High School Writing IEP goals
143 writing templates list high school (grades 9 to 12) among their grade bands, across 5 skills: paragraph organization, written expression, sentence construction, spelling, capitalization, punctuation & grammar. Each opens in the builder with a matching data sheet.
143 templates · 5 skills · 9–12 · How we write and review goals
Goals by skill
Numbers are illustrative; set targets from the student's own baseline.
Paragraph Organization Writing
Write an organized paragraph with a topic sentence, details, and a conclusion
Topic sentence, supporting details, and conclusion
By the annual IEP review date, given a familiar topic and a 25-minute writing period, the student will write a paragraph with a topic sentence, at least three supporting details, and a concluding sentence independently, earning a score of at least 10 out of 12 on a 12-point paragraph organization rubric, on 3 of 4 consecutive scored paragraphs, as measured by a defined scoring rubric collected every two weeks.
Write a multi-paragraph essay with an introduction, body, and conclusion
Multi-paragraph essay structure
By the annual IEP review date, given an informational or argument prompt and two class periods to plan, draft, and revise, the student will write a multi-paragraph essay with an introduction that states the controlling idea, body paragraphs that each begin with a topic sentence, and a conclusion independently, earning a score of at least 9 out of 12 on a 12-point multi-paragraph organization rubric, on 3 of 4 consecutive scored essays, as measured by a defined scoring rubric collected monthly.
Written Expression Writing
Make a written plan before drafting
Planning before writing
By the annual IEP review date, before drafting a writing assignment that calls for a paragraph or longer, the student will complete a written or typed plan listing the topic, at least three ideas, and a closing idea independently in at least 4 of 5 opportunities, across 3 consecutive weeks of data, as measured by opportunity-by-opportunity data collected weekly.
Write an opinion piece with reasons, examples, and a conclusion
Opinion writing
By the annual IEP review date, given an opinion prompt on a familiar topic and a 40-minute writing period, the student will write an opinion piece that states an opinion, gives at least two reasons with supporting examples, and ends with a concluding statement independently, earning a score of at least 8 out of 10 on a 10-point opinion writing rubric, on 3 of 4 consecutive scored writing samples, as measured by a defined scoring rubric collected twice monthly.
Sentence Construction Writing
Combine short sentences into compound and complex sentences
Sentence combining
By the annual IEP review date, given 10 pairs of short related sentences, the student will combine each pair into one grammatically complete compound or complex sentence that keeps the meaning of both sentences independently with at least 80% accuracy on sentence-combining items, in 3 of 4 consecutive weekly probes, as measured by work-sample analysis collected weekly.
Use compound and complex sentences in paragraph writing
Using compound and complex sentences in own writing
By the annual IEP review date, when writing a paragraph-length response during language arts or content-area classes, the student will include at least two correctly punctuated compound or complex sentences in the response independently in at least 4 of 5 opportunities, across 3 consecutive weeks of writing samples, as measured by opportunity-by-opportunity data collected weekly.
Spelling Writing
Spell words with suffixes and spelling-change rules
Suffixes and spelling-change rules
By the annual IEP review date, given 15 dictated unpracticed words that require adding -ed, -ing, -er, or -est to a base word, the student will spell each word by applying the drop-e, double-the-consonant, and change-y-to-i rules where needed independently with at least 80% accuracy on suffixed words, in 3 of 4 consecutive weekly probes, as measured by curriculum-based measurement probes collected weekly.
Spell words correctly in self-composed writing
Spelling accuracy in independent writing
By the annual IEP review date, in handwritten independent writing samples of at least 50 words, the student will spell words in self-composed writing independently with at least 85% accuracy on words written, across 3 consecutive biweekly writing samples, as measured by work-sample analysis collected every two weeks.
Place a comma before the conjunction in compound sentences
Comma before a conjunction in compound sentences
By the annual IEP review date, given 10 compound sentences with the comma missing, the student will add a comma before the conjunction in each compound sentence and leave sentences that do not need one unchanged independently with at least 85% accuracy on compound sentences, in 3 of 4 consecutive weekly probes, as measured by work-sample analysis collected weekly.
Punctuate dialogue with quotation marks and commas
Punctuating dialogue
By the annual IEP review date, given 10 lines of dialogue with speaker tags, written without quotation marks or commas, the student will punctuate each line of dialogue with quotation marks around the spoken words, a comma or end mark inside the closing marks, and a capital at the start of the quotation independently with at least 80% accuracy on lines of dialogue, in 3 of 4 consecutive weekly probes, as measured by work-sample analysis collected weekly.
High school writing 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 18 goals here
- Rubric trackerScores each rubric criterion and totals the score for each sample.Used by 42 goals here
- Duration trackerTimes how long a behavior lasts and compares it with the target duration.Used by 1 goal here
- Accuracy trackerNumber correct out of number attempted, with percent accuracy and support level.Used by 69 goals here
- Task-analysis checklistMarks each step of a routine as independent, with support, or not completed across sessions.Used by 8 goals here
- Frequency & rate trackerCounts a defined behavior during a fixed observation period. Calculates rate when time is recorded.Used by 5 goals here
Frequently asked questions
How do writing 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.
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.