Written Expression IEP goals for high school (grades 9 to 12)
46 of the written expression 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.
46 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.
Written Expression Writing
Make a written plan before drafting
Planning before writing
By the annual IEP review date, before drafting a writing assignment that calls for a paragraph or longer, the student will complete a written or typed plan listing the topic, at least three ideas, and a closing idea independently in at least 4 of 5 opportunities, across 3 consecutive weeks of data, as measured by opportunity-by-opportunity data collected weekly.
Write an opinion piece with reasons, examples, and a conclusion
Opinion writing
By the annual IEP review date, given an opinion prompt on a familiar topic and a 40-minute writing period, the student will write an opinion piece that states an opinion, gives at least two reasons with supporting examples, and ends with a concluding statement independently, earning a score of at least 8 out of 10 on a 10-point opinion writing rubric, on 3 of 4 consecutive scored writing samples, as measured by a defined scoring rubric collected twice monthly.
Sustain writing during independent writing time
Writing stamina
By the annual IEP review date, during a 20-minute independent writing block with an assigned topic, the student will sustain writing on the assigned topic by handwriting, typing, or dictating independently for at least 12 minutes, on 4 of 5 observed writing blocks, as measured by duration recording collected twice weekly.
Write a constructed response that answers, cites, and explains
Text-based constructed responses
By the annual IEP review date, given a short text at the student's instructional reading level and a written question about it, the student will write a constructed response that answers the question, cites evidence from the text, and explains how the evidence supports the answer independently, earning a score of at least 6 out of 8 on an 8-point constructed-response rubric, on 3 of 4 consecutive scored responses, as measured by a defined scoring rubric collected every two weeks.
Revise a draft by adding, removing, or reordering content
Revising a draft
By the annual IEP review date, after completing a first draft of a paragraph or longer and receiving a revision checklist, the student will revise the draft by making at least three content changes (adding a detail, removing an off-topic sentence, or reordering ideas) independently in at least 4 of 5 opportunities, across 3 consecutive weeks of data, as measured by opportunity-by-opportunity data collected weekly.
Write an argumentative essay with a claim, evidence, and a counterclaim
Argumentative essay with counterclaim
By the annual IEP review date, given an argumentative prompt, two related texts at the student's reading level, and two class periods to plan and write, the student will write an argumentative essay that states a claim, supports it with at least two pieces of evidence from the texts, addresses a counterclaim, and concludes independently, earning a score of at least 12 out of 15 on a 15-point argumentative essay rubric, on 3 of 4 consecutive scored essays, as measured by a defined scoring rubric collected monthly.
High school written expression 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:
- Opportunity trackerRecords each opportunity as independent, prompted, or not demonstrated.Used by 8 goals here
- Rubric trackerScores each rubric criterion and totals the score for each sample.Used by 21 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 4 goals here
- Accuracy trackerNumber correct out of number attempted, with percent accuracy and support level.Used by 10 goals here
- Frequency & rate trackerCounts a defined behavior during a fixed observation period. Calculates rate when time is recorded.Used by 2 goals here
Frequently asked questions
How do written expression 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 transition is discussed. Student-chosen goals with self-monitoring tend to be measured more consistently.
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.
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Count trials, prompts, and minutes live in the session; the graph and trend line draw themselves; progress reports are drafted from your data.