IEP Basics ยท Goals & Progress
What Do Good IEP Goals Look Like? A Parent’s Guide to Identifying and Demanding Better Goals
IEP goals are the backbone of the plan, they define what the school is committing to teach your child and how you’ll know if they’re actually making progress. Vague goals protect the school. Specific, ambitious goals protect your child.
Why IEP Goals Matter More Than Most Parents Realize
IEP goals aren’t just a formality, they are the legal commitments that define your child’s program. If a goal is vague, unmeasurable, or set too low, three things happen: the school has maximum flexibility to claim progress without producing it, you have no meaningful way to evaluate whether instruction is working, and your child’s year is effectively wasted.
Courts reviewing FAPE disputes consistently look at whether IEP goals were appropriately ambitious given the child’s profile and the available data. “Goals must be challenging but achievable”, that’s the standard from Endrew F. v. Douglas County School District, the Supreme Court’s most important recent IDEA ruling. “Merely more than de minimis” progress is not enough.
The SMART Goal Framework
The most common framework for evaluating IEP goals is SMART:
- S, Specific: The goal targets a specific skill, not a broad area. “Improve reading” is not specific. “Read CVC words with 90% accuracy” is specific.
- M, Measurable: Progress can be quantified. The goal must include a way to measure whether it was met, percentage accuracy, frequency, rate, or another observable metric.
- A, Achievable: The goal is within reach given the child’s current level and a year of appropriate instruction. Not so easy it requires no effort; not so hard it can never be reached.
- R, Relevant: The goal addresses an actual area of educational need identified in the PLAAFP (Present Levels of Academic Achievement and Functional Performance). Goals should flow logically from the present levels data.
- T, Time-Bound: The goal has a timeframe, typically one school year, and progress is reported at regular intervals.
Weak Goals vs. Strong Goals: Side-by-Side Examples
| Area | Weak Goal | Strong Goal |
|---|---|---|
| Reading | “Student will improve reading skills.” | “Given a 2nd grade-level passage, student will read with 95% accuracy and answer 4/5 comprehension questions correctly across 3 consecutive probes.” |
| Writing | “Student will write better sentences.” | “Student will write a 5-sentence paragraph with a topic sentence, 3 supporting details, and a concluding sentence, scoring 3/4 on the district rubric, in 4/5 opportunities.” |
| Math | “Student will work on addition and subtraction.” | “Student will solve two-digit addition and subtraction problems with regrouping with 85% accuracy across 3 consecutive assessments.” |
| Communication | “Student will improve communication.” | “Student will use their AAC device to make spontaneous, unprompted requests for desired items or activities 10 times per session across 4/5 data collection sessions.” |
| Behavior | “Student will reduce outbursts.” | “When given a non-preferred task, student will use the ‘ask for a break’ card to request a 3-minute break rather than engaging in task refusal, in 80% of opportunities across 3 consecutive school weeks.” |
Red Flags in IEP Goals
These patterns suggest goals that should be challenged at the IEP meeting:
- Goals identical or nearly identical to last year’s goals, if the child didn’t meet the goal, what’s changing? If they did meet it, the goal should advance.
- No data collection method specified, “as measured by teacher observation” is not a data system
- Goals set below the child’s current performance level, this is not a goal, it’s a description of the baseline
- Criteria so low they’ll be met immediately (e.g., “60% accuracy” for a child currently at 55%)
- Goals that don’t connect to the PLAAFP, if the present levels don’t mention writing deficits, why is there a writing goal?
How to Push Back on Weak Goals
At the IEP meeting, you have the right to propose revisions to goals before signing. Specific language helps:
- “This goal doesn’t include a measurable criterion. Can we add a specific percentage or rate of accuracy?”
- “Last year’s goal was the same. Can we see the data on whether it was met, and if so, why aren’t we raising the bar?”
- “The PLAAFP shows she’s reading at a 1st grade level. This goal is targeting 1st grade skills, shouldn’t we be aiming for 2nd grade?”
If you can’t reach agreement at the meeting, you can sign the IEP with written objections to specific goals, which creates a record of your disagreement without blocking services from starting.
Not Sure If Your Child’s Goals Are Good Enough?
Meghan reviews IEP goals and helps parents identify what’s weak, what’s missing, and exactly what language to request at the next meeting. Contact her for an IEP document review.
Request an IEP Review