By Sara Finegan
A really good IEP goal requires some thinking and reviewing of student work. It also requires that you really know the standards for the subject area and grade level the student is in now, or will be in the coming year.
GOAL!!!
It helps to identify what the baseline is for the student and to state it explicitly with as much precision as possible.
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Does Betsy write a paragraph that has a topic sentence and supporting details but no conclusion?
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Does Joe write short, choppy sentences without detail? How often? 70% of the time? 6/10 times?
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Does Abby successfully solve three-step math problems using a “how-to” chart 60% of the time?
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Can you say that Bobby correctly answers comprehension questions with 65% accuracy after reading a second grade text?
Looking at that baseline and comparing it to the grade-level standard will show you exactly what to write in the goal.
If the grade-level standard states that a student will use both compound and simple sentences in written work, and Josh uses simple sentences 90% of the time in independent writing, or will write compound sentences 60% of the time with maximum prompts, then the goal will be that Josh write using a combination of some sort (be specific) on 4/5 occasions, with 85% accuracy.
Once you have the baseline and the goal, you need to start backwards planning. What specific things does the student need to be able to do, with what kinds of support, on the way to achieve what goal? If Josh needs maximum prompts to write compound sentences, what benchmarks are appropriate? Here are a few:
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How about starting out by having him combine simple sentences using prepositions and conjunctions? A benchmark might be “Given 10 simple sentences, a rehearsal and prompts as needed, Amy will use prepositions and/or conjunctions to make 5 compound sentences, on 4/5 occasions with 80% accuracy as measured by student work.”
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Can Josh already combine sentences but only with maximum support? Reduce the number of prompts. Maybe “Given a student-written text, a rehearsal and no more than 2 prompts, Josh will revise two paragraphs by combining simple sentences into compound ones, on 4/5 occasions with 80% accuracy.”
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Perhaps a later benchmark might read “Given a topic, graphic organizer and word bank, rehearsal and a visual prompt, Josh will write 3 compound sentences containing appositive or prepositional phrases, on 4/5 occasions with 80% accuracy as measured by student work.”
I like to have at least three measurable, data-based benchmarks for each goal. Sometimes I write as many as five–it just depends on the complexity of the goal. As for the spacing intervals, the norm is to schedule them around the end of marking periods. This is ok most of the time, but there are times when you need to set dates closer together.
Recently, a colleague asked me not to write so many benchmarks, because it creates too much work; we have to write progress reports for each benchmark interval. I replied that perhaps it creates more work for me, since I’m the one who will have to write the progress notes, but that’s not likely.
A really good case manager is constantly collecting data, reviewing it and planning from it. It takes me 3-4 minutes to write a progress note for a benchmark, because I have a notebook or folder with the data I need right at hand.
I’m not afraid of hard work or more work; I’m afraid of what will happen if I start cutting corners on IEPs because I don’t want to work as hard as I do.
(Photo by popofatticus, Creative Commons Attribution 2.0)
backwards planning · baseline · benchmarks · collecting data · customized goals · generic goals · grade-level standards · IEP goals · IEPs · individualized · measurable · Sara Finegan · specific · standards-based · tips · writing IEP goals
