Documentation & Goal Writing
Goals in an individual education plan (IEP) are created in collaboration with the student and are based on present levels of academic achievement and functional performance. IEP objectives must be expressed in a way that makes it possible to measure a student's progress from their current level of performance toward the objective.
Essential Components of IEP Goals
What are SMART Goals?
SMART goals are specific, measurable, achievable, relevant, and time-bound objectives that help students and teachers develop a clear understanding of what needs to be accomplished and when. SMART goals provide a roadmap for academic success and serve as a reference point for assessing progress.
S
Specific
​
precise to a skill, behavior, or area of improvement
M
Measurable
​
with a quantifiable component that allows tracking progress (standardized testing, work samples, and teacher data sheets).
A
Attainable
​
can reasonably be achieved in a year, representing a skill that is attainable to the student
R
Relevant
​
aligns with the student-identified needs/weaknesses impacting their education
T
Time-Sensitive
​
set a realistic time frame, specify target date of end of IEP
Considerations
Condition/
Assistance
Under what condition or context is the skill/behavior expected to occur?
e.g., when given no more that 3 verbal prompts, given a written prompt, with use of adaptive paper​
Target/
Desired Behavior
What is the specific skill/behavior to be achieved?
e.g., student will set up and use scissors, legibly imitate lowercase letters, correctly form uppercase letters​
Degree/Level
of Proficiency
How will the student show mastery of the goal?
e.g., 70% accuracy, within 3 consecutive trials, in 4/4 trials, score of assessment, for 5 consecutive minutes
Baseline/
Present Levels
What is the present level of the student's specific skill?
e.g., cut circle with X% accuracy, legibly copy pre-writing strokes, prompts required for a specific skill
Examples of SMART Goals in IEP
Academic Goal/Collaboration with Teacher
Given a written prompt, the student will produce a paragraph with 5 complete sentences with correct grammar, spelling, punctuation, and capitalization by January 2023.
Behavioral/Attention
To demonstrate improved functional attending abilities, the student will sustain attention to therapist-directed tabletop, in a fine motor task for 5 minutes with no more than 5 prompts for attention by January 2023.
Life Skills
The student will demonstrate improved self-help and fine motor skills by demonstrating the ability to fasten and unfasten medium-sized buttons with no more than 3 prompts (i.e., verbal, visual or tactile) in 3 out of 5 opportunities by January 2023.
Functional Skill
To help improve visual-motor skills, the student will demonstrate the ability to correctly form without a model 20/26 lowercase cursive letters with no more than 5 prompts by January 2023.