Articulation th IEP goals
9 templates across 1 skill: articulation. Open any goal to set the baseline and target from your own data, then print the matching data sheet.
9 templates · 1 skill · K–2, 3–5, 6–8, 9–12 · How we write and review goals
Goals by skill
Numbers are illustrative; set targets from the student's own baseline.
Articulation Speech & Language
Place the tongue for voiceless "th" in words
Voiced and voiceless th
By the annual IEP review date, given 20 picture or word cards with voiceless "th" at the start, middle, or end of the word (such as thumb, bathtub, tooth), the student will produce voiceless "th" with the tongue tip lightly between the teeth in each word independently with at least 80% accuracy on voiceless "th" productions, across 3 consecutive therapy sessions, as measured by opportunity-by-opportunity data collected during each therapy session.
Say voiced "th" in the, this, and they
Voiced and voiceless th
By the annual IEP review date, given 10 sentences, each with two or more of the words the, this, that, they, there, them, or with, the student will produce voiced "th" with the tongue forward and the voice on in each target word in the sentence independently with at least 85% accuracy on voiced "th" productions in connected speech, across 3 consecutive therapy sessions, as measured by opportunity-by-opportunity data collected during each therapy session.
Carry "th" into sentences about pictures
Voiced and voiceless th
By the annual IEP review date, given 15 pictures that each prompt a sentence with a voiceless "th" word (such as "The boy has a sore throat"), the student will say a sentence about each picture with voiceless "th" produced with the tongue forward independently with at least 80% accuracy on voiceless "th" productions in sentences, across 3 consecutive therapy sessions, as measured by opportunity-by-opportunity data collected during each therapy session.
Keep "th" clear in a short conversation
Voiced and voiceless th
By the annual IEP review date, during a 5-minute recorded conversation with the SLP about a topic the student chooses, the student will produce voiced and voiceless "th" with the tongue forward in the words they use independently with at least 80% accuracy on "th" productions in a conversational sample, in 3 of 4 consecutive biweekly samples, as measured by opportunity-by-opportunity data collected every two weeks, from a recorded sample.
Judge own "th" in a recording
Voiced and voiceless th
By the annual IEP review date, while listening back to a recording of themselves reading 10 sentences with "th" words, the student will mark each "th" word as correct or incorrect on a checklist, matching the SLP's judgment independently with at least 85% accuracy on self-judgments that match the SLP's judgment, across 3 consecutive therapy sessions, as measured by opportunity-by-opportunity data collected during each therapy session.
Read aloud in class with clear "th"
Voiced and voiceless th
By the annual IEP review date, while reading aloud a paragraph at their independent level during a class reading activity, the student will read each "th" word with the tongue placed forward independently with at least 85% accuracy on "th" words read aloud in class, on 3 of 4 classroom observations, as measured by opportunity-by-opportunity data collected every two weeks, during class reading.
Articulation th goals come from the articulation skill and target both voiceless th, as in "think", and voiced th, as in "this". Common errors include using /f/, /v/, /t/, or /d/ in place of th. Goals move by level from isolation and syllables to words, phrases, sentences, and conversation, naming the th type and word positions. Most are measured with percent accuracy over a set number of trials. Because th often develops later and some dialects use a different th pattern, the SLP checks dialect and age expectations before writing a goal, so normal dialect features are never treated as errors. Later goals target carryover in class and at home.
Matching data sheets
Each goal above links to the blank sheet built for its measure. These are the sheets this set of goals uses:
Frequently asked questions
Is substituting /f/ for th always an error?
No. In some dialects, th is pronounced as /f/, /v/, /t/, or /d/, and that is a normal feature of the dialect, not a disorder. The SLP considers the student's dialect before writing a goal.
How do I write a th goal?
Name the th type, the level, and the trials. For example: the student will produce voiceless th in all word positions in phrases with at least 80% accuracy over 20 trials in 3 consecutive sessions.
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.