Measurable Annual IEP Goals

Massachusetts Department of Education

8/2005

IDEA 2004

IEPs for all students must include a statement of measurable annual goals, including academic and functional goals. Benchmarks or short-term objectives must be included in an IEP for a student with significant cognitive disabilities. (P.L.

108-446, Section 614(d). )

The Department requires school districts to continue to use benchmarks or short-term objectives for all students to address the federal requirement for describing how progress will be measured.

Progress ReportingIDEA 2004

All IEPs must contain a written description of how the student's progress toward meeting annual goals will be measured, and when periodic written reports will be issued. (Authority: P.L. 108-446, Section 614(d). See proposed regulation 300.320(a)(2) & (3).)

Progress Reporting Massachusetts

In Massachusetts, writing Measurable Annual Goals and Objectives/Benchmarks, and Progress Reports that answers:

What is the student’s progress towards meeting the annual goal?

Is the progress sufficient to enable the student to achieve the annual goal by the end of the IEP period?

Satisfies the federal requirement

Individualized Education Program

All of the PiecesFit Together

IEP Goals

Access to the General Curriculum and Life of the School

Curriculum Frameworks

Other Curriculum

Areas

SchoolLife

of the School

Accommodations

IEP Goals Specially Designed Instruction and/or Related Services

Vision, Concerns & Assessments

Accessing

Acc

essi

ng

Acc

essi

ng

Accessing

•A Goal Must Be Skill Building

•There Must Be a Data Collection Strategy

that Supports the Measurability of the Goal

•A Goal Must Contain a Target Behavior, Condition

and Criteria

MEASURABLE ANNUAL GOALS

In order to access, participate, and

make progress in the general curriculum

and the life of the school,

A GOAL MUST BE SKILL BUILDING.

What skills does the Student need to develop

in order to access, participate and make progress in the general

curriculum and the life of the school.

Measurable Annual IEP Goal

GOAL FOCUS

A goal must focus on an area of need that will make the

biggest difference to the student.

The focus of the goal must help the student develop skills

to access, participate and make progress in the

general curriculum and the life of the school.

These Areas are Easy to Picture as a Goal Focus in

Need of Skill Building

I Need

Harder to Picture

Would

•Reading,

•Writing and/or

•Mathematics

Be Considered

Curriculum or Skill Building?

If the student needs to

develop skills in reading,

writing and math in order to

access, participate and

progress in the general

curriculum or the life of the

school, then reading, writing

and math move from

CURRCULUM to SKILLS.

EXAMPLE

While all 2nd graders are learning to read, a student in 2nd grade who has dyslexia may require a goal related to reading in order to help her develop the skills necessary to read.

The skill being developed through this goal is a different reading skill than the reading skills her peers are developing.

What about life skills goals?

A Team may decide that a student with disabilities needs to develop skills that will help the student be

successful in daily life. These goals must not be the only goals on the

IEP or replace academic or life of the school goals.

Services and GoalsOccupational Therapy, Counseling,

Speech Therapy, Physical Therapy...

Reminder:Goals are written to reflect what the student will do,

not what service is provided.

Measurable Annual

IEP Goals

Measurable Objectives

Measurable Benchmarks

CHECK FOR MEASURABILITY/ Data Collection Strategy

The discussion should answer:

What data will be collected? What is the source of the data? What is the data collection schedule? Who will collect the data?

Check for Measurability

The Team must begin to discuss what

Data Collection Strategy will be used to

measure the progress toward reaching this goal.

Measurable Annual Goal Components

Target Behavior - The skill or behavior in need of change.

Condition - Circumstances under which the target behavior is to occur.

Criteria - Acceptable level of performance of the target behavior.

Goal

When asked to cut a straight line, Sam will be able to use scissors with 80% accuracy.

Benchmarks

•By 1st quarter, Sam will cut with 20% accuracy.

•By 2nd quarter, Sam will cut with 40% accuracy.

•By 3rd quarter, Sam will cut with 60% accuracy.

Is this Goal Meaningful?

Examples

Measurable Annual Goals

TARGET BEHAVIOR CONDITION CRITERIA

•Nadia will identify types of sentences (simple, compound, complex) when editing scoring 3/4 on the MCAS Scoring Guide for Standard English Conventions.

•Monday through Friday, Jillian will use the public transportation system to get to and from her job placement, independently arriving at work on time, for any five consecutive days.

Examples

Measurable Annual Goals

TARGET BEHAVIOR CONDITION CRITERIA

•When given a topic in History, Social Sciences, English Language Arts or Science and Technology, Jose will be able to independently write a three-paragraph essay containing the required elements; introduction, supporting details, and conclusion.

Measurable Objectives

Objectives break the Measurable Annual Goal into discrete components that are

short-term, measurable, intermediate steps.

To ensure measurability, each objective should have a

Target Behavior, Condition, and Criteria.

Examples of Objectives:

•Given a list of sentences, Nadia will accurately label the three types of sentences.

•Nadia will be able to write acceptable examples of the three types of sentences when asked.

•Given a topic, Nadia will be able to write a paragraph using the different types of sentences.

GOAL: Nadia will identify types of sentences (simple, compound, complex) when editing, scoring 3/4 on the MCAS Scoring Guide for Standard English Conventions.

Measurable Benchmarks

Benchmarks break the Measurable Annual Goal

into major milestones that the student is expected

to reach within a specified period of time.

To help ensure measurability, Benchmarks may also have

Target Behaviors, Conditions, and Criteria.

•By the end of the 1st quarter, accompanied by an adult, Jillian will walk to the bus stop, ride the bus to work, and get off at the correct work bus stop.

•By the end of the 2nd quarter, Jillian will be able to identify the steps she will follow to independently travel to work.

•By the end of the 3rd quarter, Jillian will independently walk to the bus stop, ride the bus to work and get off at the correct work bus stop.

GOAL: By the end of the 4th quarter, Jillian will use the public transportation system to get to and from her job, independently arriving at work on time, for any five consecutive Monday through Fridays.

Examples of Benchmarks:

•By the end of the first quarter, Jose will enter his complete math, science, and social studies homework assignments into his daily agenda book at the end of each class, with teacher support.

•By the end of the second quarter, Jose will independently enter his complete math, science, and social studies homework assignments into his daily agenda book and ask his teachers to initial the book after each class.

•By the end of the third quarter, Jose will independently enter his complete math, science, and social studies homework assignments into his daily agenda book and ask his HR teacher to initial the book at the end of each day.

GOAL: By the end of the fourth quarter, when provided with an agenda book, Jose will independently record his homework assignments in English, Math, Social Studies and Science.

Examples of Benchmarks:

What is the source of the data? What is the data collection schedule? Who will collect the data?

Now the Team can complete the process and finish the data

collection discussion.

Measurable Annual Goals

Objectives, Benchmarks

FINAL STEPS IN THE

PROCESS

NOTE: This is a suggestion for the process not a new requirement.

Data Collection StrategyData to be Collected Specific to goal, student, environment

Data Collection Sources Examples: rubrics, checklists,

observation, record of verbal responses, portfolios, shortened tests, open book tests, teacher-made tests, illustrations, reports/observations from internships and vocational experiences, hands-on performance, self-evaluation

Data Collection ScheduleExamples: quarterly, by mid-year, monthly, 30 consecutive days, last week of each month

Data Collection Person Examples: general educator, special

educator, related service provider, aide

The Progress Report

Answers the following questions:• What is the student’s progress towards

meeting the annual goal?

• Is the progress sufficient to enable the student to achieve the annual goal by the end of the IEP period?

Assures the parent that the student’s

learning is continuous.

The Complete Package

1. Goal Focus

2. Current Performance Level

3. Measurable Goals•Target Behavior/Condition/Criteria

Data Collection Strategy•What - information collected•Where - the source of the data•When - collection schedule•Who - person(s) responsible for

data collection

4. Objectives/Benchmarks•Target Behavior/Condition/Criteria

5. Progress Reports

•Information from Data Collection Strategy