IEP goals, explained for parents
Your child's IEP goals are the plan for the year. These four short guides explain what the goals mean, how to tell a strong goal from a weak one, what to ask at the meeting, and how to read the progress reports that follow. No jargon, no legal advice, and nothing to sign up for.
- Guide 1Understanding IEP goalsIEP goals say what your child will work on this year and how everyone will know it is working. Here is how to read one.
- Guide 2What makes an IEP goal measurableA measurable goal is one where you and the teacher could look at the same data and agree on whether your child met it. Use this checklist on any goal.
- Guide 3Questions to ask at the IEP meetingYou do not need to know the jargon to ask good questions. These are the ones that get clear answers about goals and progress.
- Guide 4How to read an IEP progress reportProgress reports come a few times a year. Here is how to tell what the numbers mean and whether your child is on track.
Free tools you can use at home
- Goal checker: paste a goal from the IEP and see whether it has a clear skill, a number, and a way to measure it.
- IEP goal bank: examples of measurable goals by skill, grade, and disability, so you know what good ones look like.
- IEP due-date calculator: when the annual review and the three-year reevaluation are due.
- Data sheets: the same blank sheets teachers use, if you want to track a skill at home.
These guides describe the federal IEP requirements in 34 CFR §300.320 in general terms. They are not legal advice. Your state may add requirements, and your district's procedures and your child's IEP team decide what applies to your child.