Here is a real kind of goal I have seen in IEPs:
"Student will improve their ability to do math."
I want you to sit with that for a second. Improve how much? Compared to what? Doing which math? By when? Nobody can answer, which means nobody can tell if it worked. That is not a goal. That is a wish with a signature line.
Goals are the heart of the IEP. They are the promise about what your child will learn this year. Let's make sure it is a real one.
Green light: three quality checks
A strong goal passes all three:
It matches a need. Every goal should connect to a need written down in the present levels. If the present levels say your daughter struggles with reading comprehension, there should be a goal for it. If there is a need with no goal, ask why.
It teaches a skill. A goal needs an actual skill, something your child will learn to do, like "use a coping strategy when frustrated" or "add single-digit numbers."
It has a way to measure. How well, how often, how many? For example: "When given ten single-digit addition problems, will solve eight correctly across three days."
A quick story about behavior goals
Jordan is eight. His IEP had a goal that said, "Jordan will decrease aggression." His dad, Marcus, thought, great, that is what I want.
But think about it: "decrease aggression" is not something Jordan is learning. It is something we want to stop. A better goal teaches the thing we want to see instead: "Jordan will use a calming strategy when frustrated," and we measure it, in part, by watching the aggression go down. Same hope, but now there is a skill to teach.
That is a subtle shift, and it makes a big difference in what happens in the classroom on Tuesday.
Caution: three questions to ask yourself
Does this goal match what I want my child to learn?
Will it make daily life and school participation better?
Is it right for my child's age and development?
Stop sign: red flags
"I don't know what skill is being taught." If you cannot tell, the teacher probably cannot either.
No baseline. The goal says 80%, but where is your child now? Without a starting point, there is no way to know whether the goal is reachable, or whether progress happened.
Criteria that cannot be measured. "Will be at fifth-grade level in a year" when he is at first grade is not realistic, and "will improve" is not measurable at all.
And if you are thinking, but he is at a first-grade level, and he needs to get to fifth! You are right. One goal will not close a four-year gap in one year. But each goal should be a real step in that direction, and the team should be able to tell you what that step is.
Rest area: what to say
"I'd love to see the current data on how my child is doing now. Could we add that as the baseline?"
"How will this goal be taught?"
"How will progress be measured, and how often will I get updates?"
"How might we expand my child's ability to use this skill in different settings and with different people?"
That last question is my favorite. A child who can add under perfect conditions at a desk is not done. The real goal is that they can do it in a noisy classroom, at the store, and with a substitute teacher.
No turn
"We use the same goals for all kids." IEP goals have to be individualized.
Goals written without any data.
Detour: if the team resists a goal
You do not always have to win the argument in the room. Try a compromise that keeps the door open:
"Maybe we could try this goal for now and set a specific date to review it. Then, if the data shows it isn't the right fit, we can adjust it together."
If you remember one thing: a good goal matches a need, teaches a skill, and can be measured.
Want the whole map? Download the free IEP Roadmap checklist and check out our IEP Parent Training.
If you would like someone to look over your child's IEP with you, learn about our IEP Advocacy services. I offer a free 15-minute consultation if you want to talk it through.
Casey Gressmen, MBA, MEd, BCBA, LBA, is a licensed special education teacher and board certified behavior analyst and the founder of Phoenix Rising Behavior and Academic Consulting.
