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Community & Safety Skills IEP goals

Community and safety skills let a student move through the school, the neighborhood, and public places without an adult making every decision: crossing streets, staying with the group, knowing who can help, stating personal information, responding to drills, and riding transit. Good goals name the real setting and the safety routine step by step, and they keep an adult present until the data say otherwise. Measure routines with task analysis, repeated events with opportunities, and stopping on cue with latency.

50 templates · How we write and review goals

Sample community & safety skills goals

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

  • 3-5, 6-8, 9-12Task-analysis steps

    Cross the street at a signalized crosswalk

    Crossing at a signal

    By the annual IEP review date, at a signalized crosswalk during a community-based instruction walk, the student will cross the street following the crosswalk routine with an adult walking behind, performing all 7 steps independently, on 4 of 5 consecutive crossings, as measured by a task-analysis checklist collected at each community walk (at least weekly).

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  • 3-5, 6-8, 9-12Task-analysis steps

    Cross a street without a signal after checking for traffic

    Crossing without a signal

    By the annual IEP review date, at a residential street crossing without a signal during a community walk, the student will cross the street after stopping and checking for traffic in both directions with an adult walking behind, performing all 6 steps independently, on 4 of 5 consecutive crossings, as measured by a task-analysis checklist collected at each community walk (at least weekly).

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  • PK, K-2, 3-5Task-analysis steps

    Walk safely through a parking lot with an adult

    Parking lot safety

    By the annual IEP review date, when walking from the car or bus to the school entrance through the drop-off area, the student will walk through the parking lot following the safety routine beside the adult, performing all 5 steps independently, on 4 of 5 consecutive observed walks, as measured by a task-analysis checklist collected daily at arrival or at each community outing.

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  • K-2, 3-5, 6-8, 9-12Opportunities

    Stay with the group during a community outing

    Staying with the group

    By the annual IEP review date, during a community-based instruction outing in a store or public building, the student will stay within the agreed distance of the group and stop when the group stops independently in 6 of 6 opportunities, across 3 consecutive outings, as measured by direct observation collected at each outing, recorded in 10-minute intervals.

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  • K-2, 3-5, 6-8Opportunities

    Respond to an unfamiliar adult's approach in a role-play

    Stranger safety

    By the annual IEP review date, during a planned role-play in which a staff member the student does not know well approaches and asks the student to come with them, the student will say no, move away, and tell a trusted adult independently in 5 of 5 opportunities, across 3 consecutive data collection periods, as measured by opportunity-by-opportunity data collected one role-play per week, summarized every five role-plays.

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  • PK, K-2, 3-5Percent accuracy

    Identify who can help when lost or in trouble

    Trusted adults and community helpers

    By the annual IEP review date, given 10 pictures of people in community and school settings and asked who could help if the student were lost, the student will identify the people who can help in each picture or scenario independently with 100% accuracy on helper items, on 3 consecutive weekly probes, as measured by opportunity-by-opportunity data collected weekly.

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  • K-2, 3-5, 6-8Percent accuracy

    State full name, phone number, and address when asked

    Personal information

    By the annual IEP review date, when asked by a familiar adult for own full name, phone number, and address, the student will state own full name, a caregiver's phone number, and home address independently with 100% accuracy on personal information items, on 3 consecutive weekly probes, as measured by opportunity-by-opportunity data collected weekly.

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  • 6-8, 9-12Opportunities

    Carry an ID card and show it when asked

    Carrying and showing identification

    By the annual IEP review date, during a community-based instruction outing, when asked by a staff member to show identification, the student will take the ID card from the wallet or lanyard and show it independently in 5 of 5 opportunities, across 3 consecutive data collection periods, as measured by opportunity-by-opportunity data collected at each outing or role-play, summarized every five opportunities.

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  • 3-5, 6-8, 9-12Task-analysis steps

    Call emergency services in a practice scenario

    Calling for help in an emergency

    By the annual IEP review date, given an emergency scenario card (a person is not breathing, a fire in the kitchen) and a practice phone, the student will complete the practice emergency call, performing all 7 steps independently, on 3 consecutive practice calls, as measured by a task-analysis checklist collected every two weeks.

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  • PK, K-2, 3-5, 6-8, 9-12Task-analysis steps

    Follow the fire drill evacuation routine

    Fire and evacuation drills

    By the annual IEP review date, when the fire alarm sounds during a scheduled drill, the student will complete the evacuation routine to the assigned outdoor spot, performing all 7 steps independently, on 3 consecutive drills, as measured by a task-analysis checklist collected at each drill (about monthly), plus one practice walk per month.

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  • K-2, 3-5, 6-8, 9-12Task-analysis steps

    Follow the severe-weather or lockdown drill routine

    Shelter and lockdown drills

    By the annual IEP review date, when the school announces a severe-weather drill, the student will complete the drill routine until the all-clear, performing all 5 steps independently, on 3 consecutive drills, as measured by a task-analysis checklist collected at each drill (several per year), plus monthly practice.

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  • 3-5, 6-8, 9-12Percent accuracy

    Identify unsafe situations and state a safe response

    Recognizing unsafe situations

    By the annual IEP review date, given 10 picture scenarios of home, school, and community situations, half unsafe, the student will identify each unsafe situation and state what to do independently with 100% accuracy on safety scenarios, on 3 consecutive weekly probes, as measured by opportunity-by-opportunity data collected weekly.

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38 more community & safety skills templates

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

What community & safety skills involves

  • Crossing streets at signals and without signals, and walking safely in parking lots
  • Staying with the group, stopping on cue, and walking familiar routes with landmarks
  • Identifying trusted adults, responding to strangers, and keeping belongings and information safe, including online
  • Stating personal information, carrying identification, and contacting family or emergency services
  • Following fire, weather, and lockdown drills, reporting hazards, and responding to minor injuries
  • Planning and riding public transportation and waiting safely for a scheduled ride

Baseline and measurement considerations

  • Task analysis fits crossing, boarding, drill, and emergency-call routines; the adult's presence is a safety requirement, so independence refers to prompts, not supervision.
  • Opportunities fit repeated events such as following signs on a walk, staying with the group per interval, or asking an employee for help; build the opportunities into the outing on purpose.
  • Latency fits stopping on cue, the foundation for every other safety goal; time from the end of the word stop to the student standing still.
  • Many safety skills can only be practiced in planned role-plays (stranger approach, emergency calls, hazards); record role-play data separately from real events and never use real emergency lines.
  • Note the setting and conditions (quiet street, busy intersection, new route) on every data sheet, because safety behavior drops when the setting changes.

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.
  • Direct observation: An adult observes and records the defined behavior during a specified activity.
  • 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.
  • Latency recording: The time between a cue (such as a direction) and the start of the response is timed.

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.
  • Latency tracker: Times the gap between a cue and the start of the response.

Common mistakes when writing community & safety skills goals

  • Writing "will demonstrate safety skills in the community" without naming the routine, the setting, or the steps.
  • Fading adult supervision because a goal says independently, when the word refers only to prompts.
  • Collecting data only in hallway simulations and assuming the skill will hold at a real intersection or bus stop.
  • Running surprise stranger or emergency role-plays that frighten the student instead of planned, debriefed practice.
  • Treating a student who elopes as needing only a skill goal, when a behavior safety plan is also required.

Frequently asked questions

How do I write an IEP goal for street crossing?

Write it as a task analysis with 5 to 7 observable steps (stop at the curb, press the button, wait for the walk signal, look left-right-left, walk inside the lines, keep looking, step onto the far sidewalk) and state that an adult walks behind or beside the student. Collect baseline at a quiet signalized crossing, then move to busier intersections as the step count rises. Crossing without a signal is a separate, harder goal.

Are stranger safety goals appropriate for students with disabilities?

Yes, when taught with planned role-plays that the student knows are practice and that are debriefed right away. Teach who can help first (uniforms, name tags, employees behind counters), then the refuse-move-tell response. Involve the family in how the topic is explained, and never stage deceptive surprises.

What is a good community safety goal for preschool?

Start with stopping on cue (latency from the word stop to standing still), walking safely in the parking lot beside an adult, and identifying trusted adults from pictures. These are measurable daily at arrival and during planned trials, and they are the foundation for street crossing and staying with the group later.

How do we collect data on fire drills when they only happen a few times a year?

Add monthly practice walks of the evacuation route without the alarm and mark on the data sheet which data came from real drills. A task analysis (stop, line up, walk the route, stay with the group, wait at the spot, return) can be scored on both. Students who cannot tolerate the alarm need an individual evacuation plan alongside the goal.

Can travel training goals go in the IEP?

Yes, for students whose transition plan includes using public transportation. Write one goal for planning the trip (route, stop, times on a planning sheet) and one for riding (a task analysis from boarding to exiting) with staff on the bus. Fares, passes, and family consent are arranged before data collection begins.

References

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