Typing and keyboarding IEP goals: 12 examples

By the IEP Atlas editorial teamLast updated November 1, 2026

Short answer

A typing IEP goal names the keyboard and text, whether the student copies or composes, the time limit and the rate or accuracy target. For example: given an easy printed passage beside the keyboard and a 3-minute timing, the student will type it at a rate of at least 15 correct words per minute on 3 of 4 weekly probes.

Keyboarding goals show up in IEPs for two reasons. Some students need typing as a skill in itself, for school and later for work. Others need it as a way around handwriting that is slow, painful or hard to read. The goal looks different in each case, and the team should know which one it is writing.

The 12 goals below cover keyboard setup, typing speed and accuracy, composing on a keyboard, and typing with tablets, one hand or adapted keyboards. Each links to its template in the keyboarding goal bank and shows a sample baseline. For writing goals that a keyboard makes possible, see the pillar guide to IEP goals for writing.

Typing as a skill or as access

The What Works Clearinghouse elementary writing guide recommends teaching students to become fluent with handwriting, spelling, sentence construction, typing and word processing, so that transcription takes less effort and more attention goes to ideas.^[1] For a student with weak handwriting, the keyboard is often the faster route to that fluency.

If typing is access, the keyboard is assistive technology, and the IEP team must consider whether the student needs it.^[2] The goal then measures whether the student can type fast enough to use the keyboard for class writing, and a separate writing goal measures the writing itself. If typing is a skill, the goal measures technique and rate as an outcome.

Ask one question: will the student use the keyboard for most written work this year? If yes, write a rate goal that gets the student to a working speed quickly, and plan for the keyboard to appear in the accommodations too. For handwriting goals that may run alongside, see OT IEP goals for handwriting.

How to choose a typing goal

What you see	Sub-skill to target	Measure
Hunts for keys with one finger, looks at hands, slumps	Setup and home-row position	Task-analysis steps
Knows the home row, slow on reaches	Home row and reaches	Letters correct per minute, accuracy
Copies slowly or with many errors	Copying rate and touch typing	Correct words per minute
Copies well, freezes when composing	Composing on a keyboard	Correct words per minute on prompts
Errors left in place, or deletes whole lines	Correcting errors	Percent of errors fixed
Motor needs limit a standard keyboard	Tablet, one-handed or adapted keyboard	Correct words per minute on that device

Bring in the OT for posture, motor planning and adapted equipment. Many keyboarding goals are shared between the teacher and the OT.

Keyboard setup and home-row goals

Goal	Baseline
Sit and place fingers on the home row: At the start of a keyboarding lesson at a desk set to the student's height, the student will sit with feet supported, find the home-row bumps and place each finger on its home key before typing, performing all 6 steps independently, on 4 of 5 observed days, as measured by a task-analysis checklist collected twice weekly.	2 of 6 steps
Build speed on home-row keys: Given a 1-minute timed drill of home-row letter patterns and short words on screen, the student will type the letters shown using the correct finger for each key independently at a rate of at least 45 letters correct per minute, in 3 of 4 consecutive weekly probes, as measured by timed probes collected weekly.	20 letters correct per minute
Reach to top and bottom row keys: Given a drill of words that use top-row and bottom-row letters, the student will type each word, reaching from the home row with the correct finger and returning to it, independently with at least 90% accuracy on drill words, in 3 of 4 consecutive weekly probes, as measured by work-sample analysis collected weekly.	50% of words

Weak: "Will learn keyboarding."

Measurable: "Given a 1-minute drill of home-row letters and short words, will type at least 45 letters correct per minute with the correct finger on each key on 3 of 4 weekly probes."

Students who need basic keys first can start with the template to use the space bar, shift and backspace keys.

Typing speed and accuracy goals

Copying goals isolate typing from composing. The student types text that is already written, so the score reflects keyboard skill rather than ideas or spelling.

Goal	Baseline
Copy printed text at a steady typing rate: Given a printed passage at an easy reading level beside the keyboard, during a 3-minute timing, the student will type the passage as written independently at a rate of at least 15 correct words per minute, in 3 of 4 consecutive weekly probes, as measured by timed probes collected weekly.	7 correct words per minute
Touch-type with the keyboard covered: Given a short sentence read aloud or shown on screen, with a cover over the hands, the student will type each sentence by touch independently with at least 90% accuracy on letters typed, in 3 of 4 consecutive weekly probes, as measured by work-sample analysis collected weekly.	50% of letters
Fix typing errors while typing: Given a typed paragraph of their own with errors underlined, the student will move to each error with the arrow keys or mouse, fix it and keep the rest of the text independently with at least 85% accuracy on underlined errors fixed, in 3 of 4 consecutive weekly probes, as measured by work-sample analysis collected weekly.	40% of errors
Type college-level text at a working rate: Given a printed passage from a grade-level textbook or workplace document, during a 5-minute timing, the student will type the passage as written independently at a rate of at least 30 correct words per minute, in 3 of 4 consecutive biweekly probes, as measured by timed probes collected every two weeks.	18 correct words per minute

Weak: "Will type 20 words per minute."

Measurable: "Given an easy printed passage beside the keyboard and a 3-minute timing, will type it at a rate of at least 15 correct words per minute on 3 of 4 weekly probes."

"Words per minute" without "correct" rewards speed with errors. Count only correctly typed words, and state the timing length, the text level and whether it is copied or composed.

Composing on a keyboard

The real test of typing as access is whether the student can write their own sentences on it. These goals measure composing rate.

Goal	Baseline
Compose typed sentences from a picture prompt: Given a picture prompt and 1 minute to plan, during a 3-minute typing timing, the student will type their own sentences about the prompt independently at a rate of at least 10 correct words per minute, in 3 of 4 consecutive biweekly probes, as measured by timed probes collected every two weeks.	4 correct words per minute
Type a timed response to a reading: Given a short reading already completed and a written-response question, during a 5-minute typing timing, the student will type a response independently at a rate of at least 12 correct words per minute, in 3 of 4 consecutive biweekly probes, as measured by timed probes collected every two weeks.	6 correct words per minute

Weak: "Will use a computer for writing assignments."

Measurable: "Given a picture prompt and 1 minute to plan, will type own sentences at a rate of at least 10 correct words per minute in a 3-minute timing on 3 of 4 biweekly probes."

A typed version of the story-starter writing probe, the template to type a story continuation on timed keyboard probes, scores correct word sequences instead of words. It fits when the keyboard is the student's main writing tool and the goal is about writing fluency. See how to measure writing with TWW and CWS for that scoring.

Tablets, one-handed and adapted keyboards

Goal	Baseline
Build typing rate on a tablet keyboard: Given an easy printed passage and a tablet on a stand, during a 2-minute timing, the student will type the passage on the on-screen keyboard independently at a rate of at least 12 correct words per minute, in 3 of 4 consecutive biweekly probes, as measured by timed probes collected every two weeks.	5 correct words per minute
One-handed typing at a working rate: Given an easy printed passage, during a 3-minute timing, using a standard or one-handed keyboard, the student will type with one hand from the one-handed home position independently at a rate of at least 12 correct words per minute, in 3 of 4 consecutive biweekly probes, as measured by timed probes collected every two weeks.	5 correct words per minute
Type on an adapted keyboard: Given an easy printed passage and the student's adapted keyboard, during a 3-minute timing, the student will type the passage independently at a rate of at least 8 correct words per minute, in 3 of 4 consecutive biweekly probes, as measured by timed probes collected every two weeks.	3 correct words per minute

Weak: "Will use adapted keyboard."

Measurable: "Given an easy printed passage and the student's adapted keyboard, will type at least 8 correct words per minute in a 3-minute timing on 3 of 4 biweekly probes."

The device itself is an assistive technology device, and choosing and setting it up is an assistive technology service. The goal measures what the student does with it. Broader access goals are in the assistive technology goal bank.

How to measure typing goals

Correct words per minute. Count words typed correctly, divide by the minutes. Use a standard word of 5 characters if your program reports that way, but say so, and keep the same method all year.
Fixed text and timing. Use passages at an easy reading level for copying so reading is not the barrier. Keep the timing length the same on every probe.
Turn off helpers for probes. Word prediction and auto-correct change the score. Note the settings on the data sheet; for class work, the student can turn them back on.
Accuracy goals. For touch typing and error correction, score letters or errors out of a known total on the accuracy data sheet.

Timed rates are explained in rate per minute. Paste each goal into the goal checker to flag a missing time limit.

Objectives for typing goals

For a student moving to typing as access:

Set up posture and home-row position, all 6 steps, on 4 of 5 days.
Type home-row drills at 30 letters correct per minute.
Copy an easy passage at 10 correct words per minute in a 3-minute timing.
Compose typed sentences from a prompt at 10 correct words per minute.

Adapting by grade

The targets below are illustrations, not norms. Set the real target from the student's baseline and the speed the student needs for class work.

Grade band	Typical typing target	Typical task
Grades 1 to 2	Name and login, space bar, shift, backspace	Short words and sentences
Grades 3 to 5	Home row, reaches, copying easy text	1- to 3-minute drills and passages
Middle school	Touch typing, composing on prompts, editing on screen	3-minute copying and composing probes
High school	Working rate on grade-level text, shortcuts, timed responses	5-minute probes, typed assignments

Typing goals often pair with writing goals that use the keyboard, such as paragraph writing IEP goals and functional writing IEP goals for emails and forms.

Frequently asked questions

What typing speed should an IEP goal target?

Set it from the student's baseline and from the speed needed for class work, not from a chart. A useful check is whether the student types at least as fast as they handwrite. If not, keep building speed before relying on the keyboard for most assignments.

Should a typing goal be written by the teacher or the OT?

Often both. The OT addresses posture, motor planning and adapted equipment; the teacher addresses daily practice and use in class. A shared goal with one data sheet keeps both providers working toward the same number.

Can a student have a keyboarding goal and a keyboard accommodation?

Yes. The accommodation lets the student type class work now. The goal builds the speed and accuracy that make the accommodation useful. As the rate rises, the student can use the keyboard for longer and harder assignments.

Use it in IEP Atlas

Sources

Teaching Elementary School Students to Be Effective Writers, What Works Clearinghouse, Institute of Education Sciences
34 CFR §300.324: Development, review, and revision of IEP, 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.