My Workshop: "Writing Measurable I.E.P. Goals"
Dr. Noëlle Jacquelin
WORKSHOP—Writing Measurable I.E.P. Goals
Purpose:
To describe the student’s unique needs that will be addressed by special education and related services and to establish a baseline of measurable information that will serve as a point to further develop I.E.P. goals and objectives.
ANNUAL GOALS:
Community presence—
The sharing of ordinary places in a school that define community life;
Presence will increase the number of ordinary school places the student knows and can access;
Choice--
Increase the experience of autonomy in everyday experiences (e.g., what to wear; what activities to participate in while in school);
Increase the number of valued activities within schooling experiences (e.g., academic and extra-curricular activities)
Competence--
Increase the opportunity to perform functional and meaningful educational activities with academic and social support as needed
Respect--
Have a place in the community life of a school setting;
Provide access to valued roles in a school setting
Community Participation—
Increase involvement in personal relationships within a school setting;
Develop a variety of types of relationships (e.g., teacher to student; friend to friend; etc.)
MAPS (McGill Action Planning System) and PATH (Planning Alternative Tomorrows with Hope)
Re: MAPS
To ask and/or review—
What is student’s history?
What is the dream for ____________?
What is the nightmare for ______________?
What are ______________’s strengths, gifts, and talents?
What are ______________’s needs and challenges?
What action plans are needed to meet these needs and avoid these nightmares?
Re: PATH
Touch the dream.
Sense the goal (possible and positive).
Grounding in the now.
Identifying people to enroll.
Ways to build strength.
Planning the next 6 months.
Planning the next 3 months.
Committing to the first step.
PRESENT LEVEL OF PERFORMANCE SPECIFICS
Statement of strengths
Statement of needs
STATEMENT OF STRENGTHS--These are statements of the student’s gifts, strengths and abilities as a learner. For example:
Responds to familiar routine directions
Communicates when motivated and understands the activity
Understands cause and effect
Lets his wants be known
Loves to swim, listen to music, eat, use computer tablet, etc.
STATEMENT OF NEEDS--This section identifies those areas that are important for the student to learn in order to facilitate the development of functional skills and inclusion. For example:
To improve mealtime skills
To develop a yes/no response
To develop independent sitting, balance, and standing ability
To improve functional hand use
KEY CHARACTERISTICS OF THE PRESENT LEVEL OF PERFORMANCE
Measurable
Objective
Functional
Current
Identifies any special considerations
Includes most recent assessment information
Establishes the baseline of information used in writing and/or revising “Goals and Educational Objectives”
MEASURABLE ANNUAL OBJECTIVES
Purpose:
To describe what the student can reasonably be expected to accomplish within 12 months with specially designed instruction and related services.
An “Annual Goal”—
Is directly related to the present level of performance which provides baseline information
Provides a way of determining whether anticipated outcomes are being met
Has three parts
The student … does what … to what level
Appropriate annual goals answer the question, “What should the student be doing?”
Key Characteristics of an “Annual Goal”-
Measurable
Functional
Meaningful
Future oriented
Locally referenced
Measurable--Progress can be measured even when the student’s skills may remain similar from year to year.
We can measure student progress as follows—
Through increasing levels of partial participation in activities
Through less prompting or facilitation over time
Through generalization of the same skill to new people, activities, or environments
Through fewer false responses in activities involving yes/no communication
The amount of time it takes for the student might decrease
The amount of time a student engages in an activity might increase
Functional—
Teaching a functional activity means teaching all of the behavior necessary to initiate, perform, and terminate an activity.
These goals include participation in daily care routines (e.g. attention to personal hygiene, dressing, eating) and in interactional activities (e.g. those related to socialization and communication).
Meaningful—
Teaching meaningful activities means teaching activities that are relevant and reflect the values and interests of the student and his/her family.
Future Oriented—
Teaching to a future orientation means to teach activities that will enhance the student’s participation and inclusion as a young adult in the community.
Locally Referenced—
Teaching with local referencing means teaching skills in the environments in which they will need to be used rather than teaching “generic skills in isolation” (e.g. teaching yes/no computer tablet use in the context of using the skill to play a game with peers rather than practicing hitting the yes/no in isolation with parent or only teacher).
EXAMPLES of “Annual Goals”
Appropriate Goal
Chris will increase his active participation in self-care routines.
Questionable Goal
Provide for personal care and safety in the school environment.
This appears to be a team goal and only focuses on a school outcome. This goal needs to be more global.
Appropriate Goal
Emily will continue to develop her social skills and expand her experiences and relationships.
Questionable Goal
Social/emotional development
This is an area needing focus. What is it that we want Emily to achieve?
Appropriate Goal
Marion will increase her purposeful mobility to participate in activities of daily living.
Questionable Goal
Promote physical development.
This looks like a team goal.
MEASURABLE EDUCATIONAL OBJECTIVES
Annual goals are broken down into a logical sequence of “steps” or objectives that lead to the attainment of the goal.
Measurable means that you can count it or observe it.
Rather than using terms like “improve” or “develop,” ask yourself what you will actually see the student doing that allows you to make this judgment.
EXAMPLES of “Educational Objectives”
Vague/General Objectives
Improve and practice visual processing.
Measurable Student Outcomes
The student will increase his use of gaze to track large objects when moving 16” in front of him.
Objectives that Need Fine Tuning
Communicates his needs and wants.
Clear Measurable Objectives
The student will increase his appropriate use of vocalizations, gestures, and gaze to communicate his needs and wants
MEASURING AND REPORTING PROGRESS
Degree of Active Participation
Frequency of the Behavior
Accuracy of the Behavior
Appropriateness of the Behavior
Duration of the Behavior
Generalization of the Behavior
Degree of Active Participation
How much assistance or prompting (physical and/or verbal) does the student require to perform the skill?
Frequency of the Behavior
How often does the student perform the desired activity?
How many times does the student sign “more” for an interrupted favorite activity?
Accuracy of the Behavior
How precisely does the student perform the behavior?
During computer table work, how many “false hits” occurred? Did the student point or gaze accurately at an object choice?
Appropriateness of the Behavior
Does the student demonstrate the desired behavior in appropriate situations?
The student vocalizes when requesting attention, but is appropriately quiet in the classroom.
Duration of the Behavior
How long does the student engage in the desired behavior?
Spending an increasing amount of time in her walker.
Generalization of the Behavior
Does the student have the ability to use the developing skill with different people or in different settings? Greets a peer in the classroom and also greets the school secretary in the office?
IN SUMMARY
Meaningful I.E.P.s focus on relevant, functional annual goals broken into logical, measurable objectives that lead toward a quality of life in the future for a student with severe disabilities.
Accountability is demonstrated by tracking student progress over time.