By Rebecca S. Blakeman, PhD

Licensed Psychologist
 

(Please note this article refers to children with specific learning disabilities, ADHD, and/or processing difficulties, not severe cognitive impairments.)

Children who qualify for special education services due to learning disabilities, developmental delays, or other processing difficulties are given an Individual Education Plan (IEP).  The IEP is a legal document developed collaboratively by parents and school personnel, and is designed to identify the specific learning needs of the child, how those learning needs will be met, and what goals are appropriate for that child.  .   This article will address issues related to goal setting in the IEP.

It is important to keep in mind that the child’s progress and the success of the IEP will be judged based on the goals written.  If the goals are not meaningful, it will not be possible to accurately measure the child’s progress, and the child may inadvertently be set up for failure.  In reviewing IEPs over the years, I have found several common mistakes that often leave parents with an official-looking, yet less than helpful, document.  Below are two of the most common mistakes to avoid when creating IEP goals for your child.

1.  Setting goals that have already been met.  Some IEPs are written in such a way that the child could actually show a decline in performance, but still meet their IEP “goals.”  It is important to determine at what level your child is already performing, before setting goals.  For example, before accepting a goal of “properly identifying letters 90% of the time,” determine at what level your child is already able to do this.  If he/she can accurately identify letters 95% of the time, the goal should be to demonstrate 100% mastery.

2.  Setting goals that still allow for considerable failure/that do not provide for meaningful academic progress.  It is rare to see an IEP goal that includes “100% mastery.”  Many IEPs aim for 80% accuracy, and even call 95% accuracy “mastery.”  While 95% may be acceptable for some goals (e.g., correctly answers double digit multiplication problems 95% of the time), it is not acceptable in other areas.  For example, if a child can only identify the sound that the letter /b/ makes 95% of the time, how is he/she expected to be able to read accurately, fluently, and for comprehension?  Likewise, how will it help a student to complete and turn in assignments “75% of the time?”  Ask yourself, “How successful will my child be in the classroom once they have reached this goal?”  If the accuracy goal would still be associated with failure in the classroom, do not accept it as a final goal.

Once you are aware of your child’s current ability level, set a goal that would mean significant improvement…not a goal that would simply “look like” improvement on paper.  For example, if your child can currently read 25 out of 40 sight words, a goal of “correctly reading 40 sight words with 80% accuracy” would not indicate meaningful progress. This goal would essentially mean that your child would read 32 of the 40 words…a gain of 7 words over current performance.  Unless that was a weekly goal, it does not seem to be a goal set forth for meaningful progress.

When developing IEP goals with school personnel, take your calculator along to help you determine what level your child is currently working at, and what % of accuracy would indicate meaningful improvement.