Keeping a job: employment foundation IEP goals

By the IEP Atlas editorial teamLast updated November 1, 2026

Short answer

Keeping-a-job goals teach how employment works around the tasks: calling in before a missed shift, requesting time off, reading a schedule, following handbook rules, responding to a warning and giving notice. Each goal names the situation, the action, a criterion and the method. Example: before a missed shift, the student will phone the supervisor at least 2 hours ahead in 4 of 4 practice and real events.

Many young workers lose a first job for reasons that have nothing to do with the work: a no-call no-show, a missed schedule change, a shift swapped without approval, quitting by text. Nobody taught them the rules of having a job. These goals do. They are sometimes called employment foundations: knowledge and actions about how jobs work.

The 16 goals below come in four groups, each with a baseline, a criterion and a method, and a weak goal beside a measurable rewrite. Students and numbers are fictional. This page sits between two siblings. Doing the job's tasks well is on vocational and employment IEP goals. Behavior on the job, such as accepting feedback and teamwork, is on soft skills IEP goals. All three should tie to the employment postsecondary goal.^[1]

How to choose the right goal

What happened or could happen	Sub-skill	Measurement method
Missed a shift without calling; parent called instead	Calling in and time off	Opportunities: correct call-ins of chances
Missed a schedule change or swapped a shift informally	Schedules and shifts	Weekly checks completed; accuracy
Broke a rule they did not know; got a warning and shrugged	Workplace rules and warnings	Accuracy on scenarios; rubric on a plan
Wants more hours, or wants to quit	Hours, raises and leaving	Rubric on role play; real event checklist

Teach with practice scenarios first, then measure real events once the student has a job or work experience. Agree with the employer or job coach on who records real events.

Calling in and asking for time off

Goal	Baseline	Measure
1. Before a missed or late shift, the student will phone the supervisor at least 2 hours ahead and state the reason and expected return, in 4 of 4 practice and real events. Template: phone the supervisor before a missed shift.	Parent called 2 of 2 times	Opportunity data
2. When the workplace rule allows text or voicemail, the student will leave a call-in message with name, shift, reason and return date, scoring 4 of 4 rubric points in 3 of 3 messages. Template: leave a call-in voicemail or text by the rule.	Texted "cant come"	Rubric
3. Using the workplace app or form, the student will request a day off at least 14 days ahead, in 3 of 3 requests. Template: submit a time-off request on the work app.	Asked the day before	Request log
4. Given 6 scenarios (sick, family event, bus late, appointment), the student will choose the right action and timing for each, with 6 of 6 correct on 2 probes. Template: call in when sick or running late.	2 of 6 correct	Accuracy probe

Weak: "The student will improve attendance at work."

Measurable: "Before a missed or late shift, the student will phone the supervisor at least 2 hours ahead and state the reason and expected return, in 4 of 4 practice and real events."

Schedules and shifts

Goal	Baseline	Measure
5. Each week on the posted day, the student will check the work schedule for changes and enter next week's shifts in a phone calendar, in 8 of 8 weeks. Template: check for schedule changes every week.	Checked 2 of 8 weeks	Weekly check
6. Given a printed or app schedule, the student will answer 8 questions about own shifts (day, start, end, break, total hours), with 8 of 8 correct on 3 schedules.	4 of 8 correct	Accuracy probe
7. When they cannot work a shift, the student will trade it using the approved process (post, find a coworker, get approval), with all steps done in 2 of 2 trades. Template: trade a shift the approved way.	Asked a friend to cover; no approval	Task analysis
8. When they miss a clock punch, the student will report it to the supervisor the same shift with the correct time, in 3 of 3 events. Template: report a missed time clock punch.	Did not report; lost pay	Event checklist

Weak: "The student will know their work schedule."

Measurable: "Each week on the posted day, the student will check the work schedule for changes and enter next week's shifts in a phone calendar, in 8 of 8 weeks."

Workplace rules and warnings

Goal	Baseline	Measure
9. Given 12 work habit cards, the student will sort them into habits that keep or lose a job and explain 3 choices, with 11 of 12 correct. Template: sort work habits that keep or lose a job.	7 of 12 correct	Accuracy
10. Given an employee handbook and 5 questions (dress code, phone use, breaks, call-in rule, who to report to), the student will find each answer, with 5 of 5 correct on 2 handbooks. Template: look up rules in an employee handbook.	1 of 5; did not know a handbook existed	Accuracy
11. After a practice or real warning from a supervisor, the student will write or dictate a plan naming the problem, 2 changes and a check-in date, scoring 8 of 10 on a rubric. Template: make a plan after a supervisor's warning.	Said "whatever" in role play	Rubric
12. Given 8 workplace scenarios about pay, breaks, safety and fair treatment, the student will say whether a right was respected and who to tell, with 7 of 8 correct. Template: answer questions about rights at work.	3 of 8 correct	Accuracy

Weak: "The student will follow workplace rules."

Measurable: "Given an employee handbook and 5 questions, the student will find each answer, with 5 of 5 correct on 2 handbooks."

Hours, raises and leaving a job

Goal	Baseline	Measure
13. In role play and then at work, the student will ask the supervisor for more hours at a suitable time, giving availability and a reason, scoring 9 of 12 on a rubric in 2 of 2 attempts. Template: ask the supervisor for more hours.	Never asked; complained to coworkers	Rubric
14. Before a review or after 6 months, the student will request a raise with 2 pieces of evidence of good work, scoring 9 of 12 on a rubric in a role play and 1 real request. Template: request a raise with evidence of good work.	No evidence named	Rubric
15. When deciding to leave a job, the student will tell the supervisor in person and give the planned last day, in 2 of 2 role plays and any real event. Template: tell a supervisor in person about leaving.	Planned to stop showing up	Event checklist
16. Using a model, the student will write a two weeks' notice message with date, last day, thanks and signature, meeting 5 of 5 rubric points. Template: write a two weeks' notice resignation message.	Not attempted	Rubric

Weak: "The student will learn how to quit a job."

Measurable: "When deciding to leave a job, the student will tell the supervisor in person and give the planned last day, in 2 of 2 role plays and any real event."

How to measure these goals

Real events, such as a missed shift or a schedule change, are rare. A goal measured only on real events could have 2 data points all year. Combine sources: weekly scenario probes or role plays to show the skill, plus every real event logged when it happens. Write that into the goal, as goals 1 and 15 do.

Keep scenario probes short: 5 to 8 items, given every 2 weeks. Use the opportunity trial data sheet for call-ins and the rubric scoring data sheet for messages and requests. The rubric scoring page explains how to keep two raters consistent.

Short-term objectives

For goal 1:

In 5 role plays, the student calls the teacher acting as supervisor and states the reason and return date in 4 of 5.
At a school-based job, the student calls the job coach before any missed shift in 2 of 2 events.
At a community job, the student calls the supervisor before any missed shift in all real events.

Adapting by age and support level

Profile	Focus	Adjustment
Age 14 to 15, no job yet	Why people work, habits that keep a job, handbook rules	Scenarios and school jobs
Age 16 to 18, first job	Calling in, schedules, time-off requests	Real events plus biweekly scenario probes
Experienced worker	Raises, more hours, giving notice, rights at work	Role play before real requests
Significant support needs	Telling an adult when sick, checking a picture schedule	Picture or device script; a family member or job coach receives the call

Start with why work matters for students new to the idea; the template explain what a job gives besides money is a good first goal. All 18 templates are on the employment foundations goal page. Check drafts in the goal checker. For the paycheck side of keeping a job, see reading a pay stub. State VR agencies may offer workplace readiness training that covers some of these skills.^[2]

Frequently asked questions

What are employment foundation skills?

Knowledge and actions about how jobs work, apart from the job's tasks: calling in sick, requesting time off, reading a schedule, trading shifts, following handbook rules, responding to warnings, asking for hours or a raise, and leaving a job properly.

How do you measure a goal when the real event rarely happens?

Combine practice scenarios with real events. Give a short scenario probe or role play every two weeks to measure the skill, and log every real event, such as a missed shift, when it happens. Write both sources into the goal.

Are keeping-a-job goals different from soft skills goals?

Yes, though they overlap. Soft skills goals target behavior during work, such as accepting feedback or teamwork. Keeping-a-job goals target how employment works around the tasks, such as calling in, schedules, pay questions and giving notice.

Use it in IEP Atlas

Sources

34 CFR §300.320: Definition of individualized education program, Legal Information Institute, Cornell Law School
A Transition Guide to Postsecondary Education and Employment for Students and Youth with Disabilities (August 2020), U.S. Department of Education, Office of Special Education and Rehabilitative Services
Effective Practices, NTACT:C

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.