Social-emotional IEP goals for high school students

By the IEP Atlas editorial teamLast updated November 1, 2026

Short answer

High school social-emotional IEP goals target the skills a teenager needs in class, with peers, online and at work: managing stress on their own, handling conflict, making decisions and taking feedback. The student should help write them. Example: at the start of each class, Maya will rate her stress and pick an adjustment on 5 of 6 class periods.

High school changes what a social-emotional goal should look like. Adults step back, the student moves between six or seven teachers, and the real tests happen in group chats, at lunch and at a first job. Goals that worked in 5th grade, such as an adult prompting a calm-down card, rarely fit a 16-year-old.

These 16 goals are written for grades 9 to 12 and for students in 18 to 21 programs. Each has a fictional baseline, a criterion and a link to its template. The numbers are illustrations. For the full range of ages and areas, see the social-emotional IEP goals pillar.

What changes in high school

Three things shape goals at this age.

The student runs the strategy. Goals should move from adult prompts to self-started skills, self-rating and the student tracking their own data.
Settings multiply. A goal must hold across classes, so the measure needs a way for several teachers to record it, such as a short point sheet or a shared form.
The transition plan is live. By the IEP in effect when the student turns 16 (younger in some states), the IEP must include measurable postsecondary goals and transition services.^[1] Social-emotional goals should support those goals: keeping a job, living with roommates, getting through a college class.

The student must be invited to any IEP meeting where transition is discussed.^[2] That is the right moment to write these goals with the student, in words the student would use.

How to choose a high school goal

What the team sees	Sub-skill	Measurement method
Shuts down or leaves class when stress builds	Self-rating and adjusting in class	Opportunities across class periods
Freezes on tests after one hard item	Recovering during tests	Latency in seconds after a hard item
Conflicts start or grow online	Online and group-chat conflict	Opportunities; rubric on a written reply
Goes along with risky plans from friends	Peer pressure and decisions	Accuracy on scenarios, then real reports
Argues with feedback from teachers or a job coach	Taking feedback	Opportunities at work or in class
Few comments in class discussions	Academic discussion with peers	Frequency per discussion

Goals for managing stress in class

The aim is a student who notices stress early and adjusts on their own, without leaving the room. Pair these goals with an accommodation like a break pass, then fade the adult role.

At the start of each class, Maya will rate her stress and energy on a 1-to-5 scale and choose a listed adjustment on 5 of 6 class periods for 4 consecutive weeks. Baseline: 2 of 6. Template.
When she uses a self-timed break, Maya will return to the task within 10 minutes on 4 of 5 breaks, measured on her break log. Baseline: 25 minutes. Template.
During a test, after reaching an item he cannot answer, Jonah will mark it and start the next item within 60 seconds on 4 of 5 tests. Baseline: 180 seconds. Template.
When the day changes without warning, such as a substitute or a cancelled class, Jonah will write or state an adjusted plan within 5 minutes on 4 of 5 occasions. Baseline: 1 of 5. Template.

Weak: "Maya will manage her stress in class." Measurable: Goal 1 above. Each teacher can initial a rating box in 10 seconds.

For students whose stress is mainly worry, the anxiety coping goal hub has more templates, and coping skills IEP goals covers how to teach and measure the strategies themselves.

Goals for peers, discussion and online conflict

For many teenagers the hardest social moments happen on a phone. Goals here can use real screenshots the student chooses to share, or written practice scenarios when privacy matters.

During a whole-class discussion, Leo will add to a classmate's point at least 2 times per discussion in 4 of 5 discussions, tallied by the teacher. Baseline: 0 per discussion. Template.
During peer review, Leo will give a classmate one kind, specific suggestion on 4 of 5 review sessions. Baseline: 1 of 5. Template.
When an online argument starts with a peer, Aisha will move it to a private message or an in-person talk on 3 of 4 occasions she reports at weekly check-ins. Baseline: 0 of 4. Template.
Given a group-chat misunderstanding scenario, Aisha will write a reply that clears it up, scoring 6 of 6 on the repair rubric on 3 of 4 probes. Baseline: 2 of 6. Template.

Weak: "Aisha will use appropriate social media behavior." Measurable: Goal 3 above. It names the move she makes when an argument starts.

The peer interaction IEP goals page has more goals for starting and keeping interactions, and the friendship skills hub lists templates on keeping friends.

Goals for decisions and boundaries

Teenagers make more choices without an adult nearby. Teach a decision routine in calm practice, then measure whether the student uses it in real situations the student reports.

Given 10 written peer-pressure scenarios, Marcus will name the pressure and choose a safe response in 9 of 10 scenarios on 3 consecutive probes. Baseline: 4 of 10. Template.
Before a decision with real stakes, Marcus will predict the likely result of each of 2 or more options in 4 of 5 decisions reviewed with his case manager. Baseline: 1 of 5. Template.
When a friend asks for something she does not want to do, Priya will state a clear boundary on 5 of 6 occasions logged in her weekly check-in. Baseline: 1 of 6. Template.
When a plan falls through, such as a ride that does not come, Priya will carry out a prepared plan B on 4 of 5 occasions. Baseline: 1 of 5. Template.

Weak: "Marcus will make good choices." Measurable: Goal 1 above, then goal 2 once the scenario score is steady.

Goals for work and adult settings

These goals tie straight to employment goals in the transition plan. Measure them where the work happens: a school job, a work-based learning site or a class with a project lead.

When a supervisor or job coach gives feedback on a task, Devon will acknowledge it and change the task as directed on 4 of 5 occasions over 4 weeks. Baseline: 2 of 5. Template.
Given a workplace conflict scenario, Devon will explain the coworker's point of view, scoring 7 of 9 on the perspective rubric on 3 of 4 probes. Baseline: 3 of 9. Template.
With support from the counselor, Elena will write a personal stress-signal profile that names 3 early signs and a plan for each, scoring 9 of 10 on the rubric. Baseline: 4 of 10. Template.
When asked to describe herself for a job or program application, Elena will write a strengths statement backed by 2 real examples, scoring 9 of 10 on the rubric on 2 consecutive drafts. Baseline: 5 of 10. Template.

Weak: "Devon will accept criticism." Measurable: Goal 1 above. "Acknowledges and changes the task" can be checked by the supervisor on a one-line form.

How to measure across six teachers

The biggest data problem in high school is that no single adult sees the whole day. Three formats work.

A point sheet the student carries. One row per class, one box per goal, scored 0 to 2. The check-in check-out structure uses this, and the student can graph it.
A shared digital form. Each teacher records one opportunity per class. Keep it to 2 questions or it stops getting filled in.
Student self-report checked against adult data. For online and peer goals, the student logs events and the case manager reviews them weekly. Compare a sample with adult observation once a month.

Use opportunities data for most of these goals, latency recording for the test goal and rubric scoring for written plans. The opportunity data sheet prints one row per class period.

Short-term objectives for high school goals

At this age the steps usually fade the adult and widen the settings. For the stress-rating goal:

Rates stress and picks an adjustment in 1 class with a teacher reminder, on 4 of 5 days.
Does the same in 3 classes without a reminder.
Does it in all classes and at the work site, and graphs the week's ratings.

The short-term objectives guide has more on structure.

Adapting by grade and setting

Grade or setting	Typical focus	Example change
Grade 9	Starting at a bigger school, many teachers, new peers	Point sheet across classes; mentor check-in
Grades 10 to 11	Tests, peer pressure, online conflict, first jobs	Student logs and self-rates; scenario probes
Grade 12	Feedback at work, self-referral, explaining needs	Measure at a job site; student-led review
18 to 21 program	Coworkers, community, adult services	Supervisor checklist; real community settings

Students who need goals on explaining their own needs can use the self-advocacy goal examples. Autistic teenagers may also benefit from the goals in IEP goals for high school students with autism. For students eligible under emotional disturbance, see IEP goals for emotional disturbance.

More templates sit on the high school social-emotional goals page. Paste your draft into the goal checker to catch vague wording.

Frequently asked questions

What is an example of a social-emotional IEP goal for high school?

At the start of each class, the student will rate their stress on a 1-to-5 scale and choose a listed adjustment on 5 of 6 class periods for 4 weeks. It names a real setting, a skill the student runs on their own and a measure each teacher can record.

Should high school students write their own IEP goals?

They should help. The student must be invited when transition is discussed, and goals the student helped write are easier to teach. Many teams have the student draft one goal in their own words and then adjust the criterion and measure together.

How do you collect social-emotional data across several teachers?

Use a short point sheet the student carries or a 2-question shared form, with one row per class. For peer and online goals, have the student log events and review them weekly with the case manager.

Use it in IEP Atlas

Sources

34 CFR §300.320: Definition of individualized education program, Legal Information Institute, Cornell Law School
34 CFR §300.321: IEP Team, U.S. Department of Education (IDEA website)
CASEL: Social and emotional learning, CASEL

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.