IEP goals for summarizing: 12 examples with a summary rubric

By the IEP Atlas editorial teamLast updated November 1, 2026

Short answer

A summarizing IEP goal names the text, a length limit and a rubric score. Example: after reading an unpracticed grade 6 article of 400 to 500 words, Leo will write a summary of 40 words or fewer with the central idea and 2 key points in his own words, scoring 4 of 5 rubric points on 3 consecutive probes. The word limit forces choices.

A summary is a short statement of the most important ideas in a text, in the reader's own words, with the details left out. It is harder than a retell because the student must decide what matters. Students who struggle usually write too much (a retell), too little (a topic) or copy sentences.

The 12 goals below cover story summaries, paragraph and section summaries, article and chapter summaries, and spoken summaries. Each has a condition, a baseline, a criterion and a template link. Numbers are illustrations. For teaching steps, see teaching summarizing. Main idea is the building block; its goals are on IEP goals for main idea and details. The pillar, reading comprehension strategies, covers the rest.

A 5-point summary rubric

Use one rubric for every summary probe. This one works for informational text; for stories, replace row 1 with "states the character and goal."

Row	1 point if the summary...
Central idea	States what the whole text is mostly about
Key points	Includes the 2 or 3 most important supporting ideas
No minor details	Leaves out examples, numbers and side facts
Own words	Has no copied sentence of more than 5 words
Length	Stays within the word limit set in the goal

A summary of 40 words or fewer is a good limit for a 400- to 500-word article. A limit about one tenth of the source length works for most informational texts.

How to choose a summarizing goal

Have the student read a short text and write or say a summary. Count the words and score it on the rubric.

What the student does	Sub-skill to target	Measurement method
Retells the whole story in order	Narrative summary with a frame	Frame parts correct, out of 5
Gives only the topic ("it's about sharks")	Paragraph and section gist	Sections summarized, out of 4 or 5
Copies sentences or includes every detail	Article summary with a word limit	Rubric, out of 5
Summarizes in writing but not aloud, or the reverse	Spoken summary	Rubric, out of 4 or 5

The What Works Clearinghouse guide for grades 4 to 9 recommends teaching a routine for stating the gist of a short section of text.^[1] Summarization was also one of the comprehension strategies the National Reading Panel found effective to teach.^[2]

Story and chapter summaries (grades 2 to 8)

After reading an unpracticed grade 3 story, Maya will summarize it using a somebody, wanted, but, so, then frame, with 5 of 5 parts correct in 4 of 5 stories. Baseline: 2 of 5. Template.
After hearing a story, Maya will summarize it aloud in one or two sentences that name the character, goal, problem and outcome, with all 4 parts in 4 of 5 stories. Baseline: retells the full story. Template.
After reading a novel chapter, Theo will summarize it in 3 to 5 sentences, including how the main character changed, scoring 4 of 5 rubric points on 3 probes. Baseline: 2 of 5. Template.

Weak: "Maya will summarize stories." Measurable: Goal 1 above. It names the frame, the parts and the count.

Paragraph and section summaries (grades 3 to 6)

Given 6 unpracticed informational paragraphs, Sara will sum up each one in a single sentence with the topic and the main point, for 5 of 6 on 3 consecutive probes. Baseline: 2 of 6. Template.
While reading a 4-section text, Sara will stop after each section and write a gist statement of 15 words or fewer, with 4 of 4 on target in 3 of 4 probes. Baseline: 1 of 4. Template.
Given a textbook section with 4 headings, Jay will write one summary sentence per heading and combine them into a 3-sentence summary, scoring 4 of 5 rubric points on 3 probes. Baseline: 2 of 5. Template.

Weak: "Sara will find the main idea and summarize." Measurable: Goal 2 above. It sets the stopping points, the word limit and the count.

Article summaries with a word limit (grades 6 to 12)

After reading an unpracticed grade 6 article of 400 to 500 words, Leo will write a summary of 40 words or fewer with the central idea and 2 key points in his own words, scoring 4 of 5 rubric points on 3 consecutive probes. Baseline: 2 of 5, 110 words. Template.
Given a short science article, Leo will summarize its main finding and the evidence for it in 3 to 4 sentences, scoring 3 of 4 rubric points on 3 probes. Baseline: 1 of 4. Template.
Given a news article about a current event, Kim will summarize the event and 2 effects in 50 words or fewer, scoring 4 of 5 rubric points on 3 of 4 probes. Baseline: 2 of 5. Template.

Weak: "Leo will write summaries with 80% accuracy." Measurable: Goal 1 above. The word limit and the rubric make "80%" unnecessary.

Spoken summaries (speech-language)

After reading or hearing an informational text, Nina will summarize it aloud with the topic, 2 main ideas and a closing statement, scoring 4 of 5 rubric points in 4 of 5 trials. Baseline: 2 of 5. Template.
After hearing a short news story, Nina will summarize it using the 5 Ws, with 5 of 5 included in 4 of 5 stories. Baseline: 2 of 5. Template.
After listening to a 3- to 5-minute podcast or news segment, Gus will summarize it aloud in 30 to 60 seconds, scoring 3 of 4 rubric points on 3 sessions. Baseline: 1 of 4. Template.

Weak: "Nina will tell what a text was about." Measurable: Goal 1 above. It names the parts and the rubric.

How to measure summarizing goals

Count words. Write the word count on every probe. Watching the count fall from 110 to 45 is real progress, even before the rubric score moves.
Check for copying. Underline any run of more than 5 words taken from the text. It costs the own-words point.
Use unpracticed texts at one level and length. A longer text makes the limit harder to meet.
Record on one sheet. The rubric scoring data sheet holds the rubric score and word count side by side.

Probe every 2 weeks and graph the rubric score; repeated measures over time show the trend.^[3]

Short-term objectives for summarizing goals

Fade the support. For the article goal: by the first report, 4 of 5 rubric points with a summary frame to complete; by the second, with a list of key points provided; by the third, with no frame and the 40-word limit. The IEP must state how progress on each goal is measured and reported.^[4] See the short-term objectives guide.

Adapting by grade and support level

Grade band or need	Typical focus	Example change
Grades 2 to 3	Story frames, one-sentence summaries	Somebody, wanted, but, so, then
Grades 4 to 5	Paragraph and section gists	Stopping points, 15-word limit
Middle school	Article and chapter summaries	40- to 60-word limits
High school	Objective summaries, science and news	Rubric with own-words row
Access needs	Choose the best summary from 3	Text read aloud, AAC

When the student still retells instead of summarizing, a retell goal may be the better first step; see IEP goals for retelling a story. The comprehension goals page and the main idea hub list full templates. Run a draft through the goal checker.

Frequently asked questions

What is a good summarizing IEP goal?

One that names the text, a word limit and a rubric score. For example: after reading an unpracticed grade 6 article of 400 to 500 words, the student will write a summary of 40 words or fewer with the central idea and 2 key points, scoring 4 of 5 rubric points on 3 probes.

How long should a student's summary be?

Set a limit in the goal. About one tenth of the source length works for most informational texts, such as 40 words for a 400-word article. For stories, one or two sentences using a frame is a common target.

What is the difference between a summary and a retell?

A retell tells the important parts in order, often with some detail. A summary is shorter and keeps only the most important ideas in the student's own words. A summary goal should include a length limit; a retell goal usually does not.

Use it in IEP Atlas

Sources

Providing Reading Interventions for Students in Grades 4–9, What Works Clearinghouse, Institute of Education Sciences
Report of the National Reading Panel: Teaching Children to Read, Eunice Kennedy Shriver National Institute of Child Health and Human Development (NICHD)
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.