Reading IEP goals for Developmental Delay
103 reading templates across 8 skills: print concepts & early literacy, letter names & sounds, phonological awareness, reading fluency, reading comprehension, sight word recognition, phonics & decoding, vocabulary. Each opens in the builder with a matching data sheet.
103 templates · 8 skills · Pre-K, K–2, 3–5, 6–8, 9–12 · How we write and review goals
Goals by skill
Numbers are illustrative; set targets from the student's own baseline.
Print Concepts & Early Literacy Reading
Handle a book from front to back
Book handling
By the annual IEP review date, during independent book time, given an unfamiliar picture book handed to the student closed and upside down, the student will look through the book from the front cover to the back cover following the book handling steps, performing at least 6 of 7 steps independently, across 3 consecutive weekly probes, as measured by a task-analysis checklist collected weekly.
Turn the page when the adult finishes reading
Book handling
By the annual IEP review date, during one-to-one shared reading of a picture book when the adult reads the last word on a page and pauses, the student will turn to the next page at the pause independently in at least 8 of 10 opportunities, across 3 consecutive sessions, as measured by opportunity-by-opportunity data collected twice weekly.
Letter Names & Sounds Reading
Point to a named letter
Receptive letter identification
By the annual IEP review date, given a row of 3 uppercase letter cards and the spoken name of one of them, the student will point to or touch the named letter independently with at least 85% accuracy on letter identification trials, across 3 consecutive sessions, as measured by opportunity-by-opportunity data collected twice weekly.
Name uppercase letters shown in random order
Uppercase letter naming
By the annual IEP review date, given 26 uppercase letter cards shown one at a time in random order, the student will say the name of each letter independently with at least 90% accuracy on uppercase letters, across 3 consecutive sessions, as measured by opportunity-by-opportunity data collected weekly.
Phonological Awareness Reading
Segment spoken words into phonemes (timed)
Phoneme segmentation
By the annual IEP review date, given a 1-minute oral probe of spoken one-syllable words with two to four phonemes, the student will say each individual sound in each spoken word independently at a rate of at least 35 sounds correct per minute, in 3 of 4 consecutive weekly probes, as measured by timed probes collected weekly.
Blend spoken phonemes into words
Phoneme blending
By the annual IEP review date, given 10 words presented orally as separate phonemes with about a one-second pause between sounds, the student will blend the sounds and say the whole word aloud independently with at least 80% accuracy on oral blending items, across 3 consecutive sessions, as measured by opportunity-by-opportunity data collected twice weekly.
Reading Fluency Reading
Echo-read a sentence with the adult's phrasing
Echo reading
By the annual IEP review date, during shared reading of a predictable book, after the adult reads a sentence aloud with natural phrasing while pointing to each word, the student will read the sentence back while pointing to each word, matching the adult's phrasing and pauses independently in at least 8 of 10 opportunities, across 3 consecutive sessions, as measured by opportunity-by-opportunity data collected twice weekly.
Join in on the repeated line of a predictable book
Choral participation
By the annual IEP review date, during a group read-aloud of a familiar predictable book with a repeated line, when the adult pauses and signals the group to read the line together, the student will say the repeated line along with the group independently in at least 5 of 6 opportunities, on 4 of 5 observed read-alouds, as measured by direct observation collected daily during story time.
Reading Comprehension Reading
Point to pictures to answer questions about a story read aloud
Listening comprehension with pictures
By the annual IEP review date, after listening to a short picture book read aloud, given 5 who, what, and where questions with a choice of 3 pictures for each, the student will point to the picture that answers each question independently with at least 85% accuracy on picture-choice questions, across 3 consecutive sessions, as measured by opportunity-by-opportunity data collected twice weekly.
Put story pictures in order
Picture sequencing
By the annual IEP review date, after listening to a short story read aloud, given 3 picture cards of its main events in mixed order, the student will arrange the pictures in the order the events happened and tell what happens in each independently in at least 4 of 5 opportunities, across 3 consecutive sessions, as measured by opportunity-by-opportunity data collected twice weekly.
Sight Word Recognition Reading
Read a set of high-frequency words
High-frequency word recognition
By the annual IEP review date, given a set of 25 high-frequency words from the student's current instructional word list, presented one at a time on cards in random order, the student will read each word aloud within 3 seconds of seeing it independently with at least 90% accuracy on the word set, across 3 consecutive sessions, as measured by opportunity-by-opportunity data collected twice weekly.
Match identical printed words
Word matching
By the annual IEP review date, given a printed word card and a row of 3 word cards, one of which is identical, the student will point to or place the word that matches independently with at least 90% accuracy on word matching trials, across 3 consecutive sessions, as measured by opportunity-by-opportunity data collected twice weekly.
Phonics & Decoding Reading
Say letter sounds on a timed probe
Letter-sound correspondence
By the annual IEP review date, given a 1-minute probe of randomly ordered lowercase letters, the student will say the most common sound for each letter or letter combination in order independently at a rate of at least 40 correct letter sounds per minute, in 3 of 4 consecutive weekly probes, as measured by timed probes collected weekly.
Read taught phonics patterns accurately in decodable text
Decoding in connected text
By the annual IEP review date, given an unpracticed decodable passage of 100 to 150 words that uses taught phonics patterns, the student will read the passage aloud independently with at least 90% accuracy on words with taught phonics patterns in the passage, in 3 of 4 consecutive weekly probes, as measured by curriculum-based measurement probes collected weekly.
Vocabulary Reading
Point to the picture of a spoken word
Receptive vocabulary
By the annual IEP review date, given a spoken word from the current unit's word set and a choice of 4 pictures, the student will point to or touch the picture that matches the word independently with at least 85% accuracy on receptive vocabulary items, across 3 consecutive sessions, as measured by opportunity-by-opportunity data collected twice weekly.
Name the category and find the one that does not belong
Categories
By the annual IEP review date, given 4 pictures, 3 from one category and 1 from another, the student will point to the picture that does not belong and name the category of the others independently in at least 8 of 10 opportunities, across 3 consecutive sessions, as measured by opportunity-by-opportunity data collected twice weekly.
Phonological awareness, decoding, fluency, comprehension, and vocabulary. Developmental Delay is a category states may use for young children, generally ages 3 through 9, when a delay in one or more areas calls for special education. The goals below are preschool and early elementary goals across communication, motor, social, adaptive, and readiness skills.
Matching data sheets
Each goal above links to the blank sheet built for its measure. These are the sheets this set of goals uses:
- Frequency & rate trackerCounts a defined behavior during a fixed observation period. Calculates rate when time is recorded.Used by 4 goals here
- Accuracy trackerNumber correct out of number attempted, with percent accuracy and support level.Used by 52 goals here
- Opportunity trackerRecords each opportunity as independent, prompted, or not demonstrated.Used by 40 goals here
- Latency trackerTimes the gap between a cue and the start of the response.Used by 2 goals here
- Reading fluency trackerWords attempted, errors, words correct per minute, and accuracy for each probe.Used by 1 goal here
- Rubric trackerScores each rubric criterion and totals the score for each sample.Used by 1 goal here
- Task-analysis checklistMarks each step of a routine as independent, with support, or not completed across sessions.Used by 3 goals here
Frequently asked questions
Until what age can a child be eligible under Developmental Delay?
IDEA lets states use the category for children ages 3 through 9, and each state sets its own age range within that. After the state's cutoff the child is reevaluated under another category.
What do preschool IEP goals look like?
They name a skill in a classroom routine, such as following a two-step direction during cleanup or requesting a turn during play, and measure it with opportunities or task-analysis steps. Numbers are small and sessions are short.
How are reading goals measured for students with developmental delay?
With the same measures as any reading goal: accuracy on word lists for decoding, words correct per minute on an unpracticed passage for fluency, and percent of questions answered or a rubric for comprehension. The disability informs the supports and conditions, not the measure.
Which reading skill should the goal target first?
The one the evaluation shows is limiting progress. Foundational skills (phonological awareness, decoding) usually come before fluency, and fluency before comprehension goals that depend on it, but assessment, not sequence, decides.
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