Employment Foundations IEP goals for high school (grades 9 to 12)
18 of the employment foundations 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.
18 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.
Employment Foundations Transition & Postsecondary Skills
Explain what a job gives besides money
Why people work
By the annual IEP review date, given 10 short scenarios about people at work, read aloud or in writing, the student will name what the person in each scenario gets from the job (pay, benefits, a routine, coworkers, skills, or a sense of purpose) independently with at least 80% accuracy on work scenarios, in 3 of 4 consecutive biweekly probes, as measured by work-sample analysis collected every two weeks.
Compare paid work, internships and volunteering
Why people work
By the annual IEP review date, given 10 descriptions of work experiences (paid job, paid or unpaid internship, volunteer role), the student will sort each experience as paid work, an internship or volunteering and name one thing the person gains from it independently with at least 85% accuracy on work experience items, in 3 of 4 consecutive biweekly probes, as measured by work-sample analysis collected every two weeks.
Match job benefits to what they cover
Pay, benefits and pay stubs
By the annual IEP review date, given 8 benefit terms and 8 short life situations (a doctor visit, a family trip, getting older), the student will match each benefit to the situation it helps with and say one way it helps independently with at least 75% accuracy on benefit matches, in 3 of 4 consecutive biweekly probes, as measured by work-sample analysis collected every two weeks.
Define hourly pay, overtime and tips
Pay, benefits and pay stubs
By the annual IEP review date, given 10 pay words (such as hourly wage, salary, overtime, tips, pay period, payday and direct deposit) used in short job situations, the student will tell what each pay word means in the situation and give an example from a job independently with at least 80% accuracy on pay word items, in 3 of 4 consecutive weekly probes, as measured by opportunity-by-opportunity data collected weekly.
Find paid leave balances on a pay stub
Pay, benefits and pay stubs
By the annual IEP review date, given a sample pay stub with leave balances and 6 questions about time off, the student will find the sick leave and paid time off balances and say how many hours they could take off independently with at least 83% accuracy on leave balance questions, on 3 of 4 consecutive pay periods, as measured by work-sample analysis collected each pay period.
Ask the right person about a pay question
Pay, benefits and pay stubs
By the annual IEP review date, when the student has a question or concern about pay or benefits at their job, the student will bring the pay stub or schedule to the supervisor or payroll contact at a calm time and ask the question in one or two sentences independently in at least 4 of 5 opportunities, across 3 consecutive monthly reviews, as measured by frequency recording collected monthly, plus each real pay question.
High school employment foundations 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:
- 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 6 goals here
Frequently asked questions
How do employment foundations 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 postsecondary goals and transition services are discussed (34 CFR 300.321(b)(1)). Helping write goals builds the self-determination skills transition planning relies on.
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
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.