Phonological Awareness IEP goals for middle school (grades 6 to 8)
12 of the phonological awareness templates in the library are written for middle school (grades 6 to 8). Each opens in the builder, where the grade band is a starting point and the baseline comes from your own assessment.
12 templates · 1 skill · 6–8 · How we write and review goals
Goals by skill
Numbers are illustrative; set targets from the student's own baseline.
Phonological Awareness Reading
Delete and substitute phonemes in spoken words
Phoneme manipulation
By the annual IEP review date, given 10 spoken one-syllable words, each with an oral direction to delete or change one named phoneme, the student will say the new word that results from deleting or substituting the named sound independently with at least 80% accuracy on phoneme manipulation items, in 3 of 4 consecutive weekly probes, as measured by opportunity-by-opportunity data collected weekly.
Change one sound at a time in a word chain
Phoneme chaining
By the annual IEP review date, given a spoken starting word and a series of 10 oral directions to change, add, or remove one sound to make the next word, the student will say the new word after each change independently with at least 90% accuracy on chain steps, in 3 of 4 consecutive weekly probes, as measured by opportunity-by-opportunity data collected weekly.
Break content words into syllables and sounds
Multisyllabic segmentation for spelling
By the annual IEP review date, given 10 spoken three- and four-syllable words from current content-area vocabulary, the student will say each syllable in order and then say each sound in one syllable named by the adult independently with at least 90% accuracy on words segmented into all syllables, in 3 of 4 consecutive weekly probes, as measured by opportunity-by-opportunity data collected weekly.
Tap a dot or switch per sound
Pointing and AAC response formats
By the annual IEP review date, given a spoken CVC word and a card with 4 dots in a row, the student will touch one dot or press the switch once for each sound in the word independently in at least 8 of 10 opportunities, across 3 consecutive sessions, as measured by opportunity-by-opportunity data collected twice weekly.
Reverse the sounds in a word
Phoneme reversal
By the annual IEP review date, given a spoken CVC word whose reversal is a real word (such as pat to tap) and the direction to say it backward, the student will say the sounds in reverse order and then say the new word independently in at least 8 of 10 opportunities, across 3 consecutive sessions, as measured by opportunity-by-opportunity data collected weekly.
Delete and change sounds on a timed probe
Phoneme manipulation fluency
By the annual IEP review date, given a 1-minute probe of spoken one-syllable words, each with a direction to delete or change one sound, the student will say the new word after each direction independently at a rate of at least 12 correct responses per minute, in 3 of 4 consecutive weekly probes, as measured by timed probes collected weekly.
Middle school phonological awareness goals account for multiple teachers, changing classes, and more independent work. They often pair the skill with a strategy or tool, and the data can be collected across settings by different staff or by the student.
Matching data sheets
Each goal above links to the blank sheet built for its measure. These are the sheets this set of goals uses:
- Accuracy trackerNumber correct out of number attempted, with percent accuracy and support level.Used by 6 goals here
- Opportunity trackerRecords each opportunity as independent, prompted, or not demonstrated.Used by 5 goals here
- Frequency & rate trackerCounts a defined behavior during a fixed observation period. Calculates rate when time is recorded.Used by 1 goal here
Frequently asked questions
How are phonological awareness goals measured across several middle school classes?
By defining the task and the observation period so any teacher can use the same sheet, or by work samples collected from more than one class. Student self-monitoring with a weekly check is common.
Should middle school goals include study skills?
When assessment shows that organization, planning, or test preparation limits the student's progress, yes. Those goals are measured with task-analysis checklists and percent of assignments completed.
When does transition planning start?
The IEP in effect when the student turns 16 must include postsecondary goals and transition services, and many states start at 14. Middle school goals can build the self-advocacy and independence those plans rely on.
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.