How to know if your child's goals are meaningful, measurable, and ambitious enough
IEP goals are specific statements about what your child is expected to achieve within one year (or another specified timeframe). They are the heart of the IEP because they drive the services, supports, and instruction your child receives. Under IDEA, IEP goals must be designed to enable your child to make progress in the general education curriculum and to meet each of the child's other educational needs that result from the disability.
Every IEP goal must include:
After the Supreme Court's 2017 decision in Endrew F. v. Douglas County School District, schools are required to write IEP goals that are "reasonably calculated to enable a child to make progress appropriate in light of the child's circumstances." This means goals cannot be trivial or merely repeat the previous year's goals. They must be ambitious and designed to help your child advance.
Every IEP goal should meet all five SMART criteria.
The goal clearly identifies exactly what skill or behavior the child will demonstrate. It avoids vague language like "improve" or "do better." A specific goal names the precise academic or functional skill being targeted.
The goal includes a way to objectively determine whether the child has met it. It uses numbers, percentages, or other quantifiable criteria. You should be able to look at the data and clearly say "yes, the child met this goal" or "no, they did not."
The goal is realistic given the child's current level of performance, but still requires meaningful effort and growth. It should stretch the child without being impossible. A goal that is too easy is just as inappropriate as one that is too hard.
The goal addresses a genuine area of need identified through evaluation data. It should be directly connected to the child's disability-related needs and help them access the general education curriculum or develop functional life skills.
The goal specifies when it will be achieved (typically within one year from the IEP date). Shorter-term benchmarks or objectives may also be included to track progress throughout the year.
Weak Goal: "Student will improve reading skills."
Why it fails: Not specific (which reading skills?), not measurable (how much improvement?), no baseline, no timeframe, no measurement method.
Strong Goal: "By [date, one year from IEP], given a grade-level passage, [student] will read aloud at a rate of 110 words per minute with 95% accuracy, as measured by curriculum-based measurement probes administered monthly. Current performance: 72 words per minute with 89% accuracy."
Why it works: Specific skill (oral reading fluency), measurable criteria (110 wpm, 95% accuracy), includes baseline (72 wpm, 89%), time-bound (one year), states measurement method (CBM probes, monthly).
Weak Goal: "Student will write better paragraphs."
Why it fails: "Better" is subjective. No criteria for what a good paragraph looks like. No measurement method.
Strong Goal: "By [date], given a writing prompt and a graphic organizer, [student] will independently write a five-sentence paragraph that includes a topic sentence, three supporting details, and a concluding sentence, with correct capitalization and end punctuation, in 4 out of 5 writing samples as scored using the classroom writing rubric. Current performance: Student writes 2-3 sentences with no clear topic sentence and inconsistent punctuation."
Weak Goal: "Student will improve in math."
Strong Goal: "By [date], [student] will solve two-digit by two-digit multiplication problems with regrouping with 85% accuracy on grade-level math probes (20 problems in 5 minutes), as measured by weekly progress monitoring. Current performance: 40% accuracy on two-digit multiplication with regrouping."
Weak Goal: "Student will behave better in class."
Strong Goal: "By [date], when faced with a frustrating academic task, [student] will independently use a learned coping strategy (deep breathing, asking for a break, or requesting help) instead of engaging in disruptive behavior (calling out, leaving seat, throwing materials) in 4 out of 5 observed opportunities across two consecutive weeks, as documented by the special education teacher using a behavior tracking form. Current performance: Student uses a coping strategy in 1 out of 5 opportunities."
Weak Goal: "Student will improve speech."
Strong Goal: "By [date], [student] will produce the /r/ sound in the initial, medial, and final positions of words at the conversational speech level with 80% accuracy across three consecutive therapy sessions, as measured by the speech-language pathologist during structured and unstructured activities. Current performance: Student produces /r/ correctly at the word level with 70% accuracy and at the sentence level with 40% accuracy."
Weak Goal: "Student will be more independent."
Strong Goal: "By [date], [student] will independently follow a three-step visual schedule to complete morning arrival routine (hang up backpack, turn in homework folder, begin bell-ringer activity) within 10 minutes, without adult prompting, on 4 out of 5 school days over three consecutive weeks, as documented by the classroom teacher. Current performance: Student requires 2-3 verbal prompts to complete the morning routine and averages 18 minutes."
Weak Goal: "Student will pay attention in class."
Strong Goal: "By [date], during a 20-minute independent work period, [student] will remain on task (defined as eyes on work, writing or reading, not engaging peers) for at least 15 of the 20 minutes, as measured by momentary time-sampling conducted by the special education teacher at 2-minute intervals, in 4 out of 5 observations. Current performance: Student is on task for an average of 7 out of 20 minutes."
Use this checklist to review each goal in your child's IEP: