Functional writing IEP goals: forms, lists, emails and notes

By the IEP Atlas editorial teamLast updated November 1, 2026

Short answer

A functional writing IEP goal targets writing the student needs outside school assignments: forms, lists, phone messages, emails, applications and work logs. It names the real task, the parts the writing must include, and how it is scored. For example: given a blank form, the student will write each personal information field correctly on 3 consecutive forms.

Functional writing is the writing adults do every day without calling it writing: filling in a form at the doctor's office, making a grocery list, texting a supervisor that you will be late, writing a thank-you note. For many students with IEPs, especially in the transition years, these goals matter more than an essay goal ever will.

The 12 goals below cover personal information, lists and notes, messages and emails, and applications and workplace writing. Each links to its template, most in the written expression goal bank, and shows a sample baseline. For the whole writing area, start with the pillar guide to IEP goals for writing.

Who needs functional writing goals

Functional writing goals fit three groups of students:

Students on a functional or life skills curriculum, for whom these tasks are the writing curriculum.
Students of any curriculum in the transition years (the IEP must include transition services and measurable postsecondary goals by age 16, and some states start earlier).^[1] Job applications, emails and work logs belong here.
Students whose academic writing is adequate but who cannot transfer it to real messages, such as a student who writes paragraphs but sends one-word emails with no greeting.

Functional writing goals often connect to transition goals in employment and independent living. See transition IEP goals examples for the transition side and functional IEP goals examples for other daily-living areas.

How to choose a functional writing goal

Ask the student, the family and any job coach what writing the student needs to do now and in the next year. Then try the task with the student.

Real need	Sub-skill to target	Measure
Forms at school, clinics, job sites	Personal information on forms	Percent of fields correct
Shopping, cooking, chores	Lists	Opportunities
Passing on phone calls; leaving notes	Messages and notes	Percent of message details
Contacting teachers, employers, offices	Emails and formal messages	Rubric points, errors per 100 words
Applying for jobs or programs	Applications, resumes, personal statements	Rubric points, percent of items
Recording work at a placement	Work logs and reports	Opportunities, rubric points

Personal information and list goals

Goal	Baseline
Spell personal information words for forms: Given a blank form that asks for first and last name, street, city, state, school and birth month, the student will write each piece of personal information spelled correctly in the matching field independently with 100% accuracy on personal information fields, on 3 consecutive forms, as measured by work-sample analysis collected weekly.	40% of fields
Make a written list for a real task: When planning a class activity, given a list form with numbered lines, the student will write a list of at least three items needed for the task, one per line, that an adult can read independently in at least 4 of 5 opportunities, across 3 consecutive weeks of data, as measured by opportunity-by-opportunity data collected weekly.	1 of 5 opportunities
Write a thank-you note with a specific detail: After a class visitor, field trip or gift, given note paper and a picture word bank, the student will write a thank-you note that names the person, says what the thanks is for, gives one detail about why it mattered and ends with the student's name independently in at least 3 of 4 opportunities, across 2 consecutive months of data, as measured by opportunity-by-opportunity data collected monthly.	0 of 4 opportunities

Weak: "Will fill out forms."

Measurable: "Given a blank form asking for name, street, city, state, school and birth month, will write each field correctly in the matching space with 100% accuracy on 3 consecutive forms."

The 100% criterion on the personal information goal is deliberate. A form with the wrong street name or a misspelled last name fails its purpose, so partial credit makes little sense here. Practice with real forms: library card applications, field trip permission slips, sign-in sheets.

Message and email goals

Goal	Baseline
Take a written phone or voicemail message: Given a recorded voicemail or live practice call of about 30 seconds and a message pad, the student will write a message that records the caller's name, callback number, reason for the call and time of the call independently with at least 90% accuracy on message details, on 4 of 5 consecutive practice messages, as measured by work-sample analysis collected weekly.	40% of details
Write a note, text or email with capitals and end punctuation: When writing a note, text or email to a teacher, employer or family member for a real purpose, the student will write a message in which every sentence begins with a capital and ends with an end mark independently in at least 4 of 5 opportunities, across 3 consecutive weeks of data, as measured by opportunity-by-opportunity data collected weekly.	1 of 5 opportunities
Write a formal email or letter: Given a realistic purpose for contacting a teacher, employer or office, the student will write a formal email or letter with a greeting, a sentence stating the purpose, a clear request or question, and a closing with the student's name, earning at least 7 of 8 points on a formal message rubric, on 3 of 4 consecutive scored messages, as measured by a defined scoring rubric collected every two weeks.	3 of 8 points
Lower errors in workplace emails and messages: In emails or messages written to a supervisor, teacher or coworker during a work-based learning placement or class, the student will reduce capitalization, punctuation, spelling and usage errors to no more than 3 per 100 words of sent messages, across 4 consecutive weeks, as measured by frequency recording collected weekly.	10 errors per 100 words

Weak: "Will write emails appropriately."

Measurable: "Given a real purpose for contacting a teacher or employer, will write an email with a greeting, purpose sentence, clear request and closing that scores at least 7 of 8 on the formal message rubric on 3 of 4 scored messages."

Use real purposes whenever you can: asking a teacher for a missing assignment, requesting a meeting with the counselor, telling a job coach about a schedule change. A real reply teaches more than a grade.

Application and workplace writing goals

Goal	Baseline
Answer short-answer questions on a job application: Given a printed or online job application with short-answer questions, the student will write an answer to each that responds to the question, gives a specific example from school, work or volunteer experience, and uses complete sentences, earning at least 7 of 9 points on an application answer rubric, on 3 consecutive scored applications, as measured by a defined scoring rubric collected every two weeks.	2 of 9 points
Describe work experience in resume bullets: Given a resume template and a list of the student's jobs, volunteer roles or school work experiences, the student will write at least two bullets for each experience that start with an action verb, name a specific task or result and stay under one line independently with at least 85% accuracy on resume bullets, on 2 consecutive resume drafts, as measured by work-sample analysis collected every two weeks.	30% of bullets
Draft a personal statement for a program application: Given a personal statement prompt from a real application and three writing sessions, the student will write a statement of 250 to 500 words that opens with a specific experience, explains what the student learned or did as a result and connects it to the program, earning at least 9 of 12 points on a personal statement rubric, on 2 consecutive drafts, as measured by a defined scoring rubric collected every two weeks during application season.	4 of 12 points
Keep a daily work log on the job: At the end of a work-based learning shift, given a work log form, the student will fill in the date, at least two tasks completed in words and one note for the supervisor independently in at least 7 of 8 opportunities, across 4 consecutive weeks of shifts, as measured by opportunity-by-opportunity data collected after each shift and summarized weekly.	2 of 8 opportunities
Organize a workplace report in three paragraphs: Given a realistic workplace situation (such as a spill or a missing delivery) and a report form, the student will write a report in three paragraphs: what happened, what actions were taken and what should happen next, earning at least 9 of 12 points on a workplace report rubric, on 3 consecutive scored reports, as measured by a defined scoring rubric collected every two weeks.	3 of 12 points

Weak: "Will complete job applications."

Measurable: "Given a job application with short-answer questions, will write answers that respond to each question with a specific example in complete sentences, scoring at least 7 of 9 on 3 consecutive scored applications."

Supports and access

Functional writing is about getting the message across, so the goal should allow the tools the student will use as an adult.

Typing and phones. Most adult messages are typed. If the student will text a supervisor, practice on a phone. Pair with typing and keyboarding IEP goals where speed limits the student.
Word banks and templates. A personal information card, a message pad with labeled lines, or an email template with "Dear," "I am writing to," and "Thank you" fade over time but are fine to name in the goal's condition.
Speech-to-text and word prediction. These are legitimate adult tools. If the student uses them, write the goal around reviewing and correcting the output.
Symbols and AAC. For students with significant support needs, a list built from picture symbols or a message composed on a communication device is functional writing. See IEP goals for intellectual disability for related goals.

How to measure functional writing goals

Score the real product. Use the actual form, list or email. Count fields or message details correct out of the total, or score the message on a short rubric.
Count in natural settings. Lists during cooking class, messages during a front-office job, logs at the end of each shift. Record each opportunity on the opportunity data sheet.
Track errors per 100 words for email goals in older students: count errors in sent messages, divide by total words and multiply by 100.
Check that the message works. Could the reader act on it? A phone message missing the callback number fails even if every word is spelled correctly. Build that into the rubric.

The What Works Clearinghouse elementary writing guide recommends teaching students to write for a range of purposes, and writing for a real reader is one of those purposes.^[2] Paste each goal into the goal checker before the meeting.

Objectives for functional writing goals

For the formal email goal:

Write a greeting and the student's name in a closing on 4 of 5 messages.
Add a sentence that states the purpose on 4 of 5 messages.
Add a clear request or question, scoring 6 of 8 on the rubric.
Write the full message, scoring 7 of 8 on 3 of 4 scored messages.

Adapting by age and setting

Targets are illustrations, not norms.

Age or setting	Typical functional writing target	Typical setting
Elementary	Name, address and birthday on forms; lists for class jobs; thank-you notes	Classroom routines
Middle school	Notes and emails to teachers; phone messages; planner entries	Classes, school office
High school	Applications, resumes, formal emails, work logs	Career classes, work-based learning
Ages 18 to 21	Workplace reports, messages to supervisors, forms for services	Job sites, community

More templates for life and work skills are in the transition goal bank and the functional skills goal bank.

Frequently asked questions

What counts as functional writing in an IEP?

Writing the student needs for daily life, school routines or work, rather than for an academic assignment. Forms, lists, phone messages, notes, emails, applications, resumes and work logs all count. The goal should use the real task and real materials where possible.

Can a student type or use speech-to-text for functional writing goals?

Yes. Adults type most of their functional writing, often on a phone. Name the tool in the goal's condition and measure whether the finished message works, including whether the student reviewed and corrected the tool's output.

Do functional writing goals belong in the transition plan?

They often support it. A goal for job applications or workplace emails can be one of the annual goals that helps the student reach a postsecondary employment goal. Make the link explicit so the team sees how the writing goal serves the plan.

Use it in IEP Atlas

Sources

34 CFR §300.320: Definition of individualized education program, Legal Information Institute, Cornell Law School
Teaching Elementary School Students to Be Effective Writers, 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.