Public Transportation IEP goals
32 templates across 10 skills: community access & travel, orientation & mobility, community & safety skills, safety behaviors, functional academics, measurement, time & money, math problem solving, daily living skills, organization, time management. Open any goal to set the baseline and target from your own data, then print the matching data sheet.
32 templates · 10 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.
Community Access & Travel Transition & Postsecondary Skills
Board a city bus and find a seat
Riding a bus route with a travel plan
By the annual IEP review date, when the bus arrives at the stop on a class trip or family ride, with an adult beside the student holding the fare, the student will board the bus, pay or show the fare, and sit or hold a pole before it moves, performing at least 4 of 5 steps independently, on 3 consecutive bus rides, as measured by a task-analysis checklist collected at each bus ride.
Tap a transit card to board
Transit fares
By the annual IEP review date, when boarding a city bus or entering a rail station on a travel-training trip, with the student's transit card, the student will tap or scan the fare and check that it was accepted before moving on, performing at least 5 of 6 steps independently, on 4 consecutive rides, as measured by a task-analysis checklist collected at each ride.
Orientation & Mobility Vision, Hearing & Assistive Technology
Plan a bus trip with a transit app
Trip planning
By the annual IEP review date, given a destination and an arrival time, with a phone that has a transit app and the student's accessibility settings, the student will find the route, the stop, the departure time, and the transfer if needed, and tell or write the trip plan, performing all 7 steps independently, on 3 consecutive planned trips, as measured by a task-analysis checklist collected during O&M lessons, twice a month.
Ride a city bus to a set stop
Fixed-route bus travel
By the annual IEP review date, during an O&M lesson on a planned bus trip, with the O&M specialist on the bus but not seated with the student, the student will find the stop, confirm the bus number, board and pay, ask for the stop, signal, and exit at the right stop, performing all 9 steps independently, across 4 consecutive bus trips, as measured by a task-analysis checklist collected during each bus lesson.
Community & Safety Skills Functional & Independence Skills
Plan a bus trip using a route map or transit app
Planning a trip on public transit
By the annual IEP review date, given a destination, a printed route map and schedule, and a trip-planning sheet, the student will complete the trip-planning sheet for the destination independently with 100% accuracy on trip-planning sheet fields, on 3 consecutive trip plans, as measured by work-sample analysis collected weekly.
Ride a city bus from boarding to the correct stop
Riding public transit
By the annual IEP review date, during a planned bus trip on a familiar route with a staff member seated nearby, the student will complete the bus ride routine from the stop to the destination with a staff member on the bus, performing all 9 steps independently, on 3 consecutive trips, as measured by a task-analysis checklist collected at each training trip (at least twice monthly).
Safety Behaviors Behavior & Classroom Expectations
Keep hands and feet to self on the bus ride
Keeping hands and feet to self
By the annual IEP review date, during the bus ride to or from school with an assigned seat and a bus aide on board, the student will keep hands, feet, and belongings in own seat space (no contact with peers or their belongings) for the whole ride independently in at least 4 of 5 opportunities, across 3 consecutive weekly data summaries, as measured by direct observation collected each ride, marked by the aide on a one-line sheet, summarized weekly.
Functional Academics Functional & Independence Skills
Find times on a bell schedule or bus timetable
Reading a bell or bus schedule table
By the annual IEP review date, given the school bell schedule and 8 questions (when does period 3 start, what time is lunch), the student will find the time asked for in the schedule table and state it independently with at least 85% accuracy on schedule table questions, on 3 consecutive probes, as measured by work-sample analysis collected weekly.
Use a school map to find rooms
Maps and transit schedules
By the annual IEP review date, given a simple map of the school with the student's location marked and a room to find, the student will find the room on the map and walk to it using the map independently in at least 5 of 6 opportunities, across 3 consecutive weekly sessions, as measured by direct observation collected weekly, with six room searches per session.
Use a schedule to find start times and time remaining
Using a schedule
By the annual IEP review date, given a printed or on-screen schedule (class, bus, work or program listing) and 10 questions about when events start, end and how long they last, the student will locate the event on the schedule and state its start time, end time or length independently with at least 90% accuracy on schedule questions, on 3 of 4 consecutive probes, as measured by work-sample analysis collected every two weeks.
Read and convert 24-hour times
24-hour time
By the annual IEP review date, given 10 times in 24-hour form, such as 14:30 and 07:05, the student will label each time a.m. or p.m. and write it in 12-hour form independently with at least 90% accuracy on 24-hour times, on 3 of 4 consecutive probes, as measured by work-sample analysis collected every two weeks.
Math Problem Solving Math
Compare two plans or offers to choose one
Comparing plans and offers
By the annual IEP review date, given 6 pairs of options with costs or pay stated in different ways, with a calculator, the student will find the cost or pay of each option for the same time period and state which one costs less or pays more and the difference independently with at least 80% accuracy on option comparisons, on 3 of 4 consecutive probes, as measured by work-sample analysis collected every two weeks.
Plan the time and cost of a trip
Planning a trip with time and cost
By the annual IEP review date, given a bus or train schedule, fares and an arrival time to meet, for a planned community trip, the student will find the departure time needed, the travel time and the round-trip cost, and write them on a trip plan independently with at least 85% accuracy on trip plan items, on 3 of 4 consecutive trip plans, as measured by work-sample analysis collected every two weeks.
Daily Living Skills Functional & Independence Skills
Get ready before the morning ride arrives
Pace of the morning routine
By the annual IEP review date, from the wake-up alarm to standing ready at the door on a school or program day, as reported by the family, the student will complete the morning self-care routine and be ready at the door with the bag independently within 45 minutes, on 4 of 5 consecutive school or work days, as measured by duration recording collected daily, reported by the family weekly.
All 10 skills
Every skill with goals for this group, by area. The number is how many of its goals are tagged here.
Transition & Postsecondary Skills
Functional & Independence Skills
Vision, Hearing & Assistive Technology
Behavior & Classroom Expectations
Executive Function
Public transportation goals come from community access, orientation and mobility, community safety, and transition skills. They teach students to plan a trip with a schedule or app, walk to the stop, board and pay, watch for the stop, signal, and get off, plus booking paratransit or a ride and knowing what to do if something goes wrong. Most are measured with a task analysis on real routes, and moments like asking a driver for help are counted as opportunities. Good goals name the route, the tools, and the level of staff support, which fades in planned stages. Write for the routes the student will use after school, and use adult language for students 18 to 21.
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 11 goals here
- Duration trackerTimes how long a behavior lasts and compares it with the target duration.Used by 1 goal here
- Task-analysis checklistMarks each step of a routine as independent, with support, or not completed across sessions.Used by 11 goals here
- Rubric trackerScores each rubric criterion and totals the score for each sample.Used by 1 goal here
Frequently asked questions
How do I write a bus riding goal?
List the steps of the route and set a number done independently. For example: using a travel app, the student will ride the bus from school to the library, completing 9 of 10 steps independently on 3 consecutive trips.
When is a student ready to travel alone?
The IEP team, including the student and family, decides using data from supervised trips. Most teams fade support in stages, such as staff riding along, then following, then the student checking in by phone.
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