Main Idea & Summarizing IEP goals
30 templates across 13 skills: reading comprehension, narrative language & retelling, postsecondary education readiness, listening comprehension & auditory processing, sign language & visual communication, paragraph organization, social studies skills, study & test-taking skills, patterns, data & graphs, literary analysis & author's craft, sentence construction, written expression, career exploration. Open any goal to set the baseline and target from your own data, then print the matching data sheet.
30 templates · 13 skills · K–2, 3–5, 6–8, 9–12 · How we write and review goals
Top skills
The 8 most relevant skills, with sample goals. Numbers are illustrative; set targets from the student's own baseline.
Reading Comprehension Reading
Identify the main idea of informational text
Main idea and details
By the annual IEP review date, given 5 unpracticed informational paragraphs at the student's instructional level in which the main idea is not directly stated, the student will state or write the main idea of each paragraph in a sentence and name one supporting detail independently with at least 80% accuracy on main idea and supporting detail responses, on 3 of 4 consecutive weekly probes, as measured by work-sample analysis collected weekly.
Say what a nonfiction book is mostly about
Main topic
By the annual IEP review date, after reading or hearing a short informational book, the student will state the main topic of the book in a phrase or sentence independently in at least 4 of 5 opportunities, on 3 of 4 consecutive weeks, as measured by opportunity-by-opportunity data collected weekly.
Narrative Language & Retelling Speech & Language
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.
Summarize a story in one or two sentences
Story summary (somebody-wanted-but-so-then)
By the annual IEP review date, after listening to or reading an unfamiliar short story, the student will summarize the story in one or two sentences that name the main character, what they wanted, the problem, what they did, and how it ended independently with at least 90% accuracy on summary parts included, across 3 consecutive weekly probes, as measured by opportunity-by-opportunity data collected weekly.
Postsecondary Education Readiness Transition & Postsecondary Skills
Explain own summary of performance
Reviewing own summary of performance
By the annual IEP review date, during an exit planning session, given a draft of own summary of performance, the student will explain each section of the summary of performance in own words and say whether it fits own experience independently in at least 4 of 5 opportunities, across 2 consecutive review sessions, as measured by opportunity-by-opportunity data collected at each exit planning session.
Write own input for the summary of performance
Reviewing own summary of performance
By the annual IEP review date, during the last year of school, given the student input section of the summary of performance and own transition portfolio, the student will write the student input section, describing own strengths, the supports that helped and own goals after school independently, earning a score of at least 7 out of 8 on a 4-row student input rubric (0 to 2 per row), on 2 consecutive drafts, as measured by a defined scoring rubric collected monthly during the exit year.
Listening Comprehension & Auditory Processing Speech & Language
State the main idea of a passage heard aloud
Main idea of a heard passage
By the annual IEP review date, after listening to a short informational passage (4 to 6 sentences) read aloud, the student will state the main idea of the passage in one sentence independently with at least 80% accuracy on main-idea statements, on 3 consecutive weekly probes, as measured by opportunity-by-opportunity data collected weekly.
Summarize a podcast or news segment aloud
Summarizing spoken media
By the annual IEP review date, after listening to a 3- to 5-minute news segment or podcast excerpt on a current topic, the student will summarize the segment aloud, stating the topic, the main point, two supporting details, and the speaker's purpose independently, earning a score of at least 7 out of 8 on a 4-row spoken media 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.
See all 40 listening comprehension & auditory processing goals
Sign Language & Visual Communication Vision, Hearing & Assistive Technology
Summarize a signed lecture or video
Summarizing signed content
By the annual IEP review date, after a 5- to 10-minute signed lecture or ASL video on a class topic, the student will write notes or sign a summary that includes the main idea and key points independently with at least 80% accuracy on key points included, in 3 of 4 consecutive biweekly probes, as measured by work-sample analysis collected every two weeks.
Paragraph Organization Writing
Write a summary paragraph of an informational text
Summary paragraph
By the annual IEP review date, after reading an informational text of 300 to 500 words at the student's instructional level, the student will write a summary paragraph that states the main idea and the key supporting details in the student's own words independently, earning a score of at least 6 out of 8 on an 8-point summary paragraph rubric, on 3 of 4 consecutive scored summaries, as measured by a defined scoring rubric collected every two weeks.
Separate summary and response in an essay
Summary-response essays
By the annual IEP review date, given a short nonfiction article and a summary-response prompt with two class periods, the student will write an essay with a summary paragraph that states the article's main point and key support in neutral language, followed by response paragraphs that state and support the student's own view independently, earning a score of at least 10 out of 12 on a 12-point summary-response rubric, on 2 consecutive scored essays, as measured by a defined scoring rubric collected monthly.
Social Studies Skills Science, Social Studies & Digital Literacy
Summarize a current event article
Current events summary
By the annual IEP review date, given a news article written for students at their reading level and a five Ws summary organizer, the student will write or record a summary that tells who, what, where, when and why the event matters in 3 to 5 sentences independently, earning a score of at least 9 out of 12 on a 4-row current events summary rubric scored 0 to 3 per row, on 3 of 4 consecutive scored summaries, as measured by a defined scoring rubric collected every two weeks.
Present a current event to the class
Current events summary
By the annual IEP review date, during a weekly current events time, given an article the student chose and a note card, the student will present a 1- to 2-minute summary of the event that tells what happened, where, and why it matters, then answer one question from a listener independently, earning a score of at least 9 out of 12 on a 4-row current events presentation rubric scored 0 to 3 per row, on 3 of 4 consecutive scored presentations, as measured by a defined scoring rubric collected every two weeks.
Study & Test-Taking Skills Executive Function
Write a summary of a text section in own words
Summarizing a section in own words
By the annual IEP review date, after reading a section of 1 to 2 pages in a content textbook or article, the student will write a summary that meets the summary rubric independently, earning a score of at least 6 out of 8 on a 4-row summary rubric scored 0 to 2 per row, on 3 of 4 consecutive summaries, as measured by a defined scoring rubric collected weekly.
All 13 skills
Every skill with goals for this group, by area. The number is how many of its goals are tagged here.
Transition & Postsecondary Skills
Vision, Hearing & Assistive Technology
Science, Social Studies & Digital Literacy
Executive Function
Main idea and summarizing goals come from reading comprehension, listening comprehension, narrative language, paragraph writing, note-taking, and study skills. They ask the student to say what a text or talk is mostly about, pick the details that support it, and retell it briefly in their own words, aloud or in writing. Good goals name the text type and level, whether the student reads or listens, the length of the summary, and any support such as a graphic organizer or a frame. Short answers are measured with percent accuracy on a set of passages, and written or spoken summaries are scored with a rubric for main idea, key details, order, and own words. Start with single paragraphs on familiar topics before moving to longer articles.
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 8 goals here
- Opportunity trackerRecords each opportunity as independent, prompted, or not demonstrated.Used by 4 goals here
- Rubric trackerScores each rubric criterion and totals the score for each sample.Used by 18 goals here
Frequently asked questions
How do I write a main idea IEP goal?
Name the text and the response. For example: given a short informational paragraph at the instructional level, the student will state the main idea and two supporting details with at least 80% accuracy across 4 probes.
How is summarizing different from retelling?
A retell includes most events or facts in order; a summary keeps only the main idea and the most important details. Many students need to retell well before they can summarize.
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