Phonics & Decoding IEP goals for kindergarten to grade 2
40 of the phonics & decoding templates in the library are written for kindergarten to grade 2. Each opens in the builder, where the grade band is a starting point and the baseline comes from your own assessment.
40 templates · 1 skill · K–2 · 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.
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.
Sound out and read CVC words
CVC blending
By the annual IEP review date, given 10 printed CVC words made only of taught letters, the student will say each sound and then read the whole word independently with at least 90% accuracy on CVC words, across 3 consecutive sessions, as measured by opportunity-by-opportunity data collected twice weekly.
In kindergarten through grade 2, phonics & decoding goals target foundational skills and are measured with short probes, word lists, or direct observation that fit a young student's attention span. Criteria usually use small item sets and frequent checks.
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 8 goals here
- Accuracy trackerNumber correct out of number attempted, with percent accuracy and support level.Used by 25 goals here
- Opportunity trackerRecords each opportunity as independent, prompted, or not demonstrated.Used by 7 goals here
Frequently asked questions
How are phonics & decoding goals measured in the early grades?
With brief, repeatable measures: a one-minute probe, a 10-item set, or a few observed opportunities per day. The goal's mastery rule states how many measurements must meet the criterion.
Should early-grade goals be tied to grade-level standards?
Goals come from the student's present levels and should enable progress in the general curriculum, but the criterion is set from baseline data, not copied from a standard. The standard can inform what skill to target.
How many goals should a K-2 student have?
One per area of need identified in the evaluation. Young students often have goals across several areas (communication, early literacy, self-regulation), so keeping each goal to one measure keeps data collection realistic.
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