A Good IEP goal
The goal section of the IEP is one of the most important parts of the IEP. This is where the IEP team decides what specific skills are going to be focused on during the IEP year and what your student will be expected to master.
Here I am going to talk about two essential things when it comes to IEP goals, the importance of making sure it is a goal that is aligned with your students individual needs and also ensuring that the goal is a well written SMART goal.
Making sure the goal is truly individual
One thing that often happens when the team is writing the IEP goals is that they are pulled from a “bank of goals” that are used across the board for students within a certain grade or with similar disabilities. My first year as a special education teacher I was actually handed a CD of goals from the lead teacher to use. Luckily, I had amazing college professors who had warned me of things like that, so I knew that wasn’t truly “individualized education.” However, many teachers don’t know that and are just following the lead of the more experienced teacher or staff member, or are so overwhelmed by their massive case loads that it is easier to use these “goal banks”.
I call goals pulls from these “banks” a canned goal. And sometimes these goals can be perfectly in tune with your student needs, but often they are not.
So how do you know if a goal is a canned goal or a goal that is individualized for your student? Well, you look at the data. When you went through your students strengths and needs in the present level of performance section, you reviewed data specific to your student and their current ability levels. The goal should be in line with this data.
For example, if your student has a learning disability in the area of reading comprehension, then you reviewed data showing in which areas of comprehension they have strengths and needs. You know if they struggle with main idea, problem/solution, using context clues, inferencing, etc. The goal needs to be tied directly to their areas of needs, and not just a vague comprehension goal. It should be specific to the actual skill being addressed.
Which leads us to a well written goal.
A Well Written SMART goal
S-Specific
It needs to clearly state the specific skill that is being worked towards using objective terminology.
Example: Ambyr will independently identify the main idea of grade level text.
M-Measurable
How will the team measure to see if your student is growing- what is the expected measurement to show success.
Example: with 80% success on 3 out of 4 trials
A- Achievable/Attainable
Is this goal realistic and achievable for your student?
Example: If Ambyr is unable to read grade level text- then the IEP goal should state that her goal is for text at her reading level
R- Results-Orientated
It will clearly state what exactly the student will be able to do at the end of the time of the goal.
Example: With the use of a graphic organizer, Ambyr will be able to independently write an on-topic 3 paragraph essay
T- Time bound
When and how often will your student’s progress be measured.
Example: as measured each 9 week period.
Here are some examples:
Non-smart goal: Ambyr will answer reading comprehension questions with 80% accuracy.
Vs SMART goal: Ambyr will identify the main idea of grade level text with 80% success on 3 out of 4 reading prompts each 9 week period.
Non-smart goal:: Ambyr will react appropriately when asked to complete work.
Vs SMART goal: Ambyr will independently begin tasks within two verbal prompts with 70% success on 4 out 5 trials as measured by checks on a task initiation chart across each 9 week quarter.
What if you don’t think the goal is individualized or SMART?
You as a the parent/guardian are an integral part of your student’s IEP team. When you are discussing the goals, you have every right to ask for changes to the goals.
I always recommend that when you disagree with something that is proposed by the school that you begin by asking questions.
In this case you might ask questions like:
How will my students progress be measured? Can we add that into the goal please?
Can you tell me what specific skill within the broader skillset mentioned will my student be working on? Can we be more specific in the goal?
How often will my students progress be monitored and when will a report be sent home with that progress? Can we add that to the goal please?
Based on the data we discussed in the present levels of performance, can you tell me how this goal represents where my student in currently performing and how it is in aligned with their current needs?
How many times per quarter will their progress be checked ? Can we add that into the goal?
I noticed that there isn’t a set goal for their success, can we ensure that we are on the same page for what success means? Is it 70% accuracy, 80% accuracy? Can we add that into the goal please?
Going back the data we reviewed in the present levels, my student is currently able to independently complete ____skill with 20% success. With that knowledge, is 80% an achievable goal for them?
These are just some examples of questions you might ask during the IEP when discussing your students goals.
You, as a part of the IEP team, have an equal voice at the table. Ask questions and hold a high level of expectation that things be done correctly and aligned with your student’s specific needs.
