Relationships, Boundaries & Personal Safety IEP goals for grades 3 to 5
9 of the relationships, boundaries & personal safety 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.
9 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.
Relationships, Boundaries & Personal Safety Social-Emotional & Communication
Sort public and private places
Public and private places
By the annual IEP review date, given 12 photos of everyday places at school, home, and in the community, and a two-column board labeled public and private, the student will sort each place as public or private and say one reason independently with at least 90% accuracy on place photos, in 3 of 4 consecutive weekly probes, as measured by opportunity-by-opportunity data collected weekly.
Tell a safe secret from an unsafe secret
Safe and unsafe secrets
By the annual IEP review date, given 10 short scenarios read aloud about secrets and surprises (such as a birthday surprise, or an older student saying not to tell an adult about a touch), the student will say whether each secret is safe to keep or should be told to a trusted adult, and give a reason independently with 100% accuracy on secret and surprise scenarios, in 3 of 4 consecutive weekly probes, as measured by opportunity-by-opportunity data collected weekly.
Ask before hugging or touching a peer
Asking before touching
By the annual IEP review date, during greetings, recess, and group work, when the student wants to hug, hold hands with, or touch a peer, the student will ask the peer first (such as "Can I hug you?") or offer a choice (hug, high five, wave) and do what the peer picks independently in at least 8 of 10 opportunities, on 4 of 5 observed days, as measured by direct observation collected 3 times per week.
Name safe and unsafe touch in scenarios
Safe and unsafe touch
By the annual IEP review date, given 10 short scenario cards read aloud, using the body safety words the family and school agreed on, the student will say whether the touch in each scenario is safe, unsafe, or unwanted, and what to do if it is unsafe or unwanted independently with 100% accuracy on touch scenarios, in 3 of 4 consecutive weekly probes, as measured by opportunity-by-opportunity data collected weekly.
Practice no, go, tell in role-play
No, go, tell
By the annual IEP review date, during a role-play with the counselor using a scripted scenario of an unwanted touch or request, with the student's named trusted adults listed, the student will carry out each step of the no, go, tell routine in the role-play, performing all 5 steps independently, across 3 consecutive sessions, as measured by a task-analysis checklist collected weekly.
Sort people into relationship circles
Relationship circles
By the annual IEP review date, given photos or name cards of 12 people in the student's life and community, and a relationship circles chart, the student will place each person in the right circle and say how they know the person independently with at least 85% accuracy on people placed in circles, in 3 of 4 consecutive weekly probes, as measured by work-sample analysis collected weekly.
See all 30 relationships, boundaries & personal safety goals
Grades 3 to 5 relationships, boundaries & personal safety 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:
- Accuracy trackerNumber correct out of number attempted, with percent accuracy and support level.Used by 4 goals here
- Opportunity trackerRecords each opportunity as independent, prompted, or not demonstrated.Used by 4 goals here
- Task-analysis checklistMarks each step of a routine as independent, with support, or not completed across sessions.Used by 1 goal here
Frequently asked questions
What changes in relationships, boundaries & personal safety 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.
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