Phonics & Decoding IEP goals for grades 3 to 5
49 of the phonics & decoding templates in the library are written for grades 3 to 5. Each opens in the builder, where the grade band is a starting point and the baseline comes from your own assessment.
49 templates · 1 skill · 3–5 · How we write and review goals
Goals by skill
Numbers are illustrative; set targets from the student's own baseline.
Phonics & Decoding Reading
Say letter sounds on a timed probe
Letter-sound correspondence
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.
Decode closed-syllable and silent-e words
One-syllable word patterns
By the annual IEP review date, given a list of 20 unfamiliar one-syllable words mixing closed-syllable (CVC, CCVC, CVCC) and silent-e (CVCe) patterns, the student will read each word aloud independently with at least 90% accuracy on the word list, in 3 of 4 consecutive weekly probes, as measured by curriculum-based measurement probes collected weekly.
Read vowel-team and r-controlled words on a timed list
Vowel teams and r-controlled vowels
By the annual IEP review date, given a 1-minute timed list of unfamiliar one-syllable words with vowel teams (ai, ay, ee, ea, oa, ow) and r-controlled vowels (ar, or, er, ir, ur), the student will read the words aloud in order independently at a rate of at least 45 words read correctly per minute, in 3 of 4 consecutive weekly probes, as measured by timed probes collected weekly.
Decode multisyllabic words using syllable types
Multisyllabic word decoding
By the annual IEP review date, given 15 unfamiliar two- and three-syllable words containing closed, open, silent-e, vowel-team, and r-controlled syllables, the student will read each word aloud independently with at least 85% accuracy on multisyllabic words, in 3 of 4 consecutive weekly probes, as measured by curriculum-based measurement probes collected weekly.
Read taught phonics patterns accurately in decodable text
Decoding in connected text
By the annual IEP review date, given an unpracticed decodable passage of 100 to 150 words that uses taught phonics patterns, the student will read the passage aloud independently with at least 90% accuracy on words with taught phonics patterns in the passage, in 3 of 4 consecutive weekly probes, as measured by curriculum-based measurement probes collected weekly.
Apply a decoding routine to unfamiliar words
Decoding strategy use
By the annual IEP review date, when encountering an unfamiliar word during oral reading of instructional-level text, before asking for help, the student will apply the taught decoding routine (look for known patterns, say the sounds or chunks, blend, and reread the sentence) independently in at least 8 of 10 opportunities, across 3 consecutive data collection days, as measured by opportunity-by-opportunity data collected twice weekly.
Grades 3 to 5 phonics & decoding 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:
- Frequency & rate trackerCounts a defined behavior during a fixed observation period. Calculates rate when time is recorded.Used by 7 goals here
- Accuracy trackerNumber correct out of number attempted, with percent accuracy and support level.Used by 34 goals here
- Opportunity trackerRecords each opportunity as independent, prompted, or not demonstrated.Used by 8 goals here
Frequently asked questions
What changes in phonics & decoding 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.
IEP Atlas Pro
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Count trials, prompts, and minutes live in the session; the graph and trend line draw themselves; progress reports are drafted from your data.