Method · Last updated October 5, 2026
How to write an IEP goal
A usable IEP goal can be read aloud and scored. It states what the student is given, what the student will do, how much is enough, and by when. Five parts, in this order.
- 01
Start from present levels
Write the baseline with the same probe you will use later. “Currently, the student solves 2-digit addition with regrouping with 40% accuracy” is a baseline. “Struggles with math” is not.
- 02
Name the condition
Begin with given: the passage, the problem set, the visual schedule, the prompt level. If a calculator, a word bank, or a read-aloud is allowed during the probe, say so here.
- 03
Use a verb you can see
Solve, identify, write, request, initiate, and retell can be marked right or wrong. Understand, know, learn, and appreciate cannot. One behavior per goal keeps the graph honest.
- 04
Set a criterion and a date
“80% accuracy in 4 of 5 consecutive probes by the end of the IEP period” is specific. “Will improve” is not. Add two or three objectives that raise the criterion in steps from the baseline.
- 05
Name the measurement
Weekly curriculum-based probes, a rubric, or event recording should be possible for the staff who serve the student. If nobody can collect it, change the goal before the meeting ends.
A pattern you can fill in
By the end of the IEP period, given [condition], the student will [observable behavior] with [criterion] in [number] of [number] probes.
Questions teachers ask
- 01What are the four parts of an IEP goal?
- A condition (what the student is given), an observable behavior, a measurable criterion, and a time frame. Short-term objectives step from the baseline toward the annual criterion.
- 02Which verbs should an IEP goal avoid?
- Avoid understand, know, learn, and appreciate. Use verbs a probe can score, such as solve, identify, write, request, or initiate.
- 03Where does the baseline go?
- In the present levels, not as a wish inside the goal. The goal's criterion should be above the baseline, and objectives should mark the points in between.
- 04Who decides the final goal?
- The IEP team. Examples and drafts on this site are starting points. They do not set services, placement, or eligibility.
IDEA's statute and regulations are published at sites.ed.gov/idea. The IRIS Center at Vanderbilt has public modules on IEPs at iris.peabody.vanderbilt.edu.
Drafter
Draft a goal for one student
Nothing entered yet
A useful present level names the task, the support the student currently needs, and roughly how often they succeed. "Reads at a low second-grade level with 3 unknown words per minute" gives the drafter more to work with than "reading is hard."