Requirements

Individual need determinations (i.e., present levels of performance and individual needs) must provide the basis for written annual goals. The IEP must list measurable annual goals, consistent with the student’s needs and abilities to be followed during the period beginning with placement and ending with the next scheduled review by the Committee (effective dates of the IEP).

For each annual goal, the IEP must indicate the benchmarks and/or short-term instructional objectives and evaluative criteria, evaluation procedures and schedules to be used to measure progress toward the annual goal.

The benchmarks or short-term instructional objectives must be measurable, intermediate steps between present levels of educational performance and the annual goals that are established for a student with a disability.

The measurable annual goals, including benchmarks or short-term objectives, must be related to:

• meeting the student’s needs that result from the student’s disability to enable the student to be involved in and progress in the general curriculum (or for preschool students, in appropriate activities); and
• meeting each of the student’s other educational needs that result from the student’s disability.

What are annual goals?

Annual goals are statements that identify what knowledge, skills and/or behaviors a student is expected to be able to demonstrate within the period of time beginning with the time the IEP is implemented until the next scheduled review. Annual goals must be identified that meet the student’s needs, as identified in the present levels of performance.

Annual goals should focus on the knowledge, skills, behaviors and strategies to address the student’s needs. A student’s needs generally relate to domains such as, but not limited to, reading, writing, listening, organization, study skills, communication, physical development, motor skills, cognitive processing, problem-solving, social skills, play skills, memory, visual perception, auditory perception, attention, behavior, and career and community living skills. The goals on a student’s IEP should relate to the student’s need for specially designed instruction to address the student’s disability needs and those needs that interfere with the student’s ability to participate and progress in the general curriculum.

Goals should not be a restatement of the general education curriculum (i.e., the same curriculum as for students without disabilities), or a list of everything the student is expected to learn in every curricular content area during the course of the school year or other areas not affected by the student’s disability. In developing the IEP goals, the Committee needs to select goals to answer the question: "What skills does the student require to master the content of the curriculum?" rather than "What curriculum content does the student need to master?"

For example, a student may be performing very poorly on written tests in global studies that require written expression. The IEP goal for this student should focus on developing written expressive skills (e.g., using outlines or other strategies to organize sentences in paragraphs) rather than the curriculum goal that the student will write an essay about the economy of a particular country. Generally, goals should address a student’s unique needs across the content areas and should link to the standards so that a student has the foundation or precursor skills and strategies needed to access and progress in the curriculum.

One year from now, we expect the student to be able to….

From information in the present levels of performance, the Committee has identified which need areas must be addressed and where the student is currently functioning in each of those areas. The next step is to identify what the focus of special education instruction will be over the course of the upcoming year. The annual goals will guide instruction, serve as the basis to measure progress and report to parents and serve as the guideposts to determine if the supports and services being provided to the student are appropriate and effective.

An annual goal indicates what the student is expected to be able to do by the end of year in which the IEP is in effect (i.e., the period beginning with placement and ending with the next scheduled review by the Committee). The annual goal takes the student from his/her present level of performance to a level of performance expected by the end of the year.

To be measurable, an annual goal should, in language parents and educators can understand, describe the skill, behavior or knowledge the student will demonstrate and the extent to which it will be demonstrated.

Examples: One year from now,

• Jim will write 10 sentences with correct punctuation.
• Terry will ask questions about the instructions or materials presented to ensure comprehension.
• Tom will use a datebook for appointments and assignments.
• Terry will solve multi-step word problems.
• Brianna will stand at least two feet away from the other person while conversing.
• Lisa will walk 10 feet independently.
• Mackenzie will speak in complete sentences.
• Ron will point independently to pictures described.
• Jose will use word prediction software to write essays.

Terms such as "will improve…," "will increase…." and "will decrease…." are not specific enough to describe what it is the student is expected to be able to do in one year. To be measurable, a behavior must be observable or able to be counted. In general, it is recommended that goals describe what the student will do, as opposed to what the student will not do.

Example:

The student will ask for a break from work versus The student will not walk out of the classroom without permission.

How does the IEP indicate the steps the student will take to reach the annual goal?

For each annual goal, the IEP must include short-term instructional objectives or benchmarks. The instructional objectives or benchmarks must include evaluative criteria, evaluation procedures and schedules to be used to measure progress toward the annual goal. Short-term objectives and benchmarks should be general indicators of progress, not detailed instructional plans, that provide the basis to determine how well the student is progressing toward his or her annual goal and which serve as the basis for reporting to parents.

Generally, one annual goal would not include both short-term objectives and benchmarks. Whether short-term objectives or benchmarks are used for a particular annual goal is at the discretion of the Committee.

Short-term objectives

Short-term objectives are the intermediate knowledge and skills that must be learned in order for the student to reach the annual goal. Short-term objectives break down the skills or steps necessary to accomplish a goal into discrete components.

For example, the sequential steps that one student must demonstrate in order for him to reach the annual goal to "remain in his reading class for the entire period and ask for help when the reading work is difficult for him" are as follows:

(Note: Evaluation criteria, schedule and procedures need to be added.)

Benchmarks

Benchmarks are the major milestones that the student will demonstrate that will lead to the annual goal. Benchmarks usually designate a target time period for a behavior to occur (i.e., the amount of progress the student is expected to make within specified segments of the year). Generally, benchmarks establish expected performance levels that allow for regular checks of progress that coincide with the reporting periods for informing parents of their child’s progress toward the annual goals. For example, benchmarks may be used for this same student for this annual goal as follows:

• By November, Grant will remain in his reading class for 15 minutes without disruptions. 
• By February, Grant will remain in class for 25 minutes without disruptions. 
• By April, Grant will remain in his reading class for 35 minutes without disruption. 
• By June, Grant will remain in his reading class for 45 minutes without disruption. 

(Note: Evaluation criteria, schedule and procedures need to be added.)

Evaluative criteria

Evaluative criteria identify how well and over what period of time the student must perform a behavior in order to consider it met.

How well a student does could be measured in terms such as:

• frequency (e.g., 9 out of 10 trials)
• duration (e.g., for 20 minutes)
• distance (e.g., 20 feet)
• accuracy (90% accuracy)

The period of time a skill or behavior must occur could be measured in terms such as:

• number of days (e.g., over three consecutive days)
• number of weeks (e.g., over a four week period)
• occasions (e.g., during Math and English classes, on six consecutive occasions)

Evaluation procedures

Evaluation procedures identify the method that will be used to measure progress and determine if the student has met the objective or benchmark. An evaluation procedure must provide an objective method in which the student’s behavior will be measured or observed.

Examples: structured observations of targeted behavior in class; student self-monitoring checklist; written tests; audio-visual recordings; behavior charting; work samples.

Evaluation schedules

Evaluation schedules state the date or intervals of time by which evaluation procedures will be used to measure the student’s progress toward the objective or benchmark. It is not a date by which the student must demonstrate mastery of the objective.

Examples: by March 2003, in three months, every four weeks, at the end of the term, quarterly

Writing short-term instructional objectives and benchmarks

The following template may assist in the writing of short-term objectives or benchmarks:
Student will (do what) – (to what extent) - (over what period of time) or (by when) as evaluated through ______________ on the following schedule: ___________________.

Examples:

S. will wait his turn in group games for 3/5 turn-taking activities over three consecutive days as evaluated through teacher charting of the targeted behavior every 4 weeks.

By January, M. will independently remove himself from the situation on all occasions when he is teased by peers during recess as evaluated quarterly by daily self-monitoring checklists.

Measuring progress toward annual goals

In accordance with the procedures, methods and schedules to measure a student’s progress toward the annual goals, school personnel need to establish a reporting and recording system that ensures that a student’s progress is objectively assessed. This information is necessary for reporting progress to parents and for the Committee to review the student’s IEP. While reporting progress to parents may require more than a data recording form, Attachment 3 provides a supplemental form, as shown below, for school personnel to use to track each student’s progress toward meeting the annual goals.

Evaluation

Criteria

Procedures

Schedule

1^st period

2^nd period

3^rd period

4^th period

July-August

Quality Indicators

Annual goals, including short-term instructional objectives or benchmarks:

• Are directly related to the student’s present levels of performance statements.
• Are written in observable and measurable terms.
• Identify an ending level of performance.
• Identify objective procedures to evaluate a student’s progress.
• Incrementally provide knowledge and skills towards achieving the student’s projected post-school outcomes.
• Are achievable in relation to the student’s current level of educational performance, expected rate of progress, strengths and needs.
• Are instructionally relevant.
• Are written in terms that parents and educators can understand.

• Sections 200.1, 200.4 and 200.16 of the Regulations of the Commissioner
• A New Direction for IEPs in New York State, 1999, New York State Education Department Training Program

See Attachment 5

Measurable Annual Goals and Short-Term Instructional
Objectives/Benchmarks

Annual Goal:
Kevin will accurately interpret graphs and charts to solve grade-level mathematical problems.

Instructional Objectives or Benchmarks:

Evaluation

Criteria

Procedures

Schedule

Kevin will use manipulatives to reproduce graphs and charts to solve math problems.

4/5 times over 2 weeks

Classroom assignments
Tests

Every 4 weeks

Kevin will highlight the large print graphs and charts to increase the contrast between the various parts of the graph, in order to solve math problems.

4/5 times over 2 weeks

Classroom assignments
Tests

Every 4 weeks

Kevin will verbally describe the material presented on graphs and charts to the teacher, in order to solve the problem.

4/ 5 times over 2 weeks

Classroom assignments
Tests

Every 4 weeks

Annual Goal:
Kevin will use graphic organizers to write a three-paragraph essay using correct sequencing of sentences including topic sentence, supporting sentences and conclusion.

Evaluation

Criteria

Procedures

Schedule

Kevin will use graphic organizers to write a three- sentence paragraph using correct sequencing of sentences including topic sentence, supporting sentences and conclusion with assistance by November.

5/5 times over 2 weeks

Writing sample
Tests
Classroom assignments

Every 6 weeks

Kevin will use graphic organizers to write a five- sentence paragraph using correct sequencing of sentences including topic sentence, supporting sentences and conclusion with assistance by January.

4/ 5 times over 2 weeks

Writing sample
Teacher observation
Classroom assignments

Every 6 weeks

Kevin will use graphic organizers to write a two- paragraph essay using correct sequencing of sentences including topic sentence, supporting sentences and conclusion without assistance by March.

4/5 times over 2 weeks

Writing sample
Teacher observation

Every 6 weeks

Kevin will use graphic organizers to write a three- paragraph essay using correct sequencing of sentences including topic sentence, supporting sentences and conclusion without assistance by June.

4/ 5 times over 2 weeks

Writing sample
Tests
Classroom assignments

Every 6 weeks