Narrative Language & Retelling IEP goals for high school (grades 9 to 12)
11 of the narrative language & retelling templates in the library are written for high school (grades 9 to 12). Each opens in the builder, where the grade band is a starting point and the baseline comes from your own assessment.
11 templates · 1 skill · 9–12 · How we write and review goals
Goals by skill
Numbers are illustrative; set targets from the student's own baseline.
Narrative Language & Retelling Speech & Language
Retell a story with more than one episode
Multi-episode retell
By the annual IEP review date, after listening to or reading an unfamiliar story with two or three episodes, the student will retell the story, including for each episode the problem, what the character did, and the outcome, in order independently, earning a score of at least 7 out of 9 on a 3-row multi-episode retell rubric scored 0 to 3 per row, on 3 of 4 consecutive biweekly probes, as measured by a defined scoring rubric collected every two weeks.
Summarize an informational text aloud
Oral summary of informational text
By the annual IEP review date, after listening to a short informational passage or video (3 to 5 minutes) from a current class, the student will summarize the text in three to five sentences that state the main idea and two or three key details independently, earning a score of at least 6 out of 8 on a 4-row oral summary rubric scored 0 to 2 per row, on 3 of 4 consecutive biweekly probes, as measured by a defined scoring rubric collected every two weeks.
Explain a process or event series in order
Explaining a process in order
By the annual IEP review date, given a process or event series from a current science, social studies, or math unit and asked to explain it, the student will explain the steps of the process in the correct order using sequence words and the unit's vocabulary independently with at least 85% accuracy on process steps stated in order, on 3 of 4 consecutive biweekly probes, as measured by opportunity-by-opportunity data collected every two weeks.
Explain why an event happened and what it led to
Explaining cause and effect
By the annual IEP review date, given an event from a current history or science unit and asked why it happened and what resulted, the student will explain at least one cause and one effect of the event in complete sentences using cause-and-effect language (because, as a result, led to) independently, earning a score of at least 5 out of 6 on a 3-row cause-and-effect explanation rubric scored 0 to 2 per row, on 3 of 4 consecutive biweekly probes, as measured by a defined scoring rubric collected every two weeks.
Tell a "time when" story with a high point and resolution
Personal narrative with a high point
By the annual IEP review date, when asked an interview-style prompt (such as "Tell me about a time you solved a problem"), the student will tell a personal story that orients the listener, builds to a high point, states how it was resolved, and ends with what they learned or how it mattered independently, earning a score of at least 8 out of 10 on a 5-row personal narrative rubric scored 0 to 2 per row, on 3 of 4 consecutive biweekly probes, as measured by a defined scoring rubric collected every two weeks.
Answer a tell-me-about-a-time interview question
Experience stories for interviews
By the annual IEP review date, during a recorded mock interview with one tell-me-about-a-time question from a list of common job or program questions, the student will tell a short experience story that describes the situation, their task, the actions they took, and the result independently, earning a score of at least 7 out of 8 on a 4-part interview story rubric scored 0 to 2 per part, on 3 of 4 consecutive biweekly mock interviews, as measured by a defined scoring rubric collected every two weeks.
High school narrative language & retelling goals point toward life after school: independence, self-advocacy, and skills used in courses, jobs, and the community. Conditions name realistic materials and settings, and many goals are written so the student collects part of the data.
Matching data sheets
Each goal above links to the blank sheet built for its measure. These are the sheets this set of goals uses:
- Rubric trackerScores each rubric criterion and totals the score for each sample.Used by 7 goals here
- Accuracy trackerNumber correct out of number attempted, with percent accuracy and support level.Used by 3 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
How do narrative language & retelling goals connect to transition planning in high school?
Annual goals should support the student's measurable postsecondary goals for education, employment, and independent living (34 CFR 300.320(b)). A skill goal can be written in the context of a course, a job site, or a daily living routine.
Can a high school student help write their own goals?
Yes, and the student must be invited to IEP meetings where transition is discussed. Student-chosen goals with self-monitoring tend to be measured more consistently.
How are high school goals measured when the student has many teachers?
With work samples, percent of assignments completed, rubrics, or self-monitoring checklists reviewed weekly by the case manager. The goal should say who records the data and where.
IEP Atlas Pro
Turn these goals into progress reports
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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.