1. Developing Quality T/IEPs Writing Quality Annual Goals, Objectives and Benchmarks, Reporting Progress
Part 2 of this workshop is about writing quality present level statements, annual goals, and short-term objectives or benchmarks.
Information in Part 2 is included in two chapters of Developing Quality Individual Educational Plans:
Chapter 5: Present Level of Academic Achievement and Functional Performance
Chapter 6: Measurable Annual Goals, Short-Term Instructional Objectives or Benchmarks, and Evaluation of Progress
In this part of the workshop you will learn how to write quality present level statements, annual goals, and short-term objectives and benchmarks.
Developing Quality IEPs (2012) DRAFT

2. Using the Problem-Solving Process to Develop Measurable Annual Goals
Step 1: Problem Identification (What’s the problem?)
Step 2: Problem Analysis (Why is it taking place?)
Present Level of Academic Achievement and Functional Performance
You are now ready to begin the third step in the problem-solving process embedded in Florida’s multi-tiered system of supports.
In steps 1 and 2 (Problem Identification and Analysis), the IEP team determined:
The student’s present level of academic achievement and functional performance
The effect of the student’s disability and the related educational needs
Now the team moves to step 3 of the problem-solving process, Intervention Planning and Implementation, to answer the question, “What are we going to do about it?”
Intervention planning begins with the establishment of annual goals. The first thing the team will do during this step is develop measurable annual goals and short-term objectives or benchmarks, if applicable, stating what the student will learn.
The annual goals address the needs identified in the present level statement(s). The measurable annual goals may include academic and functional goals. These goals are designed to meet the student’s needs that result from the disability and enable the student to be involved and make progress in the general education curriculum. They may also be designed to meet the student’s other needs that result from the disability.
After the annual goals are developed, the team will determine the special education services and supports the student needs.
Step 3: Intervention Planning and Implementation (What are we going to do about it?)
Measurable Annual Goals
Special Education Services and Supports
Developing Quality IEPs (2012) DRAFT

3. Measurable Annual Goals
What specific knowledge, skill, or behavior does the student need to learn to be involved and make progress in the general curriculum?
What does the student need to learn to meet other educational needs that result from the disability?
How will student progress be monitored to determine the effectiveness of the intervention and support?
When developing an annual goal, the IEP team considers:
What specific knowledge, skill, or behavior does the student need to learn to be involved and make progress in the general curriculum?
What does the student need to learn to meet other educational needs that result from the disability (for example, a student may need mobility and orientation training in order to move around the campus safely, or a student may need to learn self-care skills to improve independent functioning)?
How will student progress be monitored to determine effectiveness of the intervention and support?
Other questions to ask when making decisions include:
How does the goal relate to the needs identified in the present level?
What is a reasonable and attainable level of performance that the student will achieve in the next 12 months?
Will achieving this goal help the student be involved and make progress in the general curriculum? Remember, the goal should not duplicate the grade-level benchmarks or access points.
What is the best way to monitor student progress towards the expected performance?
Developing Quality IEPs (2012) DRAFT

4. Make It Measurable Specific Objective Quantifiable Clear
Handout
P-6
Specific
The action, behavior, or skill to be measured
Tells what to measure and how to measure it
Objective
Yields same result no matter who measures it
Quantifiable
Numerical or descriptive information to compare to baseline
Clear
Understandable by all involved
Each annual goal must be measurable so that progress towards the goal can be monitored to determine when the student has achieved the goal. You must measure student performance to monitor progress accurately and objectively and report it to parents.
To measure something, you are able to observe it (or use an instrument to do so).
Example: To measure the temperature, look at a thermometer.
Example: To measure oral reading fluency, count the words read aloud correctly in a minute.
Barbara Bateman and Cynthia Herr (in Writing Measurable IEP Goals and Objectives, 2003) identify the following characteristics of “measurable” goals, short-term objectives, and benchmarks.
Specific: Describes exactly what to measure to determine whether the goals, objectives, and benchmarks have been accomplished
Objective: Would yield the same conclusion if measured by several people
Quantifiable: Allows a calculation of the progress a student makes starting from the original baseline performance
Clear: Can be measured and understood without additional information
Refer participants to the Measurement Section in Handout P-6: IEP Quick Check. Point out: You can use this section to check the annual goals, short-term objectives, and benchmarks you write to make sure they are measurable.
Bateman & Herr, 2003
Developing Quality IEPs (2012) DRAFT

5. Measurable Annual Goals: Three Parts
Observable behavior: An explicit, observable statement of what the student will do
Conditions: The specific situation, tools, or assistance to be provided (optional)
Mastery criteria: Acceptable performance (how well the student must perform)
A clear statement of an annual goal includes a description of the expected performance (observable behavior), conditions, and criteria of acceptable performance.
• Observable behavior (You can see it.)
Use verbs and phrases that describe actions to be observed.
The behavior must be able to be measured.
Conditions describe the situation or assistance that allows students to “show what they know,” including situations or scenarios; tools that will be provided, and locations that will be used.
Criteria describe the student’s acceptable level of performance for mastery. The criteria indicate how performance will be evaluated and answers the question “How good is ‘good enough’ for the student to perform this skill or know this concept?”
Let’s take a closer look at each of these parts of an annual goal.
Developing Quality IEPs (2012) DRAFT

6. Handout: Action Verbs
Observable Behaviors
An observable behavior should be stated using verbs and phrases that describe actions that can be observed. Examples:
Mark will describe…
Mary will create…
Melissa will compare…

7. Observable Behaviors Non-examples: know the multiplication tables
improve peer relations
learn the scientific method
understand the consequences of bad behavior
Let’s practice replacing the non-examples with action verb choices.

8. Conditions
Describe conditions, such as tools, assistance, situation, etc., under which the skill or behavior will be performed or used
Given a (visual timer, large-print book, etc.)
Using a (communication device, checklist, etc.)
Without prompting
In three academic classes/when eating in the cafeteria
Many goals require a statement of the conditions under which the skill or behavior will be performed or used. Conditions may describe tools, such as assistive technology, equipment, materials, the level of prompts or assistance, or the situation/circumstances or environment where the behavior will be used. Conditions may also specify necessary accommodations.
The conditions should be described in sufficient detail so that it is clear to all what is needed to allow the performance to happen.
Often conditions are part of a phrase that begins:
Given a…(visual timer, large-print book, etc.)
Using a…(communication device, checklist, etc.)
Without prompting/with supervision
In three academic classes/when eating in the cafeteria
To determine what conditions should be included in the annual goal consider:
What will the learner be expected to use or not be allowed to use while performing?
What will be the real-world conditions under which the performance will be expected to occur?
Not all annual goals will require conditions. For example, for annual goals that involve writing, it is not necessary to include “When given a pencil and paper.” However, it is important to add enough description to the annual goal to make it clear to anyone who reads it what is expected from the student.
Developing Quality IEPs (2012) DRAFT

9. Conditions Examples: Context- in the lunchroom, at a grocery store
Format- in a role play scenario, working in a small group
Time- during a twenty minute period, four times for five minutes
Tools- a story starter, using pictures of plants
Non-examples:
Context- during interaction with others (too broad)
Format- any school situation (too vague)
Time- during the school day (too vague)
Tools- using a pencil to write with (obvious)
Share examples and non-examples of conditions.

10. Mastery Criteria Accuracy Duration (time) Speed/Rate
Handout
P-6
Accuracy
90% accuracy; 9 out of 10 items correct
Duration (time)
Stays on task for 10 consecutive minutes
Speed/Rate
With fluency of 85 words correct per minute
Within two minutes
The third part of an annual goal is the criteria of acceptable performance. This is used to determine that the student has mastered the knowledge, skill, or behavior specified in the goal. In some IEP programs it is called the mastery criteria. Specifying the criteria of acceptable performance helps to make the goal measurable.
Setting the criteria of acceptable performance requires the IEP team to consider the student’s current level of academic achievement and functional performance, as well as previous rate of progress. Using data in the present level statement as the baseline, the IEP team should set the criteria so that the student is challenged to attain high, but reasonable, levels of success.
Point out: Handout P-6: IEP Quick Check has a section on the back called Types of Criteria that will help you select criteria when writing annual goals. Find that section now and follow along as we talk about the different types of criteria.
When writing the criteria of acceptable performance, you should choose the measurement technique that makes sense for the skill or behavior. Criteria may be stated in different ways.
Accuracy: One way to describe criteria is percent (%) accuracy or number out of a total correct. This will reflect the percent correct of a total amount or the number of correct answers (for example, with 90 percent accuracy, with 9 out of 10 answers correct).
Duration: A second way to describe criteria is to specify the duration (time). Setting a goal for duration may be useful for goals dealing with behaviors that must be sustained over a period of time. The expected duration can be stated in terms of how many minutes, such as stays on task for 10 minutes.
Speed/Rate: Another common way is to describe an acceptable rate of performance (for example, with fluency of 85 words correct per minute, or within two minutes).
Developing Quality IEPs (2012) DRAFT

11. Other Mastery Criteria
Handout
P-6
Timeframe (period of time)
Over five consecutive assignments
Over three consecutive weekly probes
Distance
Travels independently for 50 yards
Set of required characteristics
Complete all steps in a 10-step process on the job
Timeframe: A timeframe can be part of the criteria when it is important to specify over what period of time the student will be expected to demonstrate mastery, such as “over five consecutive assignments” or “over three consecutive weekly probes.” There are variations used in relation to timeframe criteria, for example instead of the word “probes” which is often used in relation to progress monitoring, you may see the word “trials” or “opportunities.” These words all mean instances in which the student is assessed on the skill. A timeframe is specified when it is important to establish that the student is able to perform the expected behaviors consistently.
Distance: Criteria for behaviors involving motor skills may be stated in terms of distance, such as travels independently for 50 yards.
Set of required characteristics: Often annual goals reflect a complex set of skills or behaviors, and a simple criterion of accuracy or speed/rate cannot be applied. The criteria may be described in terms of a set of required characteristics or traits. A rubric or checklist may be used to assess whether the components required for mastery have been demonstrated. If the components are based on a known rubric, such as a district writing rubric, specifying the expected score or rating in the goal would clearly communicate how the student’s writing will be measured. For example: Write an essay that scores at least four out of six on the district writing rubric.
Sometimes it may be critical that the student perform or exhibit all of the traits or components to carry out the task effectively. For example, if the goal is to complete a 10-step process for carrying out and checking tasks on the job, leaving out any of the steps would likely result in job performance that is unacceptable. The IEP team should look carefully at the analytic rubric or checklist used to evaluate the student’s performance on the goal to determine the importance of the traits or components before setting the criteria of acceptable performance.
Developing Quality IEPs (2012) DRAFT

12. Cautions for Using Percent or Number of Items
Does it make sense?
Cross the street safely four out of five times
Cross the street safely five out of five times
Is it reasonable?
Exhibit appropriate behavior 90% of the time
During a 30 minute observation period, Johnny will exhibit appropriate behavior (keeping hands to self) 90% of the time.
Using a percent or number of items correct is a statement about expected accuracy often included in annual goals, sometimes without thinking about whether the percent or number of items makes sense. When stating expected accuracy, ask yourself if a performance of less than 100 percent would be meaningful and appropriate. For example, students must cross the street safely every time, not four out of five times.
When using percent, make sure you can specify and measure the “whole” or “total” and that it is reasonable. For example, in a goal that states the student will exhibit appropriate behaviors 90 percent of the time, it is unclear what the total time is. The goal implies the student would need to be observed 24 hours each day to determine mastery, which would not be reasonable. Specifying a defined time period to assess student performance would be one way to make the use of percent reasonable (for example, During a 30-minute observation period, the student will exhibit appropriate behaviors 90 percent of the time). Ninety percent of 30 minutes is 27 minutes.
Developing Quality IEPs (2012) DRAFT

13. Measurable Annual Goals: Examples
Given 10 two-step addition word problems, Leroy will solve 9 out of 10 problems correctly.
Behavior: Solve the problems
Conditions: Given 10 two-step addition word problems
**Use yes/no cards**
Now we’re going to look at some examples and non-examples of measurable annual goals. We’ll focus first on whether each goal contains an observable, measurable behavior, a condition, and a criteria for mastery.
Have participants make response cards using index cards. Model writing “Yes” on one side and “No” on the other.
Let’s look at this goal and see if it is a good example. (Read goal aloud.) We’ll need to consider each part of the goal.
Click to bring up each part of the goal and ask the questions below. Have participants answer using their response cards.
(Click) Behavior: Is “solve the problems” an observable and measurable behavior? Yes
(Click) Conditions: Does “Given 10 two-step addition word problems” make sense and define what will be provided for the task? Yes
(Click) Criteria: Is “9 out of 10 correctly” a clear criterion? Yes, it’s clear he must solve 9 out of the 10 problems correctly to demonstrate mastery.
Is this a good example of an annual goal? Yes Notice that it is written in language that anyone could understand.
Criteria: 9 out of 10 correctly
Developing Quality IEPs (2012) DRAFT

14. Measurable Annual Goals: Examples
Given a five-paragraph reading passage, Sam will correctly state the main idea and three supporting details over five consecutive trials.
Behavior: State the main idea and three supporting details
Let’s take a look at this goal. (Read the goal aloud.)
Click to bring up each part of the goal and ask the questions below. Have participants answer using their response cards.
(Click) Behavior: Can the behavior “state the main idea and three supporting details” be observed and measured? Yes
(Click) Conditions: Are the conditions, “given a five-paragraph third-grade reading passage,” clearly stated and understandable? Yes
(Click) Criteria: Do the criteria, “correctly” and “over five consecutive trials” clearly describe what the student is required to do to demonstrate mastery of the goal? Yes
Is this a good example of an annual goal? Yes
Point out: Notice that this goal requires Sam to perform the skill correctly over five consecutive trials to demonstrate mastery of the goal. The IEP team makes the decision whether or not the student needs to demonstrate the behavior over multiple trials to demonstrate mastery.
Conditions: Given a five-paragraph reading passage
Criteria: Correctly, over five consecutive trials
Developing Quality IEPs (2012) DRAFT

15. Measurable Annual Goals: Examples
Non-example Keisha will visualize the key elements of a passage with 90% accuracy.
Good example Keisha will accurately describe at least four of five key elements of a grade-level passage using a visualizing strategy.
Let’s look at this annual goal. (Read goal aloud.) This is a non-example of a measurable annual goal. Let’s examine it together to see what is wrong with it. Ask the questions below. Have participants answer using their response cards.
Behavior: Is the behavior in the goal, “visualize the key elements of a passage,” observable and measurable? No, visualize is not an observable verb. Note to Trainer: If yes/no answers have been mixed, have participants visualize a large ice cream sundae. Point out that we don’t know who really visualized it or not, because we can’t observe what people are thinking.
Conditions: What about conditions? None are provided.
Criteria: Does the criteria, “with 90 percent accuracy” make sense here? No, it does not have meaning here because we don’t know what the whole amount is. This would not be measurable.
(Click) Now let’s look at how the goal could be rewritten to make it a good example: Keisha will accurately describe at least four of five key elements of a passage using a visualizing strategy.
Behavior: “Describe the key elements of a passage,” is a behavior we can observe and measure.
Conditions: “Using a visualizing strategy” works as the condition.
Criteria: “Accurately” and “at least four out five key elements” give a clearer understanding of the criteria for mastery.
Developing Quality IEPs (2012) DRAFT

16. Sample Attendance Goals
Handouts: Attendance
Sample Attendance Goals
--- will have fewer than ___ unexcused absences each month or provide written documentation from a guardian or physician (based on district accepted reasons for the absence).
--- will attend all assigned classes 100% of the time or provide written documentation from a guardian or physician (based on district accepted reasons for the absence).

17. Short-Term Objectives & Benchmarks
Short-term objectives and/or benchmarks are required for students with disabilities who take alternate assessments
They may be written for other students with a disability
Short-term objectives and benchmarks must be included for students with disabilities who take alternate assessments. In Florida, this includes students who work on access points and take the Florida Alternate Assessment.
Federal and state law no longer require short-term objectives and benchmarks for students working on the regular NGSSS and tested on FCAT/EOC. However, they may also be written for a student with a disability whose IEP team determines they are needed. School districts may have different requirements, so it is important to check with your district ESE department.
The purpose of short-term objectives and benchmarks is to enable the teachers, parents, and the student to determine how well the student is progressing toward achieving the annual goals. Writing quality short-term objectives and benchmarks can also guide instructional strategies.
Short-term objectives/benchmarks serve as markers to measure student progress towards annual goals. You may choose to include short-term objectives/benchmarks even if not required.
 Note to Trainer: Explain district preferences regarding short-term objectives and benchmarks.
Developing Quality IEPs (2012) DRAFT

18. Short-Term Objectives & Benchmarks
Intermediate steps or subskills
Benchmarks
Major milestones that describe the expected student performance level during specific time periods in the year
Short-term objectives are measurable intermediate steps or subskills that provide markers to measure student progress from the current baseline toward the annual goal.
Benchmarks are major milestones that describe progress the student is expected to make during specific time periods of the year. Note that IEP benchmarks are not the same as NGSSS benchmarks.
Both short-term objectives and benchmarks describe how the student will progress to reach the annual goal (the final step in the learning process).
Remind participants of the relationship between present level statements, measurable annual goals, and short-term objectives or benchmarks.
Developing Quality IEPs (2012) DRAFT

19. What’s the Difference? Short-term objectives Benchmarks
Handout
P-6
Short-term objectives
Same format as an annual goal
Benchmarks
Behavior and condition
Criteria (if less than 100%)
Date for mastery
Like annual goals, the short-term objectives and benchmarks must be measurable.
The IEP team may choose to use benchmarks, short-term objectives, or a combination of the two based on the needs of the student and the nature of the annual goals.
Objectives use the same format as an annual goal. Once you’ve learned how to write an annual goal, you know how to write a short-term objective.
Measurement of progress is a key issue in both objectives and benchmarks.
In short-term objectives, a criterion to measure mastery or skill level is included.
Benchmarks should include a clear description of the expected performance level within specified timeframes during the year and may also specify a mastery criteria. In the past, including a performance level assumed 100 percent as the criteria for mastery. However, if the criteria for mastery is less than 100 percent, it should be specified in the benchmark.
Whether using objectives or benchmarks, the expectation is to measure and provide data to indicate progress being made toward the goal.
Review Handout P-6: IEP Quick Check (Measurement section).
Developing Quality IEPs (2012) DRAFT

20. Can You See the Difference?
Short-term objective Given 10 sets of one to five objects, Michael will count the sets with 90% accuracy.
Benchmark Given 10 sets of one to five objects, Michael will count the sets with 90% accuracy by the end of the first nine weeks.
Here are examples of a short-term objective and a benchmark. Either one might be used for an annual goal in which a student is expected to learn to count sets of 1–10 objects. The objective and the benchmark each reflect a substep to that goal. They look a lot alike, but they are different. These examples are provided to show you how benchmarks are different from short-term objectives. Look closely, what is the difference? Share your answer with the person next to you.
What’s the difference? The benchmark indicates the date by which mastery is expected, the end of the first nine weeks. Notice that in this benchmark, a criterion of 90 percent is included in the benchmark, because the criteria is less than 100 percent.
Developing Quality IEPs (2012) DRAFT

21. Objectives and Benchmarks
At least two per annual goal
Provide a path student will take to attain the goal
Link present level statement (baseline) and annual goal
Align with the annual goal (not repeat)
Guide instructional strategies
Short-term objectives or benchmarks are required for students assessed on alternate assessment and for any student whose IEP team determines they are needed. Here are some suggestions:
You must write at least two objectives and/or benchmarks for each goal, but you can write more. There is no formula to determine exactly how many are needed. The number should be adequate to describe the major steps or skills the student needs to learn to meet the goal. If the IEP team can only think of one substep, the goal may be too limited or the short-term objective or benchmark may be too broad.
Provide a path the student will take to attain the goal. Annual goals are intended to reflect what a student is expected to accomplish in 12 months. The short-term objectives or benchmarks should indicate what the student needs to accomplish throughout the year to achieve the goal. If the student’s previous rate of progress has been slow, the short-term objectives will reflect smaller steps.
Link present level statement (baseline) and annual goal. The short term objectives or benchmarks build on what the student currently knows or can do and lead to accomplishment of the annual goal. The progression of objectives or benchmarks is determined by:
Examining baseline information about student needs in the present level statement
Considering what is known about how the student responds to instruction.
When developing objectives and benchmarks, do not describe the same skill that is in the goal.
Guide instructional strategies. The objectives and/or benchmarks guide how, what, and when skills will be taught to the student. They also provide useful markers to facilitate reporting of progress to parents.
Developing Quality IEPs (2012) DRAFT

22. Jenny’s Annual Goal
Present Level (Baseline): Follows one-step directions presented orally Annual Goal: Given three-step directions, presented orally in classroom activities, Jenny will complete the steps in order in four out of five opportunities over three consecutive weekly trials.
Let’s look at a few examples. We’ll start with an annual goal for Jenny, a fourth grade student who is working on Supported Level access points.
For a student with a significant cognitive disability, learning to follow directions presented orally in classroom activities may require direct instruction that builds skills over time in a simple-to-more complex progression. The learning progression would be described in the short-term objectives or benchmarks.
Notice that Jenny’s present level statement indicates that she is currently able to follow one-step directions in classroom activities. This is the baseline for Jenny. Jenny’s IEP team determined that in order for Jenny to be involved and make progress in the general curriculum, she needs to learn to follow three-step directions.
Jenny’s educational need is to learn to follow three-step directions presented orally in classroom activities.
The annual goal specifies that she needs to complete the steps in order when she is given three-step directions presented orally in classroom activities. For the team to feel confident that Jenny has mastered this annual goal, she must follow three-step directions over three consecutive weekly trials. In each weekly trial, she will be given five opportunities to follow directions and she must complete the steps in order in at least four of the opportunities (or sets of directions).
Developing Quality IEPs (2012) DRAFT

23. Short-Term Objectives
Given two-step directions presented orally in classroom activities, Jenny will complete the steps in order in four out of five opportunities over three consecutive trials.
Given three-step directions presented orally in classroom activities, Jenny will complete the steps in order with one reminder in four out of five opportunities over three consecutive trials.
The team writes short-term objectives to describe the learning progression that will be required for Jenny to master the annual goal. Since Jenny can already follow one-step directions in classroom activities, they will begin with objective one, in which Jenny learns to follow two-step directions presented orally in classroom activities.
Once Jenny has learned to follow two-step directions, she will learn to follow three-step directions with one reminder as described in short-term objective two.
The final step in the progression is Jenny’s annual goal, which indicates that Jenny will follow three-step directions presented orally in classroom activities (with no reminders). You may return to previous slide to display Jenny’s goal.
Jenny’s goal and short-term objectives showed a progression with increasing complexity (following two-step directions, following three-step directions with one reminder, and following three-step directions without reminders).
Notice that in this learning progression the required behavior and selected conditions change. However, the criteria to determine mastery of each of the short-term objectives and annual goal are similar.
Developing Quality IEPs (2012) DRAFT

24. Ralph’s Annual Goal
Present Level (Baseline): Currently responds to his name and simple commands; does not initiate conversation with adults and peers
Annual Goal: Ralph will express needs by initiating conversation with adults and peers in school settings, two times in three consecutive daily 30-minute observation periods.
Let’s see how an IEP team uses knowledge of the of Ralph’s current performance to plan annual goal and short-term objectives. Ralph’s present level statement indicates that he responds to his name and simple commands, but does not initiate communication with adults or children, so the team has identified an annual goal for Ralph:
(Click) Read goal. Ralph will learn how to initiate conversations with adults and peers in school settings.
Developing Quality IEPs (2012) DRAFT

25. Short-Term Objectives
When prompted verbally, Ralph will ask adults and peers for desired objects or activities in the classroom…
Ralph will ask adults and peers for desired objects or activities in the classroom, without prompts…
Ralph will ask adults and peers for desired objects or activities in the cafeteria and art class…
Notice that in each of the short-term objectives, the behavior is “ask adults and peers for desired activities.” The level of support and the setting changes in the learning progression .
The first short-term objective requires Ralph respond to prompts to ask adults and peers for desired objects or activities in the classroom. This builds on his current baseline performance.
Objective two requires Ralph to ask adults and peers for an object, without prompting, in the classroom setting.
In objective three, the setting is expanded to include the cafeteria and art classroom.
The annual goal is the last step in this learning progression. Ralph will initiate conversations with adults and peers to express needs in all school settings. You may return to previous slide to display Ralph’s goal.
Notice that the learning progression reflects generalization and transfer of skills. That’s because Ralph has difficulty applying skills in different environments. He needs to be taught explicitly how to apply the skills in various settings.
Developing Quality IEPs (2012) DRAFT

26. Measuring and Reporting Progress
Checking or listing an assessment procedure indicates that it will be used on a regular basis to collect data on student performance.
Assessment Procedures (used to measure progress):
Teacher Developed Checklist or Chart
Test(s): Teacher and/or Standardized
Student Work Product
Interview
Graded Work Sample
Curriculum-Based Assessments
Documented Observation
Other:
The IEP team must specify the measurement or assessment procedures that will be used to measure student progress towards each annual goal. Assessment procedures should be selected based on the specific skill and criteria for success indicated in the annual goal. This slide includes the Assessment Procedures list in PEER.
Tests developed by the teacher or standardized tests, such as tests that accompany a reading series, can be used to assess academic progress.
Curriculum-based assessment can be used for annual goals that address academic competencies. Probes are used to determine progress on a regular basis.
Documented observations may be useful for goals that relate to specific behaviors, such as positive social interactions or time on task. The student is observed on a regular basis and the frequency or duration of target behaviors are counted.
The IEP team must also decide how and when the student’s progress toward the annual goal will be reported to parents.
For example, the team may decide that for an annual goal that requires the student to answer comprehension questions from grade-level passages, data will be collected twice a week and progress will be reported to parents once every nine weeks. In contrast, for a behavior-oriented goal, the team may decide data should be collected every day and progress reported to parents every two weeks. It is no longer a requirement that progress on annual goals be reported as often as for typical peers. In the past, progress had to be reported with every report card.
Progress may be reported to parents using methods, such as an automated report in the IEP program, a narrative report, or a documented phone conference.
Developing Quality IEPs (2012) DRAFT

27. Quarterly Reports
Quarterly reports are used to report student progress towards goals.
Basic education teacher(s) needs to provide input if applicable.
Comments need to be concise and to the point (if information does not fit in the space, then have a conference with the parent).