Science, Social Studies & Digital Literacy IEP goals for Intellectual Disability
52 science, social studies & digital literacy templates across 3 skills: digital literacy & online safety, science skills, social studies skills. Each opens in the builder with a matching data sheet.
52 templates · 3 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.
Digital Literacy & Online Safety Science, Social Studies & Digital Literacy
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.
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.
Science Skills Science, Social Studies & Digital Literacy
Guess sink or float, then test it
Making a prediction
By the annual IEP review date, during a sink-or-float activity at the water table with a tray of everyday objects, the student will choose sink or float for an object before dropping it in, then place it in the matching result bin independently in at least 4 of 6 opportunities, across 3 consecutive sessions, as measured by opportunity-by-opportunity data collected twice weekly.
Sort pictures into living and nonliving
Classifying living and nonliving things
By the annual IEP review date, given 10 photo cards of plants, animals and objects and two labeled sorting mats, the student will sort each card onto the living or nonliving mat independently with at least 90% accuracy on living and nonliving sorting cards, in 3 of 4 consecutive weekly probes, as measured by work-sample analysis collected weekly.
Social Studies Skills Science, Social Studies & Digital Literacy
Sort pictures into needs and wants
Needs and wants
By the annual IEP review date, given 10 photo cards of everyday items (such as food, a coat, a game, a bed) and a two-column needs and wants mat, the student will sort each card into needs or wants independently with at least 90% accuracy on needs and wants cards, in 3 of 4 consecutive weekly probes, as measured by work-sample analysis collected weekly.
Match community helpers to their jobs
Community roles
By the annual IEP review date, given 8 photos of community workers (such as a firefighter, mail carrier, nurse, bus driver) and 8 photos of the work they do, the student will match each worker to the photo of the work they do independently with at least 88% accuracy on community worker matches, in 3 of 4 consecutive weekly probes, as measured by opportunity-by-opportunity data collected weekly.
Access to science and social studies content, lab and map skills, and safe, effective use of digital tools. Goals for students with an intellectual disability focus on skills that carry into daily life: functional academics, routines, communication, self-care, and community participation. Task-analysis checklists and opportunity data make small, real steps visible.
Matching data sheets
Each goal above links to the blank sheet built for its measure. These are the sheets this set of goals uses:
- Opportunity trackerRecords each opportunity as independent, prompted, or not demonstrated.Used by 8 goals here
- Accuracy trackerNumber correct out of number attempted, with percent accuracy and support level.Used by 31 goals here
- Task-analysis checklistMarks each step of a routine as independent, with support, or not completed across sessions.Used by 11 goals here
- Rubric trackerScores each rubric criterion and totals the score for each sample.Used by 2 goals here
Frequently asked questions
What kinds of goals fit students with an intellectual disability?
Functional academics (money, time, reading signs and schedules), daily living and self-care routines, functional communication, school and community independence, and vocational readiness for older students. Academic goals are written at the student's instructional level.
How do task-analysis goals work?
The routine is broken into ordered steps, and the data sheet records which steps the student completes independently. The criterion is a number of steps (for example, 9 of 10 steps) across several sessions.
Should students with intellectual disability have science or social studies goals?
Only when they need specially designed instruction to do a content-area skill, such as following a lab procedure or reading a map. Many students need only accommodations, which go in the accommodations section instead of a goal.
How are content-area goals measured?
With accuracy on a fixed task type, rubrics for written or spoken explanations, and task-analysis steps for procedures. Keep the task type the same across units so progress shows.
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.