Reading IEP goals
Phonological awareness, decoding, fluency, comprehension, and vocabulary. Choose a skill to see sample goals, customize one in the builder, and download a matching data sheet.
Phonological Awareness
6 templatesPhonological awareness is the ability to notice and work with the sounds in spoken words, from syllables and rhymes down to individual phonemes. It is an oral skill: no letters are involved. Goals here work best when they name the exact task (blending, segmenting, deleting a sound) and the word type, because difficulty changes a lot between them.
By the annual IEP review date, given a 1-minute oral probe of spoken one-syllable words with two to four phonemes, the student will say each individual sound in each spoken word independently at a rate of at least 35 sounds correct per minute, in 3 of 4 consecutive weekly probes, as measured by timed probes collected weekly.
Phonics & Decoding
6 templatesDecoding goals describe how a student turns printed letters into spoken words. Strong goals name the phonics patterns being measured, use unfamiliar words so the probe tests decoding rather than memory, and match the measurement to the concern: accuracy while patterns are new, rate once they need to become automatic.
By the annual IEP review date, given a 1-minute probe of randomly ordered lowercase letters, the student will say the most common sound for each letter or letter combination in order independently at a rate of at least 40 correct letter sounds per minute, in 3 of 4 consecutive weekly probes, as measured by timed probes collected weekly.
Sight Word Recognition
6 templatesSight word goals target words the student should read instantly, without sounding out. Many high-frequency words are partly decodable, so effective instruction connects their sounds and spellings instead of relying on memorization alone. Goals should name the word set, define what counts as instant, and check that recognition carries over to real reading.
By the annual IEP review date, given a set of 25 high-frequency words from the student's current instructional word list, presented one at a time on cards in random order, the student will read each word aloud within 3 seconds of seeing it independently with at least 90% accuracy on the word set, across 3 consecutive sessions, as measured by opportunity-by-opportunity data collected twice weekly.
Reading Fluency
6 templatesReading fluency combines accuracy, rate, and expression in connected text. Words correct per minute on unpracticed passages is the most common progress-monitoring measure, but it is not the only one: some students need accuracy, phrasing, self-correction, or stamina goals instead. Pick the measure that matches what present levels show is holding the student back.
By the annual IEP review date, given an unpracticed passage at the student's instructional level, the student will read the passage aloud for 1 minute independently at a rate of at least 72 words correct per minute, in 3 of 4 consecutive weekly probes, as measured by curriculum-based measurement probes collected weekly.
Reading Comprehension
6 templatesComprehension goals describe what a student does to show they made sense of a text: answer questions, retell, state the main idea, or explain an inference with evidence. Because comprehension cannot be observed directly, the goal must name the task, the text, and how responses will be scored. Check decoding and language first so the goal targets the real barrier.
By the annual IEP review date, after reading an unpracticed instructional-level passage and given 10 literal questions about it, with the passage available for look-backs, the student will answer who, what, where, when, and why questions about details stated in the passage independently with at least 80% accuracy on literal comprehension questions, on 3 of 4 consecutive weekly passages, as measured by work-sample analysis collected weekly.
Vocabulary
6 templatesVocabulary goals focus on what a student does with words: explain them, figure them out from context or word parts, pick the meaning that fits, and use them in speech. Strong goals name the word set or strategy and how answers are scored. Choose useful words from the student's actual curriculum rather than isolated lists.
By the annual IEP review date, given 5 target words taught during the current unit, presented orally and in print, the student will explain the meaning of each word in their own words and give an example sentence or situation that fits it independently, earning a score of at least 8 out of 10 on a word-explanation rubric (5 words, each scored 0–1 for meaning and 0–1 for example), on 3 consecutive unit checks, as measured by a defined scoring rubric collected at the end of each instructional unit.