IEPs: Setting IEP goals

Understood Explains

Setting IEP goals can feel tricky. They should be attainable, but not too hard or too easy — it’s a bit like Goldilocks and the Three Bears.

However, setting these goals is a big part of developing your child’s IEP, or Individualized Education Program.

In this episode of Understood Explains, host Juliana Urtubey breaks down how IEP teams set annual goals, how parents can help, and how the IEP will measure a child’s progress.

For more resources, including a transcript formatted for easy skimming, visit the episode page on Understood.org.

Timestamps:

(0:44) How do IEP teams set annual goals?

(4:22) How can parents help set annual goals?

(7:01) Are my child’s IEP goals aiming high enough?

(8:24) How will the IEP measure my child’s progress?

(11:30) What do multilingual families need to know?

(12:31) Key takeaways

Related resources

• How to tell if your child’s IEP goals are SMART
• FAQs about standards-based IEPs
• Download an IEP goal tracker

Understood is a nonprofit organization dedicated to empowering people with learning and thinking differences, like ADHD and dyslexia. If you want to help us continue this work, donate at understood.org/give