Social Studies Skills IEP goals for high school (grades 9 to 12)
22 of the social studies skills templates in the library are written for high school (grades 9 to 12). Each opens in the builder, where the grade band is a starting point and the baseline comes from your own assessment.
22 templates · 1 skill · 9–12 · How we write and review goals
Goals by skill
Numbers are illustrative; set targets from the student's own baseline.
Social Studies Skills Science, Social Studies & Digital Literacy
Locate places by latitude and longitude
Maps and globes
By the annual IEP review date, given a world or regional map with labeled latitude and longitude lines every 10 or 20 degrees and 8 coordinate pairs, the student will find the place at each coordinate pair and write its name independently with at least 75% accuracy on coordinate items, on 3 of 4 consecutive biweekly probes, as measured by work-sample analysis collected every two weeks.
Source a document by author, date and purpose
Sourcing documents
By the annual IEP review date, given a short primary source (a letter, speech excerpt, poster or diary entry) with its source line and a sourcing organizer, the student will write the author, date, intended audience and purpose of the document and one detail from it that shows the purpose independently, earning a score of at least 8 out of 12 on a 4-row sourcing rubric scored 0 to 3 per row, on 3 of 4 consecutive scored sources, as measured by a defined scoring rubric collected every two weeks.
Compare two accounts of one event
Comparing accounts
By the annual IEP review date, given two short accounts of the same historical event from different points of view and a comparison organizer, the student will write one fact both accounts share, two ways they differ, and one reason the accounts might differ based on who wrote them independently, earning a score of at least 7 out of 9 on a 3-row source comparison rubric scored 0 to 3 per row, on 3 of 4 consecutive scored comparisons, as measured by a defined scoring rubric collected every two weeks.
Interpret a population or history line graph
Reading social studies charts and graphs
By the annual IEP review date, given a line graph from a social studies text (such as city population or immigration over time) and 6 questions, the student will answer each question with a value, a change over time, or a connection between the trend and an event from the unit independently with at least 83% accuracy on graph interpretation questions, on 3 of 4 consecutive biweekly probes, as measured by work-sample analysis collected every two weeks.
Write a document-based paragraph with evidence
Document-based writing
By the annual IEP review date, given a historical question, 3 short documents and a planning organizer, the student will write a paragraph with a claim that answers the question, evidence cited from at least two documents, and a sentence that explains how the evidence supports the claim independently, earning a score of at least 9 out of 12 on a 4-row document-based paragraph rubric scored 0 to 3 per row, on 3 of 4 consecutive scored paragraphs, as measured by a defined scoring rubric collected monthly.
Interpret the symbols in a political cartoon
Primary source questions
By the annual IEP review date, given a historical political cartoon from the current unit and a cartoon analysis organizer, the student will name two symbols or labels, tell what each stands for, and write the cartoonist's message in one sentence independently, earning a score of at least 7 out of 9 on a 3-row cartoon analysis rubric scored 0 to 3 per row, on 3 of 4 consecutive scored cartoons, as measured by a defined scoring rubric collected every two weeks.
High school social studies skills goals point toward life after school: independence, self-advocacy, and skills used in courses, jobs, and the community. Conditions name realistic materials and settings, and many goals are written so the student collects part of the data.
Matching data sheets
Each goal above links to the blank sheet built for its measure. These are the sheets this set of goals uses:
- Accuracy trackerNumber correct out of number attempted, with percent accuracy and support level.Used by 9 goals here
- Rubric trackerScores each rubric criterion and totals the score for each sample.Used by 9 goals here
- Task-analysis checklistMarks each step of a routine as independent, with support, or not completed across sessions.Used by 3 goals here
- Opportunity trackerRecords each opportunity as independent, prompted, or not demonstrated.Used by 1 goal here
Frequently asked questions
How do social studies skills goals connect to transition planning in high school?
Annual goals should support the student's measurable postsecondary goals for education, employment, and independent living (34 CFR 300.320(b)). A skill goal can be written in the context of a course, a job site, or a daily living routine.
Can a high school student help write their own goals?
Yes, and the student must be invited to IEP meetings where transition is discussed. Student-chosen goals with self-monitoring tend to be measured more consistently.
How are high school goals measured when the student has many teachers?
With work samples, percent of assignments completed, rubrics, or self-monitoring checklists reviewed weekly by the case manager. The goal should say who records the data and where.
IEP Atlas Pro
Turn these goals into progress reports
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Count trials, prompts, and minutes live in the session; the graph and trend line draw themselves; progress reports are drafted from your data.