IEP goals – How to write SMART Annual Goals

Are you struggling to write measurable IEP goals? Do you find it difficult to determine if a student is making progress? It is important to understand how to write SMART annual goals in order to create measurable IEP goals. But before you write the SMART goal, you need to determine the present level of performance for the student.

Are you struggling to write measurable IEP goals? IEP stands for an individualized education program. It helps document a plan to help the school staff and the students meet their educational needs.

Do you find it difficult to determine if a student is making progress? It is important to understand how to write SMART annual goals in order to create measurable IEP goals for the child’s IEP. But before you write the SMART goal, you need to determine the present level of performance for the student.

REVIEW THE PRESENT LEVELS OF PERFORMANCE STATEMENT

The child’s present level of performance statement describes a student’s current abilities, skills, weaknesses, and strengths in academic, social and physical domains. It describes a student’s ability to learn the general education curriculum. Functional skills are included along with academic achievement. Some district’s call this the PLAAFP which stands for present level of academic achievement and functional performance.

This statement is the first step in determining what measurable annual goals to write for the following school year.  It is a baseline or starting point for the entire IEP.  It will help guide you to create measurable IEP goals that reflect the individual needs of the student.

DO SOME HOMEWORK BEFORE YOU WRITE THE MEASURABLE IEP GOAL

It is important to review the student’s information before you write the measurable IEP goal and timeframe to achieve mastery of that goal. Every student has unique needs so it is important for the entire IEP team especially the special education teachers to look closely at a child’s progress and a child’s disability to determine the criterion for the goal.

Here are some “homework” examples to prep when writing the student’s IEP :

Review data and notes.  Check the student’s progress towards the current IEP functional needs and functional goals.  Does it seem likely that the goals will be reached by the end of the year?  Are you able to think about the next step for independence in a certain domain? Are they able to access the general curriculum or do they need accommodations? Have they met their short-term objectives this quarter?

Gather work samples. It can be very helpful to have work samples to indicate progress along with report cards, alternate assessments, progress monitoring, and other benchmarks.

Analyze deficits.  What is the impact of those deficits on academic success or accessing the educational environment?  If the deficits do not hinder educational success you do not need an IEP goal for them. What are examples of an area of need? 

Discuss with the multi – disciplinary team including parents on how special-education services can help the student.

Discuss goals with student.  Make sure the student is on board – internal motivation is a key to success.

How to Write IEP goals

WHAT IS A SMART IEP GOAL?

A student’s IEP should include an annual IEP SMART goal.  SMART is an acronym that stands for:

S – SPECIFIC: what, why and how are you going to do it

M – MEASURABLE: evidence that the goal will be achieved i.e. data collection

A – ATTAINABLE: goal needs to be challenging but reachable

R – RELEVANT AND REALISTIC: goal should measure outcomes not activities and you must be able to measure it

T – TIME BOUND: deadline that the goal needs to be achieved by. The goal must be time limited. You can include reporting periods here as well.

Each goal must be based on the student’s needs and be educationally relevant. You must establish the criteria necessary to accomplish the goal, exactly how the criteria will be measured and when it will be measured.

Write SMART IEP Annual Goals and Objectives

It can take practice to learn how to write effective and succinct SMART IEP goals and objectives. The How to Write SMART IEP Goals Workbook digital download provides a step by step guide to help you create high-quality, measurable goals and objectives for students.

The How to Write IEP Goals workbook walks you through all the steps to help you write AMAZING, measurable IEP goals, and objectives.  Whether you are a seasoned teacher, pediatric therapist, parent or a beginner, it is important to always be moving through a process to write goals and objectives to best help the student.

Once you practice writing effective present level of performance statements and SMART goals it will become much easier and faster to write measurable IEP goals and objectives for all your students. FIND OUT MORE.

The How to SMART Write IEP Goals Workbook digital download provides a step by step guide to help you create high-quality, measurable goals and objectives for students.

Teachers, therapists, students, and parents can learn to write measurable IEP goals with How to Write SMART IEP Goals workbook because it teaches you how to follow the SMART principles of goal writing.

RELATED RESOURCES ON WRITING A STUDENT’S IEP

DATA COLLECTION FOR IEP GOALS

Are you working on data collection for IEP goals? It is so important to know what interventions are effective to help your students reach their goals. Read more on data collection here.

STRENGTHS AND WEAKNESSES FOR THE IEP

When it comes to creating an IEP (Individualized Education Plan), it is important to know the strengths and weaknesses of the student. This list of student strengths and weaknesses for IEP contains a wide variety of examples.  

BE PREPARED FOR IEP MEETINGS

The real key to successful IEP occupational therapy, physical therapy or speech services meetings is proper preparation.  Here are 5 tips to help therapists participate in successful IEP meetings.

TIPS AND SUGGESTIONS FOR WRITING A GREAT IEP

If you want to hear from the school based therapists, read more than 175 tips and suggestions here for writing a great IEP.

IEP GOALS EXAMPLES

EXECUTIVE FUNCTION IEP GOALS

Executive function problems can interfere with learning, working, and social life. For special education students, it may be necessary to create executive functioning IEP goals.

SELF REGULATION IEP GOALS

Individuals with poor self regulation skills can find it difficult to complete independent tasks, focus in class, control their behaviors, and manage their emotions. If your student has difficulty with self regulation, consider adding a self regulation IEP goals related to this skill. 

SOCIAL EMOTIONAL IEP GOALS

Teachers, parents, and students with disabilities must often work together to determine social emotional IEP goals. These may not seem like typical educational goals, but they play a very important role in the life of a child. A child who struggles socially will likely experience bumps in the road throughout their school career. The more adept they are at understanding their emotions and managing them, the better equipped they will be to handle life’s social curve balls. 

PHYSICAL AND OCCUPATIONAL THERAPY IEP GOALS

IEP Goals Related to the Common Core for OT/PT is a large goal bank for school based occupational and physical therapy that is aligned with the English Language Arts (ELA) and Mathematics common core standards for grades K-2.  It is meant to provide guidance and suggestions on relating occupational and physical therapy goals to the common core curriculum in order to establish educationally relevant goals for a student’s individualized education program (IEP).

Need specific ideas for OT? Try this post on Occupational Therapy IEP Goals.

BEHAVIOR IEP GOALS

Behavior IEP goals are an important part of any student’s Individualized Education Program. These goals help to ensure that a student is able to succeed in school and get the most out of their education. These goals may be more challenging to set than goals for students in the general education setting. There are a variety of different behavior goals that can be included in an IEP, and each one is tailored to the individual student. View lots of examples of behavior IEP goals and how they can help students achieve success.

SELF-ADVOCACY IEP GOALS

One way to help ensure that your students’ individual needs are met is by helping them learn to advocate for themselves. Here are some ideas on how to get started with self advocacy IEP goals.

ANXIETY IEP GOALS

If you’re a teacher working with students who experience anxiety, it’s important to understand how best to support them. One way you can do that is through their IEP goals. Here are some examples of IEP goals for anxiety so that you can help your students thrive in your classroom.

IEP TRANSITION GOALS

Learn more about IEP transition goals. They are a part of the Individualized Education Program (IEP) that helps students with disabilities plan for their future after high school. 

SCIENCE IEP GOALS

If your students receive special education services, it’s important to consider including science goals in their IEP. By setting specific science IEP goals, you can help your students reach their full potential in this area.

FUNCTIONAL IEP GOALS

Independent functioning IEP goals are a cornerstone in the educational journey of special education students, focusing on critical life skills like safety, hygiene, food preparation, social interactions, and more.

Are you struggling to write measurable IEP goals? Do you find it difficult to determine if a student is making progress? It is important to understand how to write SMART annual goals in order to create measurable IEP goals. But before you write the SMART goal, you need to determine the present level of performance for the student.