal for decoding or fluency.

How do I write comprehension goals for high school students?

Use the texts the student will meet after school and in content classes: articles, arguments, workplace policies and forms. Measure with a rubric for summaries and evidence, or accuracy for questions about functional documents, and connect the goal to the transition plan.

Use it in IEP Atlas

Sources

34 CFR §300.320: Definition of individualized education program, Legal Information Institute, Cornell Law School
Improving Reading Comprehension in Kindergarten Through 3rd Grade, What Works Clearinghouse, Institute of Education Sciences
Providing Reading Interventions for Students in Grades 4–9, What Works Clearinghouse, Institute of Education Sciences

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.