Resources to Read/Review

What are IEP Goals?

When a student with a disability (who is between the ages of 3 to 21) receives special education services, it is required by law for the student to have an Individualized Education Program (IEP) in place. One section of the IEP document includes a student's annual goals and objectives. According to the IRIS Center (2019), "The academic and/or functional goals described in this section are intended to meet a student’s disability related needs that enable her to be involved in and make progress in (a) the general education curriculum (e.g., achieve grade-level mathematics skills) and (b) other education-related areas that arise from the student’s disability (e.g., improve articulation, increase socially appropriate behaviors)."

The IRIS Center (2019) provides more detail about IEP Goals:

Measurable annual goals describe what the student is reasonably expected to accomplish in a 12-month period, when provided with appropriate special education services. Each measurable annual goal should:

- Address academic and/or functional needs identified in a Present Levels of Academic Achievement and Functional Performance (PLAAFP) statement
- Be guided by grade-level content standards and therefore tied to participation in the general education curriculum
- Include benchmarks or short-term objectives (for students taking alternate assessments aligned to alternate achievement standards)
- Help IEP team members determine whether a student is making educational progress and whether the special education program is providing meaningful educational benefit
- Lead to a corresponding special education service

What are IEP Short-Term Objectives?

Short-term IEP objectives are written to break annual IEP goals down into parts or steps. Short-term objectives are only required for students who are taking alternative assessments aligned to alternate achievement standards (typically students with intellectual disabilities). However, using short-term objectives is a best practice when writing IEP goals to ensure your students are on track to meet their annual IEP goals.

Source: The IRIS Center. (2019). IEPs: Developing high-quality individualized education programs. Retrieved from https://iris.peabody.vanderbilt.edu/module/iep01/