Understanding IEP goals

What an IEP goal is

An IEP goal is a sentence that says what your child will be able to do by the end of the year. Federal rules require every IEP to have measurable annual goals that meet the needs that come from your child's disability (34 CFR §300.320(a)(2)). “Measurable” is the key word. It means the goal has a number in it and a way to check that number.

Goals are not the whole IEP. The IEP also lists services (like speech therapy), accommodations (like extra time), and where your child will learn.

The parts of a goal

Most goals follow the same pattern. Here is an example, with the parts labeled:

By the annual review date, given an unpracticed passage at the student's instructional level, the student will read aloud independently at 90 words correct per minute, as measured by weekly one-minute reading probes, in 3 of 4 consecutive probes.

• When: by the annual review date. Goals usually run one year.
• The situation: given an unpracticed passage. This says what materials or setting the skill happens in.
• The skill: read aloud. Something a person can see or hear your child do.
• The help allowed: independently, or with a specific kind of prompt.
• The target: 90 words correct per minute. The number that means the goal is met.
• How it is measured: weekly one-minute probes. The way the number is collected.
• How many times: 3 of 4 probes in a row. One good day does not count as mastery.

Where the number comes from

Every goal should start from a baseline: what your child can do right now, measured the same way the goal will be measured. If the goal says 90 words correct per minute, the IEP should say somewhere what your child reads now, for example 52 words correct per minute. The gap between the two is what the year's instruction is meant to close. If you cannot find the baseline, ask for it.

How many goals should there be?

There is no required number. Each area where your child needs specially designed instruction gets a goal. Many IEPs have between two and six. More goals are not better; each one needs data collected all year, so a few well-chosen goals usually serve a child better than ten vague ones.

What to look for when you read the IEP

• Each goal names a skill you could picture your child doing.
• Each goal has a number and says how that number is measured.
• The baseline is written down and uses the same measure as the goal.
• The goals match the needs described in the “present levels” section earlier in the IEP.
• The IEP says when you will get progress reports (34 CFR §300.320(a)(3)). At least as often as report cards is typical.

If a goal is missing one of these, the next guide, what makes an IEP goal measurable, has a checklist and examples you can bring to the meeting.

Try it with a real goal

Paste a goal from your child's IEP into the free goal checker. It points out vague wording and missing parts in plain language. To see what strong goals look like, browse the IEP goal bank by skill, grade, or disability.

More for parents

• What makes an IEP goal measurable
• Questions to ask at the IEP meeting
• How to read an IEP progress report

Source

• 34 CFR §300.320 — Definition of individualized education program, Legal Information Institute, Cornell Law School

This guide explains the federal rules in general terms and is not legal advice. Your state may have additional requirements, and your child's IEP team makes the decisions about your child.