Grades 3-5 Social-Emotional & Communication IEP goals
212 social-emotional & communication templates list grades 3 to 5 among their grade bands, across 9 skills: requesting help, conflict resolution, self-advocacy, peer interaction, emotional regulation, functional communication, social awareness & perspective taking, relationships, boundaries & personal safety, play & social participation. Each opens in the builder with a matching data sheet.
212 templates · 9 skills · 3–5 · How we write and review goals
Top skills
The 8 most relevant skills, with sample goals. Numbers are illustrative; set targets from the student's own baseline.
Requesting Help Social-Emotional & Communication
Request help when stuck during independent work
Requesting help when stuck during independent work
By the annual IEP review date, when they are unable to continue an independent work task, the student will request help from an adult by raising a hand, placing a help card on the desk, or saying or signing "help" independently in at least 4 of 5 opportunities, across 3 consecutive data collection days, as measured by opportunity-by-opportunity data collected three times per week during independent work.
Make a specific help request that names the problem
Making specific help requests
By the annual IEP review date, when they request help during independent or small-group work, the student will make a specific help request that names the step or part of the task they are stuck on and what they have tried independently in at least 4 of 5 opportunities, across 3 consecutive weeks of data, as measured by opportunity-by-opportunity data collected twice weekly.
Conflict Resolution Social-Emotional & Communication
Use a named problem-solving sequence when a disagreement occurs
Using a problem-solving sequence during disagreements
By the annual IEP review date, when a disagreement with a peer occurs during unstructured times, the student will use the steps of their taught problem-solving sequence (stop, say the problem, suggest a solution, agree or get an adult) independently in at least 4 of 5 opportunities, across 3 consecutive weeks, as measured by direct observation collected weekly, supplemented by staff incident notes.
State the problem using an I-message
Stating the problem with an I-message
By the annual IEP review date, when a peer does something the student objects to (such as takes their materials, cuts in line, interrupts), the student will state the problem using an I-message that names the situation and what they want (such as "I don't like it when you take my pencil. Please ask first.") independently in at least 4 of 5 opportunities, across 3 consecutive weekly data collection sessions, as measured by opportunity-by-opportunity data collected weekly through role-play probes and observed conflicts.
Self-Advocacy Social-Emotional & Communication
Request a listed accommodation when a task calls for it
Requesting IEP accommodations in the moment
By the annual IEP review date, when given a classroom task or assessment for which one of their IEP accommodations applies, the student will request the accommodation by naming it to the teacher (spoken, written, signed, or shown on an accommodation card) independently in at least 4 of 5 opportunities, across 3 consecutive weekly data collection sessions, as measured by opportunity-by-opportunity data collected weekly across at least two class periods.
Describe own learning strengths, needs, and helpful supports
Describing own strengths, needs, and supports
By the annual IEP review date, when asked by an adult to describe themselves as a learner during a scheduled self-advocacy interview, the student will describe their learning strengths, needs, and helpful supports independently, earning a score of at least 6 out of 8 on a 4-row self-advocacy statement rubric scored 0–2 per row, on 3 of 4 consecutive monthly probes, as measured by a defined scoring rubric collected monthly.
Peer Interaction Social-Emotional & Communication
Initiate interactions with peers during recess
Initiating interactions with peers
By the annual IEP review date, during a 20-minute recess period, the student will initiate an interaction with a peer (such as greeting, inviting to play, commenting, showing or offering an item) using speech, sign, AAC, or gesture independently at least 3 times per 20-minute recess period, across 3 consecutive observed recess periods, as measured by frequency recording collected twice weekly.
Respond to peers' greetings, questions, and invitations
Responding to peer initiations
By the annual IEP review date, when a peer greets them, asks a question, or invites them to play during unstructured times, the student will respond to the peer with a related word, sign, gesture, device message, or action (such as waving back, answering, joining the activity) independently in at least 4 of 5 opportunities, across 3 consecutive observed sessions, as measured by direct observation collected twice weekly.
Emotional Regulation Social-Emotional & Communication
Begin a chosen regulation strategy soon after a known trigger
Starting a chosen regulation strategy after a trigger
By the annual IEP review date, after a known trigger occurs (such as an unexpected loud noise, a difficult task, a correction), as identified in the student's regulation plan, the student will begin using To choose for the student: the strategy from their personal regulation menu (such as deep breathing, a squeeze ball, headphones, a movement break, the break area) independently within 60 seconds, on 4 of 5 consecutive observed opportunities, as measured by latency recording collected daily during the settings where triggers most often occur.
Return to the class activity after a regulation break
Returning to activity after a break
By the annual IEP review date, after a timed break in the designated break area ends, the student will return to the class activity and begin the next step of the assigned task independently within 2 minutes, on 4 of 5 consecutive breaks, as measured by latency recording collected daily.
Functional Communication Social-Emotional & Communication
Request preferred items or activities with two-symbol messages
Requesting with multi-symbol messages in classroom routines (AAC)
By the annual IEP review date, with access to their communication device during snack, play, and choice routines, the student will request a preferred item or activity by combining two symbols (such as "want bubbles," "more music," "go swing") independently in at least 8 of 10 opportunities, across 3 consecutive data collection days, as measured by opportunity-by-opportunity data collected three times per week.
Request a break using a communicative response
Requesting a break (functional communication replacement)
By the annual IEP review date, when presented with a demanding or non-preferred task, the student will request a break by handing a break card, selecting BREAK on their communication device, signing, or saying "break, please" independently in at least 4 of 5 opportunities, across 3 consecutive data collection days, as measured by opportunity-by-opportunity data collected daily during the activities identified in the FBA.
Social Awareness & Perspective Taking Social-Emotional & Communication
Name a character's emotion and the clue
Character emotions and clues
By the annual IEP review date, given 10 picture-book pages or short story events at the student's listening level, with an emotion word bank, the student will name the character's emotion and one clue from the words, picture, or situation that shows it independently with at least 80% accuracy on story events (emotion and clue both given), in 3 of 4 consecutive weekly probes, as measured by work-sample analysis collected weekly.
Tell an accident from on purpose
Accident or on purpose
By the annual IEP review date, given 10 short illustrated or video scenarios of peer mishaps, half accidental and half deliberate, the student will say whether the peer did it by accident or on purpose and name one clue (such as what they said, what they did next, or what happened before) independently with at least 80% accuracy on peer mishap scenarios, in 3 of 4 consecutive weekly probes, as measured by opportunity-by-opportunity data collected weekly.
Relationships, Boundaries & Personal Safety Social-Emotional & Communication
Sort public and private places
Public and private places
By the annual IEP review date, given 12 photos of everyday places at school, home, and in the community, and a two-column board labeled public and private, the student will sort each place as public or private and say one reason independently with at least 90% accuracy on place photos, in 3 of 4 consecutive weekly probes, as measured by opportunity-by-opportunity data collected weekly.
Tell a safe secret from an unsafe secret
Safe and unsafe secrets
By the annual IEP review date, given 10 short scenarios read aloud about secrets and surprises (such as a birthday surprise, or an older student saying not to tell an adult about a touch), the student will say whether each secret is safe to keep or should be told to a trusted adult, and give a reason independently with 100% accuracy on secret and surprise scenarios, in 3 of 4 consecutive weekly probes, as measured by opportunity-by-opportunity data collected weekly.
See all 30 relationships, boundaries & personal safety goals
All 9 skills
Every skill with goals for this group, by area. The number is how many of its goals are tagged here.
Grades 3 to 5 social-emotional & communication goals build on foundational skills and begin to use longer tasks, multi-step work, and independence as the target. Measurement shifts toward curriculum-based probes, work samples, and rubrics the student can see.
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 127 goals here
- Rubric trackerScores each rubric criterion and totals the score for each sample.Used by 13 goals here
- Task-analysis checklistMarks each step of a routine as independent, with support, or not completed across sessions.Used by 14 goals here
- Latency trackerTimes the gap between a cue and the start of the response.Used by 11 goals here
- Frequency & rate trackerCounts a defined behavior during a fixed observation period. Calculates rate when time is recorded.Used by 18 goals here
- Duration trackerTimes how long a behavior lasts and compares it with the target duration.Used by 11 goals here
- Accuracy trackerNumber correct out of number attempted, with percent accuracy and support level.Used by 18 goals here
Frequently asked questions
What changes in social-emotional & communication goals between the early and upper elementary grades?
Tasks get longer and more independent, and the support level in the goal moves from prompts toward checklists and self-monitoring. The measure often changes too, from direct observation to work samples and probes.
Can an upper elementary goal include self-monitoring?
Yes. Students at this age can check their own work or rate their own behavior, and the goal can measure both the skill and the accuracy of the self-rating.
How do I set a criterion for a grade 3 to 5 student working below grade level?
Use the student's baseline on the measure and expected growth for that measure, not the grade-level benchmark. The goal should be ambitious for the student, as Endrew F. requires, and reachable within the year.
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