High School Social-Emotional & Communication IEP goals
189 social-emotional & communication templates list high school (grades 9 to 12) among their grade bands, across 9 skills: self-advocacy, requesting help, peer interaction, conflict resolution, emotional regulation, relationships, boundaries & personal safety, social awareness & perspective taking, functional communication, play & social participation. Each opens in the builder with a matching data sheet.
189 templates · 9 skills · 9–12 · 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.
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.
Requesting Help Social-Emotional & Communication
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.
Request help promptly after getting stuck
Reducing time spent stuck before requesting help
By the annual IEP review date, during independent work, after they stop making progress on an item, the student will initiate a help request using their help signal or a spoken, signed, or typed request independently within 90 seconds, on 4 of 5 consecutive observed opportunities, as measured by latency recording collected twice weekly during independent work.
Peer Interaction Social-Emotional & Communication
Contribute ideas during cooperative group work
Contributing to cooperative group work
By the annual IEP review date, during a 20-minute small-group academic task in general education, the student will contribute an idea, answer, or comment about the task to peers (spoken, written on a shared document, or using a communication device) independently at least 3 times per 20-minute group work session, across 3 consecutive observed sessions, as measured by frequency recording collected weekly.
Participate in a shared activity with a peer
Sustaining shared play or leisure
By the annual IEP review date, during a play or leisure activity based on the student's interests with one or more peers, the student will participate in the shared activity with a peer (such as building together, playing a game, trading turns on a video game, looking at a book together) independently for at least 8 minutes, across 3 consecutive observed sessions, as measured by duration recording 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.
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.
Use coping strategies without an adult prompt
Self-initiated use of coping strategies
By the annual IEP review date, during the school day, when early signs of stress or frustration listed in their regulation plan occur, the student will use To choose for the student: the coping strategy from their personal menu (such as deep breathing, stretching, a fidget, headphones, a pass to the break area) without an adult prompt at least 3 times per school day, on 4 of 5 consecutive school days, as measured by frequency recording collected daily.
Relationships, Boundaries & Personal Safety Social-Emotional & Communication
Practice no, go, tell in role-play
No, go, tell
By the annual IEP review date, during a role-play with the counselor using a scripted scenario of an unwanted touch or request, with the student's named trusted adults listed, the student will carry out each step of the no, go, tell routine in the role-play, performing all 5 steps independently, across 3 consecutive sessions, as measured by a task-analysis checklist collected weekly.
Match greetings to the relationship
Greetings that fit the relationship
By the annual IEP review date, during arrival, hallways, and community outings, when the student greets someone, the student will greet the person in a way that fits their relationship circle, chosen from the student's greeting options independently in at least 8 of 10 opportunities, on 4 of 5 observed days, as measured by direct observation collected 3 times per week.
See all 30 relationships, boundaries & personal safety goals
Social Awareness & Perspective Taking Social-Emotional & Communication
Read sarcasm from words and situation
Interpreting sarcasm
By the annual IEP review date, given 10 short written or video scenes in which a person makes a comment that is sarcastic or sincere, the student will say whether the comment is sarcastic or sincere, what the speaker really means, and the clue independently with at least 75% accuracy on sarcastic or sincere comments, in 3 of 4 consecutive weekly probes, as measured by opportunity-by-opportunity data collected weekly.
Spot when words and situation do not match
Mixed signals
By the annual IEP review date, given 10 short written or video scenes in which a person's words do or do not match the situation, the student will say whether the person's words match the situation and what the person might really be thinking or feeling independently with at least 75% accuracy on word and situation scenes, in 3 of 4 consecutive weekly probes, as measured by opportunity-by-opportunity data collected weekly.
Functional Communication Social-Emotional & Communication
Maintain a conversation topic across several turns
Maintaining a conversational topic
By the annual IEP review date, during a structured conversation with a peer or adult in which the partner introduces a topic, the student will maintain the topic by making related comments or asking related questions across at least 3 consecutive turns independently in at least 4 of 5 opportunities, across 3 consecutive weekly sessions, as measured by opportunity-by-opportunity data collected weekly.
Start a conversation with a greeting and an opener
Starting a conversation
By the annual IEP review date, during unstructured time (lunch, before class, a club) with a familiar peer nearby, the student will start a conversation by greeting the peer and asking a question or making a comment the peer can respond to (such as "Hey, did you see the game?") independently in at least 4 of 5 opportunities, across 3 consecutive weeks, as measured by direct observation collected weekly during one social time plus structured practice.
All 9 skills
Every skill with goals for this group, by area. The number is how many of its goals are tagged here.
High school social-emotional & communication goals point toward life after school: independence, self-advocacy, and skills used in courses, jobs, and the community. Conditions name realistic materials and settings, and many goals are written so the student collects part of the data.
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 92 goals here
- Rubric trackerScores each rubric criterion and totals the score for each sample.Used by 25 goals here
- Task-analysis checklistMarks each step of a routine as independent, with support, or not completed across sessions.Used by 26 goals here
- Latency trackerTimes the gap between a cue and the start of the response.Used by 10 goals here
- Frequency & rate trackerCounts a defined behavior during a fixed observation period. Calculates rate when time is recorded.Used by 15 goals here
- Duration trackerTimes how long a behavior lasts and compares it with the target duration.Used by 5 goals here
- Accuracy trackerNumber correct out of number attempted, with percent accuracy and support level.Used by 16 goals here
Frequently asked questions
How do social-emotional & communication goals connect to transition planning in high school?
Annual goals should support the student's measurable postsecondary goals for education, employment, and independent living (34 CFR 300.320(b)). A skill goal can be written in the context of a course, a job site, or a daily living routine.
Can a high school student help write their own goals?
Yes, and the student must be invited to IEP meetings where transition is discussed. Student-chosen goals with self-monitoring tend to be measured more consistently.
How are high school goals measured when the student has many teachers?
With work samples, percent of assignments completed, rubrics, or self-monitoring checklists reviewed weekly by the case manager. The goal should say who records the data and where.
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