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Community Access & Travel IEP goals

Community access goals teach students to use places and services in their town: riding a bus route with a travel plan, booking paratransit or a ride, using the library, post office, and pharmacy, ordering at a restaurant, finding items with store signs, and volunteering. Good goals name the place, the route or task, and the tools the student uses, such as a phone app or a travel card, and they are practiced in the real community. Measure trips and errands with a task analysis and real moments like asking for help or paying with opportunities.

45 templates · How we write and review goals

Sample community access & travel goals

Numbers are illustrative; set targets from the student's own baseline (how templates are made).

  • 3-5, 6-8Task-analysis steps

    Check out books at the public library

    Public library

    By the annual IEP review date, during a class or family visit to the public library, with the student's library card and 1 to 3 chosen items, the student will check out the chosen items and put the receipt with them, performing at least 5 of 6 steps independently, on 3 consecutive library visits, as measured by a task-analysis checklist collected at each library visit.

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  • 3-5, 6-8Task-analysis steps

    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.

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  • 3-5, 6-8Opportunities

    Find the restroom using signs in public buildings

    Finding places using signs

    By the annual IEP review date, on community outings to a store, library, museum, or mall, when the student needs the restroom and the adult waits at a set point, the student will follow the signs to the restroom and return to the meeting point independently in at least 4 of 5 opportunities, across 4 consecutive outings, as measured by direct observation collected on each community outing.

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  • 3-5, 6-8Opportunities

    Tell a server a meal order

    Ordering at restaurants

    By the annual IEP review date, when a server asks for the order at a restaurant on a class or family outing, with the menu or a picture menu, the student will give the server the food and drink order independently in at least 4 of 5 opportunities, across 3 consecutive outings, as measured by opportunity-by-opportunity data collected on each restaurant outing.

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  • 6-8, 9-12Opportunities

    Pick up a cafe order when called

    Ordering at restaurants

    By the annual IEP review date, after ordering at a cafe or quick-service counter on a community trip, while waiting in the pickup area, the student will go to the pickup counter when their name or number is called and check the order independently in at least 4 of 5 opportunities, across 3 consecutive trips, as measured by direct observation collected on each community trip with a counter order.

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  • 6-8, 9-12Task-analysis steps

    Buy a movie or event ticket

    Recreation and events

    By the annual IEP review date, at a movie theater, museum, or game ticket counter or kiosk on a community trip, with money or a card, the student will buy the ticket for the chosen show or entry and find the right door, performing at least 6 of 7 steps independently, on 3 consecutive community trips, as measured by a task-analysis checklist collected on each trip to a ticketed place.

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  • 6-8, 9-12Duration

    Wait in line with a waiting plan

    Waiting in public

    By the annual IEP review date, while waiting in line at a store, pharmacy, post office, or cafe on a community trip, the student will wait in place in line using the waiting plan until it is their turn independently for at least 8 minutes, on 4 of 5 community trips, as measured by duration recording collected on each community trip with a line.

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  • 6-8, 9-12Task-analysis steps

    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.

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  • 6-8, 9-12Opportunities

    Signal for the stop in the travel plan

    Riding a bus route with a travel plan

    By the annual IEP review date, on a travel-training bus ride along a familiar route, with a travel plan listing the landmark before the stop, the student will pull the cord or press the button after the landmark and before the stop independently in at least 5 of 6 opportunities, across 3 consecutive weeks, as measured by direct observation collected on each travel-training ride.

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  • 6-8, 9-12Task-analysis steps

    Follow a walking route with a map app

    Walking routes

    By the annual IEP review date, on a new walking route of a few blocks to a community destination, with staff walking a short distance behind, the student will follow the map app's directions to the destination, performing all 8 steps independently, on 3 consecutive new routes, as measured by a task-analysis checklist collected weekly.

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  • 6-8, 9-12Percent accuracy

    Read posted hours and rules at community places

    Reading community signs

    By the annual IEP review date, given photos of 8 to 10 posted signs from community places (a pool, library, park, clinic, store) and questions about each, the student will answer when the place is open and what each posted rule says independently with at least 85% accuracy on posted sign questions, in 3 of 4 consecutive weekly probes, as measured by opportunity-by-opportunity data collected weekly.

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  • 6-8, 9-12Percent accuracy

    Sort donations at a food bank

    Community volunteering

    By the annual IEP review date, during a volunteer shift at a food bank or pantry, given a bin of mixed donations and labeled category boxes, the student will sort each donation into its category box and set aside items that are open or past date independently with at least 90% accuracy on donated items sorted, on 3 of 4 volunteer shifts, as measured by work-sample analysis collected at each volunteer shift.

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33 more community access & travel templates

Each opens in the builder with its sample goal, notes, objectives, and data sheet.

What community access & travel involves

  • Riding a bus route with a travel plan
  • Booking paratransit or a ride with an app or a phone call
  • Using the public library, post office, and pharmacy
  • Ordering at restaurants and paying
  • Finding items in a store using signs
  • Volunteering in the community

Baseline and measurement considerations

  • Take a baseline on a real trip, noting each step the student does alone and where staff stepped in.
  • Write a task analysis for each route or errand, such as check the schedule, walk to the stop, board, pay, watch for the stop, signal, exit.
  • Count opportunities for asking staff for help, paying, or checking the app during the trip.
  • Fade staff distance in planned stages and record the stage with each data point.
  • Teachers, job coaches, and families collect data; safety plans for travel are set by the team and the family before solo travel.

Progress-monitoring methods used in these templates

  • Task-analysis checklist: A routine is broken into ordered steps; each step is recorded as independent, supported, or not completed.
  • Direct observation: An adult observes and records the defined behavior during a specified activity.
  • Opportunity (trial) recording: Each planned or naturally occurring opportunity is recorded as correct/independent, prompted, or not demonstrated.
  • Duration recording: The length of time a behavior lasts is timed from a defined start to a defined end.
  • Work-sample analysis: Scoring completed student work (permanent products) against a defined answer key or checklist.
  • Rubric scoring: Work or performance is scored against written criteria with defined score levels.

How each measure works

Matching data sheets

Each template links to a blank sheet built for its measure. You can also download these sheets on their own:

  • Task-analysis checklist: Marks each step of a routine as independent, with support, or not completed across sessions.
  • Opportunity tracker: Records each opportunity as independent, prompted, or not demonstrated.
  • Duration tracker: Times how long a behavior lasts and compares it with the target duration.
  • Accuracy tracker: Number correct out of number attempted, with percent accuracy and support level.
  • Rubric tracker: Scores each rubric criterion and totals the score for each sample.

Common mistakes when writing community access & travel goals

  • Writing "will access the community" without naming the place or task.
  • Practicing only in the classroom with pictures and never on the real route.
  • Skipping safety planning such as what to do if the bus is missed; the travel plan should cover it.
  • Using child-level wording and outings for students 18 to 21, who are adults.
  • Measuring with percent accuracy when trips are a set of steps.

Frequently asked questions

How do I write an IEP goal for riding the bus?

Name the route and the steps. For example: using a travel plan on a phone, the student will ride the bus from school to the library, completing at least 9 of 10 steps independently on 3 consecutive trips. Fade staff support in planned stages.

What is a good community access goal for a transition program?

Booking a ride with paratransit or an app, then running an errand such as picking up a prescription, fits students 18 to 21 well. Write it in adult terms and practice in the places the student will use after school ends.

How often should I collect data on community goals?

On every community trip, since each one is a full practice. One or two trips a week is common.

Who decides when a student can travel alone?

The IEP team, including the student and family, decides using data from supervised trips. Many teams plan stages, such as staff riding along, then staff following, then the student checking in by phone.

References

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