Reading IEP goals for Deaf or Hard of Hearing
40 reading templates across 7 skills: vocabulary, phonological awareness, reading comprehension, letter names & sounds, reading fluency, sight word recognition, phonics & decoding. Each opens in the builder with a matching data sheet.
40 templates · 7 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.
Vocabulary Reading
Explain taught vocabulary words with examples
Explaining taught words
By the annual IEP review date, given 5 target words taught during the current unit, presented orally and in print, the student will explain the meaning of each word in their own words and give an example sentence or situation that fits it independently, earning a score of at least 8 out of 10 on a word-explanation rubric (5 words, each scored 0–1 for meaning and 0–1 for example), on 3 consecutive unit checks, as measured by a defined scoring rubric collected at the end of each instructional unit.
Determine word meaning from context clues
Context clues
By the annual IEP review date, given 10 unfamiliar words underlined in instructional-level passages that contain definition, synonym, antonym, or example clues, the student will state or write the meaning of each underlined word and identify the clue words in the text independently with at least 80% accuracy on context-clue items, on 3 of 4 consecutive probes, as measured by work-sample analysis collected every two weeks.
Phonological Awareness Reading
Tell whether two spoken words are the same or different (phonological awareness)
Auditory discrimination
By the annual IEP review date, given 10 pairs of spoken one-syllable words, half identical and half differing by one sound, the student will say or sign same or different for each pair independently with at least 90% accuracy on same-different pairs, across 3 consecutive sessions, as measured by opportunity-by-opportunity data collected twice weekly.
Say a word without its last sound
Phoneme deletion
By the annual IEP review date, given 10 spoken one-syllable words, each with the direction to say it without its last sound, the student will say the word that is left independently with at least 85% accuracy on final-sound deletion items, across 3 consecutive sessions, as measured by opportunity-by-opportunity data collected twice weekly.
Reading Comprehension Reading
Explain what a simile or metaphor means in the text
Figurative language
By the annual IEP review date, given 10 sentences from instructional-level texts that each contain a simile or metaphor, the student will say what the expression means in the sentence and what two things are being compared independently with at least 80% accuracy on figurative language items, on 3 of 4 consecutive probes, as measured by work-sample analysis collected every two weeks.
Answer why and how questions about a story
Wh- questions about a text (K-2)
By the annual IEP review date, after a read-aloud or shared reading of a picture book, when the adult asks a why or how question at a planned stopping point, the student will answer the question with a reason or a step from the story independently in at least 5 of 6 opportunities, across 3 consecutive sessions, as measured by opportunity-by-opportunity data collected twice weekly.
Letter Names & Sounds Reading
Short vowel sounds on a timed probe
Letter-sound fluency
By the annual IEP review date, given a 1-minute probe of the vowels a, e, i, o, and u repeated in random order, the student will say the short sound for each vowel across the rows 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.
Match a picture's ending sound to its letter
Ending sound to letter
By the annual IEP review date, given 10 picture cards of CVC words and a choice of 3 letter cards for each, the student will say the last sound of the picture name and point to or write the letter for it independently with at least 85% accuracy on ending sounds matched to the correct letter, across 3 consecutive sessions, as measured by opportunity-by-opportunity data collected twice weekly.
Reading Fluency Reading
Word endings in connected text
Accuracy in connected text
By the annual IEP review date, given an unpracticed instructional-level passage with 15 words with -s, -es, -ed, or -ing endings marked on the examiner copy, the student will read the passage aloud, saying the full ending on each marked word independently with at least 93% accuracy on marked words with endings, in 3 of 4 consecutive weekly probes, as measured by curriculum-based measurement probes collected weekly.
Timed true-or-false sentence reading
Silent reading rate with comprehension check
By the annual IEP review date, given a 3-minute probe of unrelated simple sentences that are each clearly true or false, such as a dog can fly (total divided by 3 for the per-minute rate), the student will read each sentence silently and mark it true or false independently at a rate of at least 16 correct responses per minute, in 3 of 4 consecutive biweekly probes, as measured by timed probes collected every two weeks.
Sight Word Recognition Reading
Caption words on a short video
Generalization to digital text
By the annual IEP review date, given a 1-minute captioned video clip at normal speed, with taught high-frequency words marked on the examiner copy, the student will read each caption line aloud or sign it while the line is on screen independently with at least 90% accuracy on marked high-frequency words in captions, across 3 consecutive sessions, as measured by opportunity-by-opportunity data collected weekly.
Phonics & Decoding Reading
Short e and short i in CVC words
Short vowel discrimination
By the annual IEP review date, given 20 printed CVC words with short e or short i, in random order, the student will read each word aloud with the right vowel sound independently with at least 95% accuracy on short e and short i words, in 3 of 4 consecutive weekly probes, as measured by curriculum-based measurement probes collected weekly.
Phonological awareness, decoding, fluency, comprehension, and vocabulary. Goals for students who are deaf or hard of hearing cover listening and spoken language, sign language, self-advocacy about access (checking equipment, asking for repetition), and language skills that hearing loss can affect. The communication mode in each goal should match the student's IEP communication plan.
Matching data sheets
Each goal above links to the blank sheet built for its measure. These are the sheets this set of goals uses:
- Rubric trackerScores each rubric criterion and totals the score for each sample.Used by 7 goals here
- Accuracy trackerNumber correct out of number attempted, with percent accuracy and support level.Used by 24 goals here
- Frequency & rate trackerCounts a defined behavior during a fixed observation period. Calculates rate when time is recorded.Used by 5 goals here
- Opportunity trackerRecords each opportunity as independent, prompted, or not demonstrated.Used by 4 goals here
Frequently asked questions
What areas do goals for deaf or hard of hearing students usually address?
Listening and auditory skills, receptive and expressive language in the student's communication mode, vocabulary, self-advocacy about access and equipment, and sometimes reading and writing when language delays affect them.
Should self-advocacy be an IEP goal?
Often, yes. Reporting a dead battery, asking for a repeat, or choosing a seat with a clear view of the speaker are observable, countable skills, and they matter more as the student moves toward independence.
How are reading goals measured for students with Deaf or hard of hearing?
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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