SMART Goals (IEP Meeting Series)

Practical Special Education for Parents

Send us a text

IEP goals are the most important part of the entire IEP process. It is vital to write goals that clearly and concisely describe what progress a student should make on a specific skill over the course of a year.
The services a student receives is directly relarted to goals in an IEP. The IEP team determines what services are needed to provide a reasonable chance of meeting the goals.
While the implementation of goals is the purview of the professional staff working with a student, the goal drives that teaching.
The SMART (Specific, Measurable, Achievable, Relevant and Time Based) goals concept is the most effective way of guding an IEP team on the content and wording of goals. It is an invaluable tool that every IEP team should be using.
Listen in to hear the whys and hows of SMART Goals.
Here are the goals that are used in the podcast:
Behavior:
When his classroom teacher invites participation by students by being called on after raising their hands quietly, John will call out with an answer or comment in 5 of 10 opportunities.

Goal:
By (one year), in a classroom setting, When his teacher asks the class to answer a question or make a comment by being called on after raising their hands quietly, John will do so 4 out of 5 opportunities with 80% accuracy.

Academic:
Marie’s reading level in the area of oral reading as measured by standardized testing is 85 words per minute, she is 4th grade, should be 100-120 per minute.
By (one year) in a one-one setting with an assessor, Marie will read a 5th grade passage at 100 words per minute with accuracy and age-appropriate expression 4 of 5 opportunities.

Thanks for listening!