Progress reports for students with significant disabilities: 12 annotated examples

By the IEP Atlas editorial teamLast updated November 1, 2026

Short answer

A strong progress report for a student with significant disabilities compares the latest data to the baseline in the goal's own unit, names the prompt level, and says what changed in teaching. Small steps count. Example: the student now completes 5 of 8 handwashing steps at a gestural prompt, up from 2 of 8 in September; the goal is 7 of 8 by May.

Progress reports for students with significant disabilities are often the vaguest page in the IEP. "Sara is working hard and making progress" tells the family nothing. Worse, it can hide real growth. A student who moved from full physical help to a touch at the elbow made progress, but a report that says only "not yet mastered" erases it.

The IEP must describe how progress toward each annual goal will be measured and when periodic reports will be provided.^[1] A good report answers three questions in a few sentences: where did the student start, where are they now, and is that on track for the goal? Each of the 12 examples below shows a weak report next to a strong one, with the data it came from. All students and numbers are fictional.

For the goals behind reports like these, see the pillar on IEP goals for students with severe and profound disabilities. For progress reports in general, see how to write an IEP progress report.

What a strong report includes

Part	What to write	Example
Baseline	The number from the goal, same unit	2 of 8 steps at gestural or better
Current data	Median of the last 3 probes	5 of 8 steps
Prompt level	The level the student needed	Gestural on steps 1 to 5, partial physical on 6 to 8
On track?	Compare to the goal and the time left	On track: 2 more steps needed in 4 months
What changed	Teaching changes and why	Moved the soap pump closer in November
Next step	What happens before the next report	Fade the gesture on rinsing

Communication

1. Requesting with symbols. Goal: request snacks and activities by touching a symbol on 8 of 10 opportunities. Data: baseline 2 of 10; last 3 probes 5, 6, 6 of 10.

Weak: "Leo is doing well with his communication board."

Strong: "Leo requested by touching a symbol on a median of 6 of 10 opportunities in the last 3 weekly probes, up from 2 of 10 in September. He requests snack items on his own; he still needs a model to request activities. He is on track to reach 8 of 10 by May."

What makes it strong: baseline, current median, the split between snack and activity requests, and a clear on-track statement.

2. Device messages per period. Goal: send at least 6 messages, including 2 comments, per 30-minute class period. Data: baseline 1 message, all requests; now a median of 4 messages, 1 comment.

Weak: "Ella is using her device more."

Strong: "Ella now sends a median of 4 messages per 30-minute class period, up from 1 in the fall. One of those is usually a comment, such as 'funny' during read-aloud. She is making progress but may not reach 6 messages with 2 comments by the annual review. Staff will add 2 planned comment opportunities to each lesson."

What makes it strong: it reports both parts of the goal, names a real example, and says what the team will change.

3. Refusing safely. Goal: use a 'no' symbol instead of pushing materials, on 4 of 5 refusals. Data: pushing dropped from 6 of 10 refusals to 2 of 10; symbol use rose from 0 to 7 of 10.

Weak: "Behavior has improved."

Strong: "When Mia does not want an item or task, she now touches her 'no' symbol on 7 of 10 refusals, up from 0 in September. Pushing materials dropped from 6 of 10 refusals to 2 of 10. Staff honor the 'no' each time, which is part of the teaching. She has met the goal criterion on 2 of the last 3 weeks."

What makes it strong: both the new skill and the old behavior are graphed, and the report explains why adults respect the refusal.

Self-care and daily living

4. Handwashing task analysis. Goal: complete 7 of 8 handwashing steps at a gestural prompt or less. Data: baseline 2 of 8; now 5 of 8.

Weak: "Sam needs help washing hands. Not mastered."

Strong: "Sam completes 5 of 8 handwashing steps with only a gesture, up from 2 of 8 in September. He turns on the water, wets his hands and pumps soap on his own. He still needs a light touch to rub for 20 seconds and to dry. At this rate he is on track for 7 of 8 by May."

What makes it strong: the step count, which steps are done, and which need help. A family can picture it.

5. Toileting schedule. Goal: go to the bathroom at the schedule cue with a gesture prompt or less on 8 of 10 cues. Data: baseline 3 of 10 with physical guidance; now 6 of 10.

Weak: "Toileting is progressing."

Strong: "Ava now walks to the bathroom at the picture cue with only a gesture on a median of 6 of 10 cues, up from 3 of 10 with physical guidance in the fall. She was dry at 14 of 20 scheduled checks in the last week, compared with 5 of 20 in September. Progress is steady."

What makes it strong: it reports the goal measure and adds a related number that matters to the family, stated plainly.

6. Coat removal with prompt levels. Goal: remove coat with all 7 steps at gestural or better. Data: 1 of 7 at baseline; now 5 of 7.

Weak: "Kai still needs assistance with his coat."

Strong: "Kai completes 5 of 7 coat steps at a gestural prompt or better, up from 1 of 7. The 2 remaining steps are starting the zipper and pulling his second arm out; both need partial physical help. A larger zipper pull was added in December, and he grasps it on his own now."

What makes it strong: "still needs assistance" hides growth from 1 to 5 steps. The strong version shows it.

Functional academics

7. Community sign reading. Goal: identify 10 community signs in a field of 3 on 9 of 10 trials. Data: 3 signs at baseline; now 7.

Weak: "Rosa is learning her sight words."

Strong: "Rosa now identifies 7 of 10 community signs in a field of 3, up from 3 in September. She knows exit, stop, restroom, open, closed, men and women. She is still learning danger, push and pull. She read the restroom sign on a community trip last month without a prompt."

What makes it strong: it lists the signs, gives a real-world example, and keeps the field size so the next report is comparable.

8. Story participation. Goal: activate the repeated line on a switch on 5 of 6 opportunities during group reading. Data: 2 of 6 at baseline; now 4 of 6.

Weak: "Noor enjoys story time."

Strong: "During read-alouds in her 2nd grade class, Noor now activates the repeated line on her switch on a median of 4 of 6 opportunities with a touch cue, up from 2 of 6. On 2 occasions this month she pressed it without a cue. Peers wait for her line and react to it."

What makes it strong: it notes the setting (general education), the prompt level, and early independent responses.

Behavior and regulation

9. Episodes after changes. Goal: reduce episodes of dropping to the floor after changes from 14 to 3 or fewer per 2 weeks. Data: now 6 per 2 weeks; median duration down from 12 to 4 minutes.

Weak: "Owen is having fewer meltdowns."

Strong: "Owen had 6 episodes in the last 2 weeks, down from 14 in September. Median length dropped from 12 minutes to 4. Most episodes now follow unplanned changes; planned changes with a visual warning rarely lead to one. He is making progress but has not yet reached 3 or fewer."

What makes it strong: frequency, duration and a pattern that tells the team what is working.

10. Staying with a group activity. Goal: stay with a 15-minute group activity for at least 10 minutes on 4 of 5 days. Data: median 3 minutes at baseline; now 7.

Weak: "Theo's attention is improving."

Strong: "Theo now stays with the morning group activity for a median of 7 minutes, up from 3. He stays longest during music, a median of 12 minutes. The team is adding a music element to other group activities to help him stay longer."

What makes it strong: it gives minutes, finds the condition where he does best, and says how the team will use it.

Community and vocational

11. School job route. Goal: deliver mail to 8 offices with a photo route card and an adult at a distance, on 4 of 5 routes. Data: 5 of 8 offices with adult walking behind; now 7 of 8 with adult 3 meters back.

Weak: "Zoe is doing great at her job."

Strong: "Zoe now delivers mail to 7 of 8 offices correctly using her photo route card, with an adult 3 meters behind her. In September she reached 5 of 8 with the adult right beside her. She still stops at the vending machine on most trips; the team added a 'mail first, then break' card."

What makes it strong: both the accuracy and the adult distance improved, and the report says both.

12. Wheelchair route driving. Goal: drive from class to cafeteria with 1 cue or fewer on 4 of 5 trips. Data: verbal cue at every turn at baseline; now 1 to 2 cues per trip.

Weak: "Leo is more independent in his chair."

Strong: "Leo now drives his power wheelchair from class to the cafeteria with 1 to 2 verbal cues per trip, down from a cue at every turn. Travel time dropped from 6 minutes to 4. He stopped for people in his path on 5 of 5 trips this month without a cue."

What makes it strong: cue count, time and the safety measure are all reported.

Progress monitoring for significant disabilities

Probe on a schedule. Twice a week for daily routines, weekly for academic skills. Teach on the other days.
Name prompt levels and graph them. A line for "steps at gestural or better" shows growth that a pass or fail line hides. See task analysis and the prompt hierarchy examples.
Use the median of the last 3 probes for the report, not the single best or worst day.
Decide after 6 to 8 data points. If the line is flat, change one part of the teaching and note the change on the graph.^[2]
Note gaps. Illness and hospital stays are common. Mark them instead of recording zeros.

The free data sheets include task analysis, opportunity and duration layouts. Many states use progress codes such as "making sufficient progress"; for how those codes work, see IEP progress report codes. Pair the code with a sentence of data every time.

Weak and strong phrases

Weak	Strong
"Making progress"	"5 of 8 steps, up from 2 of 8"
"Needs assistance"	"Needs partial physical help on steps 6 to 8"
"Enjoys the activity"	"Stays for a median of 7 minutes"
"Not mastered"	"On track: 2 more steps needed by May"
"Behavior improved"	"6 episodes in 2 weeks, down from 14"

Run each goal through the goal checker at the annual review so next year's reports are easier to write. For more examples across disability areas, see IEP progress report examples. For present levels that set up a clean baseline, see present levels for students with severe disabilities.

Frequently asked questions

How do you report progress for a student with significant disabilities?

Compare the latest data to the baseline in the goal's own unit, such as steps of a task analysis or opportunities. Name the prompt level, say whether the student is on track for the goal, and note any change in teaching.

What if a student makes very small gains?

Report them with numbers. Moving from full physical help to a light touch, or from 2 to 4 steps, is real progress. If gains are too small to reach the goal, say so and describe what the team will change.

How often should progress be monitored for these students?

Many teams probe daily routines twice a week and academic skills weekly, then summarize at each reporting period. The IEP states how progress will be measured and when reports go home.

Use it in IEP Atlas

Sources

34 CFR §300.320: Definition of individualized education program, Legal Information Institute, Cornell Law School
Progress Monitoring: Data & Goal Setting, National Center on Intensive Intervention

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.