+ Writing Measurable IEP Goals and Objectives/Benchmarks Colebrook High School Professional Development January 24, 2013

+ The Individuals with Disabilities Education Act (IDEA) 2004 requires that all students who receive special education services have measurable annual goal(s) included in their Individualized Education Programs (IEPs). This may include academic (standards-based) and/or functional (non-standards-based) goals, based on the individual student’s needs, as documented in their Present Levels of Academic Achievement and Functional Performance (PLAAFP) statements. The purpose of these goals, as is the purpose of all special education services, is to assist the student in accessing the general curriculum. Academic (standards-based) goals are goals directly linked to progressing toward enrolled grade-level content standards; functional (non-standards- based) goals are goals which assist the student in accessing the enrolled grade-level content standards. Additionally, IDEA and the Elementary and Secondary Education Act (ESEA), commonly known as No Child Left Behind (NCLB), require that all students, including those with disabilities, be included in the statewide assessment system. Additionally, because all students are included in the statewide assessment system, they must have access to the general education curriculum that is tested using this system. This access may be with or without accommodations and can include alternate assessments. However, due to these requirements, all students must now have enrolled grade-level standards- based measurable annual IEP goals

+ Goal Focus An IEP goal must FOCUS on an area of need that will make the greatest difference to the student. The focus of the goals must help the student develop skills to access, to participate and make progress in the general curriculum and the life of the school. 3 Keys Concepts in Writing Goals Include:

+ Key Concept #1 A Goal Must be SKILL BUILDING

+ Skill Building Areas That are Easy to Picture as a Goal Focus: Memory Communication Time Management Self- Advocacy Emotions Organization

+ Harder Areas to Picture: Reading Writing Mathematics These areas could be curriculum or skill building.

+ When Curriculum Becomes Skill-Based If a student needs to develop skills in reading, writing, and/or math in order to access, to participate and make progress in the general curriculum and the life of the school…THEN, reading, writing and math moves from being curriculum to being skills to be address by a goal focus.

+ Directly Observable To Read Orally To Shade To Say To Point To To Remove To Retell Orally

+ Not Directly Observable To Distinguish To Develop To Recognize To Be Aware To Become Competent To Feel

+ Exercise #1 Identify What is Directly or Not Directly Observed Behavior

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+ Key Concept #2 Check for Measurability The TEAM Must Begin to Discuss What Data Collection Strategies Will be Used to Measure the Goal Progress Toward Goal Mastery Think-Frequency, Duration, and Intensity

+ You Must Include When and How Goals and Objectives/Benchmarks Will Be Measured During IEP Period

+ Identify Your Data Collection Strategies: DATA COLLECTION SOURCES: Rubrics, Observations, Checklists, Record of Verbal Responses, Tests, Quizzes, Inventories, Vocational Experiences, Hands-on Tasks, Self- Evaluation, Essays, Art Work, etc. DATA COLLECTION SCHEDULE: Quarterly, By Mid-Year, Monthly, Daily, 30 Consecutive Days, Last week of each Month, During Each Counseling Session, at the End of Each School Day, etc. DATA COLLECTION PERSON: Examples Include: General Education and Special Education Teacher, Related Service Provider, Teaching Assistant, etc.

+ Key Concept #3 Goal Components That Make it Measurable 1) TARGET BHEAVIOR - The Skill or Behavior in Need of Change or Development 2) CONDITION – The Circumstances Under Which the Target Behavior is to Occur 3) CRITERIA – The Acceptable Level of Performance of the Target Behavior

+ Measurable IEP Goal? Think SMART Goal- Target Behavior, Conditon, Criteria

+ 1. Goals Must be Skill Building 2. There Must be a Data Collection Strategy that Supports the Measurability of the Goal 3. A Goal Must Contain a Target Behavior, a Condition, and a Criteria

+ Exercise #2 Diagramming a Goal

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+ So…What’s the difference Between Objectives and Benchmarks? According to the IDEA ’97 Final Regulations, the IEP team must develop either measurable, intermediate steps (short-term objectives) or major milestones (benchmarks) for each goal. You may use short-term Objectives when you can divide annual goals into discrete skill components. Benchmarks, on the other hand, describe the amount of progress the child is expected to make within a specified period.

+ IEP OBJECTIVES break the Annual goal into Discrete Components that are Short-term, Measurable, Intermediate Steps

+ Examples of Objectives: You could express comprehension in math and reading as discrete skills (e.g., double-digit addition with carrying, literal comprehension, sequential comprehension, inferential comprehension, synthesizing or evaluating in formation). An Example for Writing skills includes: GOAL- Jacob will identify types of sentences (simple, compound and complex when editing sample of self-generated paragraphs Given a list of sentences, Jacob will accurately label the three types of sentences. Jacob will be able to write acceptable examples of the three types of sentences on demand (when asked). Given a writing prompt and graphic organizer, Jacob will be able to write a paragraph using the different types of sentences.

+ Benchmarks Break the Annual Goal into Major Milestones That the Student is Expected to Achieve Within a Specified Period of Time

+ Examples of Benchmarks GOAL- By the End of Term 4, Jacob, Will Independently Record his Homework Assignments, With Full Detail, in His Math, Science, English and Social Studies Classes. By the End of Term 1, Jacob Will Enter His complete Math, Science, English, and Social Studies Homework in His Assignment Book at the End of Each Class with Teacher Support. By the End of Term 2, Jacob Will Independently Enter His complete Math, Science, English, and Social Studies Homework in His Assignment Book at the End of Each Class and Ask His Teachers to Initial Each Entry. By the End of Term 3, Jacob Will Independently Enter His complete Math, Science, English, and Social Studies Homework in His Assignment and ask His Academic Advisor to Initial it at the end of Each Day.

+ How Are Short-Term Objectives and Benchmarks Sequenced for Each Goal? Strategy 1: Arrange Skills in a Hierarchy (Sequentially) In this approach, students must accomplish the objectives in sequence. You may modify the sequence by changing one or more variables in the condition.

+ Example of a Goal and Objectives Arranged by Skill in a Hierarchy (sequentially). GOAL- Given a worksheet with 20 addition problems up to3D + 3D + 3D with and without regrouping, Larry will write correct answers with 90% accuracy on 3 consecutive weekly classroom exercises. Objective 1: Given a worksheet with 10 addition problems with sums less than 19 and both addends less than 10, Larry will write correct answers with 90% accuracy on 3 consecutive weekly classroom exercises. Objective 2: Given a worksheet with 10 addition problems up to 3D + 3D without regrouping, Larry will write correct answers with 90% accuracy on 3 consecutive weekly classroom exercises. Objective 3: Given a worksheet with 10 addition problems up to 3D + 3D with and without regrouping, Larry will write correct answers with 90% accuracy on 3 consecutive weekly classroom exercises.

+ Strategy 2: Target Important Skills in the Domain The second strategy focuses on pinpointing important component skills in a curriculum domain; these skills do not have to be accomplished necessarily in sequence.

+ Examples of Targeting Important Skills in a Specific Domain Goal: Given 5 social skills role play situations in the resource room, Sally will demonstrate 80% of the critical components of skills on 3 consecutive weekly role play checklists. Objective 1: Given at least 5 opportunities to follow 1-, 2- or 3-step instructions in the resource room, Sally will demonstrate 80% of the critical components for following instructions on 3 consecutive sets of opportunities as measured on a weekly checklist. Objective 2: Given at least 5 opportunities to ask a question or make a comment in the resource room, Sally will raise her hand and wait to be acknowledged before speaking with 100% accuracy on 3 consecutive sets of opportunities as measured on a weekly checklist.

+ OTHER STRATEGIES: You can construct a sequence for objectives that are typically not sequential by adding accommodations or assistance(e.g. teacher prompts, self- monitoring) and then removing those in the next objective. Objective 1: Given at least 5 opportunities to ask a question or make a comment in the resource room, Seth will raise his hand and wait to be acknowledged before speaking with 100% accuracy on 3 consecutive sets of opportunities as measured on a weekly checklist Objective 2: Given at least 5 opportunities to ask a question or make a comment in the resource room or science class, Seth will raise his hand and wait to be acknowledged before speaking with 100% accuracy on 3 consecutive sets of opportunities as measured on a weekly checklist. Objective 3: Given at least 10 opportunities to ask a question or make a comment in the resource room, science class, or English class, Seth will raise his hand and wait to be acknowledged before speaking with100% accuracy on 3 consecutive sets of opportunities as measured on a weekly checklist.

+ You can also build an overlap structure by systematically expanding the number of settings. This is applicable to goals and objectives for social skills, school survival skills, study skills, or daily living skills.

+ Note also that the sequence created by increasing the number of settings is based on preference (i.e., you could easily change the order in which the skills are introduced in different settings) and not on skill prerequisites. Note-Taking Objectives Sequenced Across Classes Objective 1: Given a lecture in science class, Heather will write notes that include 80% of the critical information on 3 consecutive daily science classes as measured by a teacher note-taking checklist. Objective 2: Given a lecture in science and social studies class, Heather will write notes that include 80% of the critical information on 4 consecutive daily science and social studies classes as measured by a teacher note-taking checklist.

+ You can add a’ most-to-least’ assistance hierarchy to sequence the objectives. The strategy you use to implement the prompt hierarchy does not need to be included in the objective. Sequential Removal of a Prompt Hierarchy Objective 1: Given at least 5 opportunities for social interaction during a leisure recreation activity with peers (swim class, lunch, free reading time) and a verbal and physical prompt from the teacher, Winnie will demonstrate appropriate social proximity to peers on80% of observed intervals on 3 consecutive weekly observations.

+ Objective 2: Given at least 5 opportunities for social interaction during a leisure recreation activity with peers (swim class, lunch, free reading time) and a verbal prompt from the teacher, Winnie will demonstrate appropriate social proximity to peers on 80% of observed intervals on 3 consecutive weekly observations. Objective 3: Given at least 5 opportunities for social interaction during a leisure recreation activity with peers (swim class, lunch, free reading time), Winnie will demonstrate appropriate social proximity to peers on 80% of observed intervals on 3 consecutive weekly observations.

+ EXERCISE #3 BREAK INTO YOUR PLC GROUPS. USING ONE OF THE TWO NEXT IEPS DUE, WORK WITH YOUR TEAM TO DEVELOP ONE GOAL AND SUPPORTING OBJECTIVES AND BENCHMARKS. IF YOU ARE THE COUSELOR OR THE ACADEMIC ADVISOR OF THE STUDENT, YOU ARE THE FACILITATOR OF THE IEP GOALS AND OBJECTIVES/BENCHMARKS BRAINSTORM. ASSIGN A TIME KEEPER. YOU HAVE 45 MINUTES TO PRODUCE A MEASURABLE GOAL AND OBJ./BENCH. THAT MEET THE CRITERIAL IDENTIDIED IN THEI TRAINING. WE WILL JOIN BACK TOGETHER TO CRITIC YOUR WORK.

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