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Digital Literacy & Online Safety IEP goals

Digital literacy goals cover how students use technology safely and well: signing in without sharing passwords, getting around a learning platform, searching and judging sources, writing clear emails, protecting privacy, spotting phishing and scams, reporting cyberbullying, and managing screen time. Good goals name the platform or task and what the student does at each step. Measure platform routines with a task analysis, safe choices like reporting or declining with opportunities, and source and scam judgments with accuracy.

30 templates · How we write and review goals

Sample digital literacy & online safety goals

Numbers are illustrative; set targets from the student's own baseline (how templates are made).

  • K-2, 3-5Task-analysis steps

    Log out and put the device away

    Device routines

    By the annual IEP review date, at the end of a tablet or laptop work session when the adult gives the clean-up signal, the student will finish the end-of-session device routine before leaving the station, performing at least 5 of 6 steps independently, across 5 consecutive device sessions, as measured by a task-analysis checklist collected daily, summarized weekly.

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  • K-2, 3-5Opportunities

    Tell an adult about a strange pop-up

    Online safety: telling an adult

    By the annual IEP review date, during a planned practice on a school device when a staged pop-up, chat request or scary image appears, the student will stop, take hands off the device or turn it face down, and tell or signal an adult about what appeared independently in 5 of 5 opportunities, across 3 consecutive weeks of data, as measured by opportunity-by-opportunity data collected weekly.

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  • K-2, 3-5Percent accuracy

    Find and open a named learning app

    Navigating a learning app

    By the annual IEP review date, given a school tablet on the home screen and 5 spoken directions to open a named app or activity, the student will find the named app or activity, open it, and return to the home screen with the home or back button independently with 100% accuracy on app navigation directions, in 3 of 4 consecutive weekly probes, as measured by opportunity-by-opportunity data collected weekly.

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  • 3-5, 6-8Percent accuracy

    Tell a strong password from a weak one

    Signing in securely

    By the annual IEP review date, given 10 sample passwords (made up for the lesson) and the class password rule card, the student will sort each sample password as strong or weak and name the rule a weak one breaks independently with at least 90% accuracy on sample passwords, in 3 of 4 consecutive weekly probes, as measured by work-sample analysis collected weekly.

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  • 3-5, 6-8Opportunities

    Keep a password private when a peer asks

    Signing in securely

    By the annual IEP review date, during a role-play in which a peer or adult actor asks for the student's password, the student will say no to sharing the password, keep the login card or screen covered, and tell an adult if asked again independently in 5 of 5 opportunities, across 3 consecutive weeks of data, as measured by opportunity-by-opportunity data collected weekly.

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  • 3-5, 6-8Percent accuracy

    Turn a research question into search keywords

    Searching for information

    By the annual IEP review date, given 8 research questions from a class project and a keyword planning sheet, the student will write 2 to 4 search keywords that name the main topic and the specific detail for each question independently with at least 75% accuracy on keyword sets, in 3 of 4 consecutive biweekly probes, as measured by work-sample analysis collected every two weeks.

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  • 3-5, 6-8Task-analysis steps

    Save and name files in subject folders

    File management

    By the annual IEP review date, after finishing a document in class, with a cloud drive that has a folder for each subject, the student will save the document with a clear name in the correct subject folder and find it again, performing all 6 steps independently, across 3 consecutive weeks of data, as measured by a task-analysis checklist collected twice weekly.

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  • 3-5, 6-8Task-analysis steps

    Join a video class with the mic muted

    Video class meetings

    By the annual IEP review date, at the start of a scheduled video class, given the meeting link on the learning platform, the student will join the video class on time and set up the mic, camera and hand-raise tools, performing at least 6 of 7 steps independently, across 4 consecutive video sessions, as measured by a task-analysis checklist collected at each video session.

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  • 3-5, 6-8Percent accuracy

    Tell ads from content on a web page

    Searching and judging sources

    By the annual IEP review date, given 5 screenshots of search results and web pages with 10 marked areas, some ads and some content, the student will label each marked area as an ad or content and point to the clue that shows it independently with at least 90% accuracy on page area labels, in 3 of 4 consecutive biweekly probes, as measured by work-sample analysis collected every two weeks.

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  • 3-5, 6-8Percent accuracy

    Sort personal information that stays private online

    Online privacy

    By the annual IEP review date, given 12 cards with kinds of information (such as a favorite color, home address, school name, a pet's name, phone number) and a safe to share and keep private mat, the student will sort each card as safe to share or keep private independently with 100% accuracy on privacy sorting items, in 3 of 4 consecutive weekly probes, as measured by work-sample analysis collected weekly.

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  • 3-5, 6-8Task-analysis steps

    Stop, save and tell after a mean message

    Responding to cyberbullying

    By the annual IEP review date, during a role-play with a sample mean message on a practice screen, the student will respond to the sample mean message by following the stop, save and tell steps, performing all 5 steps independently, across 3 consecutive weekly role-plays, as measured by a task-analysis checklist collected weekly.

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  • 3-5, 6-8Opportunities

    Ask before clicking downloads or prize pop-ups

    Online safety: downloads and pop-ups

    By the annual IEP review date, during practice on a teacher-made web page with staged download buttons and prize pop-ups, the student will stop before clicking a download, install or prize button and ask an adult whether it is safe independently in 5 of 5 opportunities, across 3 consecutive weeks of data, as measured by opportunity-by-opportunity data collected weekly.

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18 more digital literacy & online safety templates

Each opens in the builder with its sample goal, notes, objectives, and data sheet.

What digital literacy & online safety involves

  • Signing in securely without sharing passwords
  • Navigating a learning platform to find, open, and turn in assignments
  • Searching for information and judging whether a source is reliable
  • Writing emails with a clear subject, greeting, message, and closing
  • Protecting online privacy and spotting phishing and scams
  • Responding to and reporting cyberbullying, and managing screen time

Baseline and measurement considerations

  • Take a baseline on the platform the student uses daily, noting which steps they do alone.
  • Score platform routines as a task analysis: sign in, find the class, open the assignment, submit, check it went through.
  • Use accuracy for judging sources and messages, with a set of sample websites or emails, some safe and some not.
  • Count opportunities for reporting or declining using role-play scenarios, never real unsafe contact.
  • Teachers and library or technology staff can collect data; keep passwords out of data sheets.

Progress-monitoring methods used in these templates

  • Task-analysis checklist: A routine is broken into ordered steps; each step is recorded as independent, supported, or not completed.
  • Opportunity (trial) recording: Each planned or naturally occurring opportunity is recorded as correct/independent, prompted, or not demonstrated.
  • Work-sample analysis: Scoring completed student work (permanent products) against a defined answer key or checklist.
  • Direct observation: An adult observes and records the defined behavior during a specified activity.

How each measure works

Matching data sheets

Each template links to a blank sheet built for its measure. You can also download these sheets on their own:

  • Task-analysis checklist: Marks each step of a routine as independent, with support, or not completed across sessions.
  • Opportunity tracker: Records each opportunity as independent, prompted, or not demonstrated.
  • Accuracy tracker: Number correct out of number attempted, with percent accuracy and support level.

Common mistakes when writing digital literacy & online safety goals

  • Writing "will use technology appropriately" with no task or measure.
  • Testing with real phishing links or real strangers; use sample messages and role-play.
  • Repeating the existing device sign-in and online-safety goals in school-independence and community-safety instead of building on them.
  • Teaching rules only, without practice judging real-looking sources and messages.
  • Setting screen time limits for the student instead of teaching the student to set and keep their own.

Frequently asked questions

How do I write an IEP goal for online safety?

Use a set of sample messages or posts and score the student's choices. For example: given 10 sample messages, the student will identify each as safe or a scam and name one clue, with at least 80% accuracy on 3 of 4 probes.

What is a good digital literacy goal for middle school?

Judging whether a website is reliable using a short checklist fits middle school research work well. Navigating the learning platform to submit work on time is another strong goal.

How often should I collect data on digital literacy goals?

Every one to two weeks for accuracy probes. Platform routines can be scored each time the student turns in work.

Can an IEP goal cover cyberbullying?

Yes. A goal can teach the student how to respond and report, using screenshots, blocking, and telling a trusted adult, practiced in role-plays. Any real report follows the school's bullying procedures.

References

IEP Atlas Pro

Turn these goals into progress reports

Pro tracks every goal on your caseload and drafts the report for you. Free for 14 days.

Count trials, prompts, and minutes live in the session; the graph and trend line draw themselves; progress reports are drafted from your data.