Paper Number: FY 2005-2
October 2004
Technical Assistance Paper
312526
Making Annual Goals, Short-Term Objectives, and Benchmarks Measurable
Statement of the Problem
The individual educational plan (IEP) for each student with a disability is written to document
the educational needs that result from the disability and the special education and related
services that must be provided. The descriptions of the present levels of educational
performance and accompanying statements of measurable annual goals including short-term
objectives and/or benchmarks provide the basis for determining the specific services,
accommodations, and program modifications for the student. Results of recent compliance
monitoring activities conducted by the Florida Department of Education in school districts have
found incidents of noncompliance in these components of the IEP. These components have
been found to be unclear and nonspecific or without measurable indicators and, therefore, do
not communicate the student’s needs adequately to parents and professionals.
Purpose
The purpose of this technical assistance paper is to clarify the requirements of the Individuals
with Disabilities Education Act of 1997 (IDEA) for the present levels of educational
performance and measurable annual goals, including benchmarks or short-term objectives, in
the IEP. Guidance is provided to ensure that each of these components meets the requirements.
Federal and State Requirements
The Title 34 Section 300.347, Code of Federal Regulations (CFR) and Rule 6A-6.03028,
Florida Administrative Code (FAC) specify that the IEP for each student with a disability must
identify the special education and related services that will be provided to the student to address
his or her unique needs resulting from the disability. Measurable annual goals and short-term
objectives and/or benchmarks for what the student needs to learn must be included. The federal
regulations and state rules specifically related to the present levels of educational performance
statements, measurable annual goals, including short-term objectives and benchmarks, follow.
Other sections of the regulations associated with the development of these components are also
included.
34 CFR 300.347—Content of the IEP
(a)
General.
The IEP for each child with a disability must include—
(1) A statement of the child’s present levels of educational performance, including—
(i) How the child’s disability affects the child’s involvement and progress in the
general curriculum (i.e., the same curriculum as for nondisabled children); or
REFER QUESTIONS TO:
Eileen Amy or Evy Friend
Bureau of Exceptional Education and
Student Services
325 West Gaines Street, Room 614
Tallahassee, FL 32399-0400
eileen.amy@fldoe.org
evy.friend@fldoe.org
850/245-0476 or 850/245-0478
John Winn, Commissioner
TECHNICAL ASSISTANCE PAPERS (TAPs) are produced periodically by the
Bureau of Exceptional Education and Student Services to present discussion of
current topics. The TAPs may be used for inservice sessions, technical
assistance visits, parent organization meetings, or interdisciplinary discussion
groups. Topics are identified by state steering committees, district personnel,
and individuals, or from program compliance monitoring.
BUREAU OF EXCEPTIONAL EDUCATION AND STUDENT SERVICES
(ii)
For preschool children, as appropriate, how the disability affects the child’s
participation in appropriate activities;
(2) A statement of measurable annual goals, including benchmarks or short-term
objectives, related to—
(i) Meeting the child’s needs that result from the child’s disability to enable the child
to be involved in and progress in the general curriculum (i.e., the same curriculum as for
nondisabled children), or for preschool children, as appropriate, to participate in
appropriate activities; and
(ii) Meeting each of the child’s other educational needs that result from the child’s
disability;
…
(7) a statement of—
(i) How the child’s progress toward the annual goals described in paragraph (a)(2)
will be measured; and
(ii) How the child’s parents will be regularly informed (through such means as
periodic report cards), at least as often as parents are informed of their nondisabled
child’s progress, of—
(A) Their child’s progress toward the annual goals; and
(B) The extent to which that progress is sufficient to enable the child to achieve the
goals by the end of the year.
Rule 6A-6.03028, FAC. Development of Individual Educational Plans for Students with
Disabilities.
(7) Contents of the IEP for students with disabilities. Each district, in collaboration
with the student’s parents, shall develop an IEP for each student with a disability. For
children with disabilities ages three (3) through five (5) years, districts may develop an
IEP or a family support plan in accordance with Rule 6A-6.03029, FAC. The IEP for
each student with a disability must include:
(a) A statement of the student’s present levels of educational performance, including
how the student’s disability affects the student’s involvement and progress in the general
curriculum. For students with disabilities who participate in the general statewide
assessment program, consistent with the provisions of Rule 6A-1.0943, FAC, a statement
of the remediation needed for the student to achieve a passing score on the statewide
assessment, or for prekindergarten children, as appropriate, how the disability affects the
student’s participation in appropriate activities;
(b) A statement of measurable annual goals, including benchmarks or short-term
objectives 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 children, as appropriate, to participate in appropriate activities and meeting
each of the student’s other educational needs that result from the student’s disability….
The federal regulations require the IEP team to consider certain factors as they develop the
student’s plan (34 CFR 300.346, Development of the IEP). The
general factors
are
•
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the strengths of the student and the concerns of the parents for enhancing the education of
their child
•
?
the results of the initial or most recent evaluation
•
?
the results of the student’s performance on any general state or district-wide assessments.
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The IEP team must also consider the
special factors
that could affect the student, including
•
behavior that impedes his or her learning or that of others
•
limited English proficiency
•
Braille instruction for students who are blind or visually impaired
•
communication needs
•
required assistive technology devices and services.
Florida also requires that the IEP team consider the extended school year needs of the student.
Background
IDEA stresses that the IEP for a student with a disability must emphasize involvement and
progress in the general curriculum. This law states that a student with a disability must be
educated with accommodations and special education services in regular classes with
nondisabled peers to the maximum extent appropriate. The IEP documents the special education
services, accommodations, and program modifications that will be provided so that the student
can be involved and make progress in the general education curriculum. When the IEP team
determines that a student needs to learn particular skills that will facilitate participation in the
general curriculum, a present levels of educational performance statement must be developed.
This statement provides the basis for the annual goals, objectives, and/or benchmarks that will be
used to measure student progress and the results of the special education services. Teachers use
the annual goals, objectives, and/or benchmarks as a framework for instruction, to monitor
student performance, and to report progress toward the annual goals to parents.
The IEP team must focus on the skills the student needs to be able to participate or make
progress in the general curriculum. Annual goals often include skills in such areas as learning
strategies, writing processes, reading skills, or social skills. There is no need to rewrite or copy
the district curriculum or the Sunshine State Standards. However, when the student requires a
change in the curriculum content, such as expanded curricula for increasing self-management
skills or enhancing language communication abilities, it is appropriate to reflect that need in the
annual goals.
Discussion
This section provides guidance for developing two components of the IEP: the statement of
present levels of educational performance and the measurable annual goals, including short-term
objectives and/or benchmarks. The information for each component includes the requirements,
the purpose, a suggested format for writing the component with examples, and an explanation of
its place in the IEP process. At the end of this paper, four complete examples are provided to
illustrate the relationship between the present levels of educational performance, measurable
annual goals, and short-term objectives and/or benchmarks.
Present Levels of Educational Performance
Requirements
—
Each present level of educational performance is a statement of the student’s
current achievement and abilities.
The statement must include a description of the impact of the
disability on the student’s participation and progress in the general education curriculum. For
preschool students, the impact of the disability is described in terms of participation in
appropriate activities for children of this age. In addition, Florida has a new requirement for
students with disabilities who participate in the general statewide assessment program: Florida
Comprehensive Assessment Test (FCAT). A statement of the remediation needed for the student
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to achieve a passing score on the statewide assessment should be included in the present levels
statement. See CFR 300.347 (a) (1)(i)(ii) and Rule 6A-03028 (7), FAC.
Purpose
—The primary purpose of the present levels of educational performance statement is to
identify the student needs that result from the disability
. The statement also should include
relevant information about the student’s strengths and interests and how the disability affects his
or her learning and participation in the educational setting, particularly in the general curriculum.
The present levels of performance statement should create a baseline of information that
identifies how the student is currently functioning. This allows the student’s progress on annual
goals and objectives or benchmarks to be measured.
Once the description of the student’s current level of functioning, strengths, and needs is
developed, the IEP team can determine what the student is expected to accomplish over the next
12 months. The priority educational needs should be targeted in the annual goals and objectives
or benchmarks of a plan that will move the student to higher levels of achievement. These needs
will also guide the identification of appropriate educational services, accommodations,
modifications, or programs the student will need.
Format
—The present levels of educational performance statement should describe what the
student currently can and cannot do based on student data. This information will be used as the
baseline or starting point to measure student progress over the next 12 months. The present levels
of educational performance statement is also a good place to specifically consider the general
factors and any special factors required in the development of the IEP in accordance with 34
CFR 300.346, Development of the IEP.
The following are four major elements of the present levels of educational performance
statement:
•
?
specific information about the student’s current achievement and performance from
multiple sources, including the involvement and progress in the general curriculum
•
?
strengths of the student
•
?
effects of the disability
•
?
needs resulting from the disability.
The
specific information about the student’s current achievement and performance from multiple
sources
included in the present levels of educational performance statement should be based on a
variety of assessments and observations. The results of the initial or most recent evaluation and
the results of the student’s performance on any general state- or district-wide assessments may be
used, as long as they are current within the last year or two and more recent for younger students.
If the student has not made a passing score on the Florida Comprehensive Assessment Test
(FCAT), the IEP team must consider these results. Informal data such as work samples,
performance on last year’s goals, and classroom assessments that show progress in the
curriculum can provide more detailed information in a particular domain or situation. Other
sources may include observations supported by factual data from teachers, concerns of parents,
the student’s desired school and post-school outcome goals, and input from related service
providers. The description of student performance should be based on an analysis of the
evaluation/assessment information considered by the IEP team. The sources of information
should be included with the data described in the statement.
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The second element,
strengths of the student,
reflects skills or behavior the student has mastered
or performs well in the domain or area targeted in the present levels statement. Including the
strengths of the student in this component helps to assure that the IEP team uses this information
throughout development of the plan. However, IDEA regulations do not require that strengths be
specifically addressed in the present levels of educational performance statement.
The third element,
effects of the disability
, describes how the disability impacts the student’s
involvement and progress in the general curriculum. It conveys the unique challenges or barriers
that exist for the student as a result of the disability. The description communicates how the
challenges and barriers impact the student’s learning, behavior, and participation in the
educational program. The effects of the disability will emerge from the information the team has
gathered about the student’s current performance, level of independence, need for assistance, and
the amount of reliance on services that have enabled the student to benefit from the educational
program in the past. The IEP team should consider the effect of the disability on performance in
any area that is affected in academic and nonacademic subject areas, social and emotional
behavior, communication, independent functioning, and transition. If the student’s disability
affects his or her performance on the FCAT, this should be described in the present level
statement.
The fourth element, the
needs resulting from the disability
, can be expressed as the important
skills and behaviors that are critical for the student to learn in order to be able to participate and
make progress in the general curriculum. Consideration of the special factors by the IEP team
may also provide information about the student’s needs. If the present levels statement indicates
that the student is having a problem with a particular area, this problem should be addressed
through the goals and/or through special education services and/or accommodations. The needs
of the student in the curriculum and learning domain should focus on skills needed to participate
and progress in the general curriculum, including academic and career education, rather than
describing the content of the curriculum.
In addition to the other requirements, beginning at age 14 the IEP team must address the
student’s transition needs. The IEP for students ages 14-21 is referred to as a transition IEP. The
purpose of the transition IEP is to support the student in achieving his or her desired post-school
outcomes. For a student who is age 14 (or younger as appropriate), the IEP team should identify
transition service needs that focus on the courses of the student. For students ages 16 and older
(or younger as appropriate), the IEP team will address the student’s transition service needs.
The IEP team should also look at the student’s performance in areas of the curriculum in which
the student is functioning significantly below grade level and requires intensive remediation to
learn the knowledge and skills and to be able to make a passing score on the FCAT. Even when a
modified curriculum is required for the student, his or her needs should focus on skills the
student requires in order to participate and benefit from the curriculum.
The present levels of educational performance statement must be developed for areas in which
the student has an identified need. The statement may be developed for either single or combined
domains (curriculum and learning, communication, social and emotional behavior, independent
functioning) or transition service areas (instruction, related services, community experiences,
employment, post-school living, daily living skills, functional vocational evaluation). For
students ages 16 and older the transition service areas must be addressed. The IEP team can
determine how many present level of educational performance statements are needed so that they
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will have sufficient information to develop measurable annual goals and identify needed
services. The intent is not to create an exhaustive list of the student’s needs; rather, it is to focus
on critical areas that must be addressed in the next 12 months. If a student has different needs in
many areas, the best method is to create separate statements that specifically target particular
areas or skills.
Regardless of the number of present level statements developed in an IEP, following a set format
will ensure that all of the required components are included. Starter phrases can be used to
structure the statement. These suggested starter phrases are meant to guide the documentation of
the student’s current functioning level. They should be used to help clarify the description of the
student’s performance.
Elements
& Starter Phrases
Example
Specific student information
from multiple sources
“Based on…”
Based on
reports from parents, regular and ESE teacher,
class grades, and progress measured on last year’s IEP
goals, John turns in fewer than 7 out of 15 assignments in
his academic classes each week.
Strengths of the student
“Strengths…”
John’s strengths
are that he is functioning on grade level in
most academic areas and attends all classes. He generally
makes a good effort in class.
Effect of the disability
“As a result of the student’s
disability…”
As a result of John’s disability
, he has difficulty keeping
track of assignments (knowing what to complete, how to
keep track of work, etc.).
Needs resulting from the
disability
“Priority educational needs…”
John’s priority educational need
is to increase the number
of assignments turned in to his teachers each week.
Present Levels of Educational Performance and the IEP Process
—Gathering information
related to the present levels of educational performance is the first step in developing an IEP.
The team members use the information to establish a baseline of where the student is currently
functioning so that they can then develop measurable annual goals and objectives or benchmarks
and determine what services are needed to meet the unique needs of the student. Needs may be
addressed by services, accommodations, or specially designed instruction. If the need is met
only through an accommodation, then goals and objectives or benchmarks are not required for
that need. Typically, everyone involved in development of an IEP has information that may be
used to describe the strengths of the student as well as any needs resulting from the student's
disability. It is important that the present levels of performance statement is written in a way that
is clear to all participants and measurable so that student progress over the next 12 months can be
easily monitored and reported.
Measurable Annual Goals
Requirement
—A measurable annual goal is
an individualized, specific statement of what the
student needs to learn and how well it must be accomplished
. The intent of the annual goal is to
move the student toward greater involvement and progress in the general curriculum. The annual
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goal should reflect high expectations and should also be attainable by the student within the 12-
month period. See CFR 300.347 (a)(2)(i)(ii).
Purpose
—The purposes of the measurable annual goal are to clearly communicate what the
student is expected to accomplish and to specify the criterion or measure that will be used to
determine whether or not the student has achieved the goal. The measurable annual goals should
reflect the student’s priority educational needs that are most critical for the student to accomplish
during the year to be able to benefit from his or her educational program. The measurable annual
goal sets up the process for how progress can be measured and reported to meet the requirements
of IDEA.
Format
—To meet the requirements of the IDEA, the annual goal must be measurable. To be
measurable, the goal must include a clear description of what the student is expected to learn and
the criterion or measure that will be used to show if the goal has been achieved. Bateman and
Herr (2003) suggest four indicators to test whether or not a goal is measurable. A measurable
goal
1.
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reveals what to do to measure whether the goal has been accomplished
2.
?
yields the same conclusion if measured by several people
3.
?
allows a calculation of how much progress it represents
4.
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can be understood without additional information (p. 14).
To write measurable annual goals, the following elements should be included:
•
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behavior—an explicit, observable statement of what the student will be able to do
•
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conditions—circumstances the student will need to be able to perform the behavior
•
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criterion—what will be measured and how well the student must perform to meet the
goal.
It is helpful to think of the
behavior
in terms of the action the student must do or exhibit. By
using words that describe an observable action, people can easily know whether or not the
student has accomplished the goal and is able to demonstrate what was learned. The phrase “The
student will…” can be used to state the behavior to be learned.
The
conditions
in a goal describe the circumstances or assistance that will exist while the student
performs the behavior. Conditions may include a description of a specific setting or context; a
particular format that will be used; time restrictions; or prompts, tools, or materials that will be
used. Typically, the word “given” is used to signal the conditions in an annual goal.
The
criterion
refers to how well the student will be expected to perform. It is a description of the
level of mastery or proficiency that the student is expected to reach. Often a criterion is described
in terms of an explicit description of the quality of performance (at least 100 wpm with random
errors), number of trials (8 of 10), accuracy or number of allowed errors (with fewer than 3
errors, correctly) or other objective markers of success.
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Examples
Conditions
Behavior
Criterion
Given
a topic on current events,
the student will
write a five-paragraph essay
with at least three supporting sentences in each paragraph and no
punctuation errors.
Conditions
Behavior
Criterion
Given
application forms from three businesses,
the student will
complete job applications
with accurate personal and employment information in all appropriate
sections of all three applications.
Behavior
Conditions
The student will
complete and turn in homework assignments
for science and social studies classes
Criterion
every day as required.
Measurable Annual Goals and the IEP Process
—The measurable annual goals are derived
directly from the priority educational needs, data about student strengths as well as any needs
resulting from the disability written in the present levels of educational performance statement.
They are generally developed after the present levels of performance statement in an IEP is
completed. All members of an IEP team are involved in developing the measurable annual goals.
They will be used by teachers, parents, and the student to determine how much progress has been
made.
Short-Term Objectives and Benchmarks
Regulations
—
Short-term objectives are intermediate steps that the student will take to reach the
measurable annual goal. As an alternative to short-term objectives, “IEP teams may develop
benchmarks, which can be thought of as describing the amount of progress the child is expected
to make within specified segments of the year” (Appendix A to Part 300 – Notice of
Interpretation, CFR, Vol. 64, No. 48).
For each measurable annual goal on a student’s IEP, the
IDEA requires short-term objectives and/or benchmarks. Because the terms are used in the
plural form, two or more short-term objectives or benchmarks are required for each annual goal.
See CFR 300.347 (a)(2)(i)(ii).
Purpose
—Appendix A to Part 300 – Notice of Interpretation (CFR, Vo. 64, No. 48) clearly
indicates that the purpose of both short-term objectives and benchmarks is to enable the IEP
team “to gauge, at intermediate times during the year, how well the child is progressing toward
achievement of the annual goals.” The short-term objectives describe the steps the student will
take, and the benchmarks describe the milestones the student will reach from the baseline
described in the present levels of educational performance statement to reach the measurable
annual goal.
While previous training and materials have indicated that benchmarks only describe expected
performances, it is important to remember that benchmarks must clearly communicate the
expected progress or level of skill or behavior the student will reach for specified segments of the
year. Regardless of whether objectives or benchmarks are used, the IEP team must be able to
monitor the progress the student is making toward the goal and to report that progress to parents.
Format
—The IEP team may elect to use short-term objectives, benchmarks, or a combination of
the two. The difference between objectives and benchmarks is subtle. Short-term objectives
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describe sub-skills or intermediate steps toward reaching the annual goal. They are generally
written using the same format as a measurable annual goal–behavior, conditions, and criteria.
Benchmarks also describe the intermediate steps referred to as milestones but measure progress
along specified targeted dates within the 12-month period of the IEP.
The example shows that either benchmarks or short-term objectives can be used to describe
intermediate steps the student will take to reach the annual goal and how the progress will be
measured.
Measurable Annual Goal: John will complete and turn in every homework
assignment for science and social studies classes for one grading period.
Short-Term Objectives
Benchmarks
Given an assignment planner, John will
record all assignments in his planner and
check with the teacher for accuracy every
day for a week.
Given an assignment completion
checklist, John will check his assignments
for science and social studies to make sure
all the work has been finished and turned
in every day for one month.
John will accurately record all assignments
every day in his assignment planner
independently by the end of the first grading
period.
John will complete an assignment checklist
to make sure all of his assignments for
science and social studies are finished and
turned in independently every day by the end
of the second grading period.
Short-Term Objectives and Benchmarks in the IEP Process
—Short-term objectives and
benchmarks are developed in conjunction with the annual goal. They are directly derived from
the measurable annual goal. They may incorporate information from the priority educational
needs and data about student strengths and needs resulting from the disability written in the
present levels of educational performance statement.
All members of an IEP team are involved in developing the short-term objectives and
benchmarks. However, the teachers will likely be most familiar with the sub-skills or
intermediate steps needed to master the measurable annual goal. The short-term objectives and
benchmarks will be used by teachers, parents, and the student to determine if the student is
moving toward the measurable annual goal. The short-term objectives and benchmarks can be
used to establish a structure for what and how to report to parents about student progress toward
IEP goals.
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IEP Benchmarks and the Sunshine State Standards
The IDEA gives the IEP team the authority and flexibility to use either short-term objectives or
benchmarks to describe the intermediate steps a student will take to meet the measurable annual
goal. It is important to distinguish between benchmarks used in the IEP process and benchmarks
that are part of the Sunshine State Standards. When the term “benchmark” is used in developing
IEPs, it refers to a description of the subtasks or progress that is expected within segments of the
year. The benchmark relates directly to the present levels of educational performance and the
measurable annual goal. It is used to answer the question “What specific progress markers are
expected at certain times of the school year as the student moves toward mastery of the annual
goal?”
When the term “benchmark” is used in the Sunshine State Standards, it refers to a description of
the content that must be learned to achieve the standard. It is used to answer the question “What
content do students need to master to achieve this Sunshine State Standard?” The Sunshine State
Standards, benchmarks, and grade level expectations provide the framework for the curriculum
used in Florida schools. It is not necessary to duplicate this information on the IEP.
IDEA and Florida regulations clearly require the IEP team to develop a plan for the student to be
involved and progress in the general curriculum. However, copying benchmarks directly from
the Sunshine State Standards onto the student’s IEP would likely violate the key requirements for
individualizing an IEP. The copied statement would not necessarily reflect the student’s
individual needs to be able to participate and make progress in the general curriculum.
Alignment of the Components of the IEP
The present levels of educational performance statement, measurable annual goals, and short-
term objectives and/or benchmarks are key components of a student’s IEP. Each component
directly relates to the others, and that relationship must be clear to all participants involved in
developing and implementing the IEP. The present levels of educational performance statement
describes what the student can currently do in measurable terms and identifies the needs of the
student that result from his or her disability. The identified needs lead the IEP team to determine
the annual goals for the student during the year to make progress in his or her educational
program and the services that must be provided. The annual goals must be measurable so that
everyone will know when the goal is reached. The steps the student will take to meet the goals
are written as short-term objectives and/or benchmarks. The objectives and benchmarks must
also be measurable and reflect the same type of measure that was used for the student’s annual
goal. When any one of these components is missing or incomplete, the student’s plan is not in
compliance with the requirements of individualized planning in the IDEA.
Examples
The following examples are provided to illustrate how the present levels of educational
performance, measurable annual goals, and short-term objectives or benchmarks of the IEP build
upon and relate to each other.
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Maria
Present Levels of Educational Performance
Based on information from
recorded observations and checklists from the ESE teacher and
behavior analyst, the latest functional behavior assessment, regular education teacher reports, and
parent interviews and incident descriptions, Maria is able to complete familiar assignments
independently in the classroom. In addition, her
strength
is that she is friendly to her peers and is
able to interact socially with them at lunch and on the playground.
As a result of Maria’s
disability,
she calls out to her teacher and peers when she is presented with a new task that
frustrates her. In three 60-minute observations on separate days, Maria had 4-6 call-outs per
observation. Maria’s
priority educational needs
are to refrain from using call-outs and to use
appropriate behaviors to request assistance and/or reduce frustration when confronted with new
tasks.
Measurable Annual Goal
Maria will use an appropriate behavior with no call-outs
to let the teacher know when she is
frustrated or needs assistance using a three-step problem-solving process.
Short-Term Objectives and Benchmarks
Short-Term Objectives
Benchmarks
Maria will name one acceptable alternative
Maria will identify one acceptable alternative
behavior
using problem-solving steps to behavior using problem-solving steps in four
calling out
given
different role-play scenarios different role-play scenarios
by November
.
reflecting problem situations in class.
Given a reminder sheet of problem-solving
Maria will select and use acceptable alternative
steps and prompts by the teacher
,
Maria will
behaviors to calling out in class with a
select and use
an acceptable alternative reminder sheet of problem-solving steps and
behavior to calling out in class with
fewer
prompts by the teacher
by March
.
than three call-outs per hour
.
Given a reminder sheet of problem solving
Maria will select and use acceptable alternative
steps
,
Maria will
select and use an acceptable behaviors to calling out in class with only a
alternative behavior to calling out in class reminder sheet of problem-solving steps
by
with
fewer than one call-out per hour
.
May
.
Billie
Present Levels of Educational Performance
Based on
results from the Grade 7 Florida Comprehensive Assessment Test (FCAT) reading test,
the ABC Reading Test (ABC), classroom assessments, work samples, and input from his parents,
Billie is achieving at a fourth grade level in reading. He has basic decoding skills and can use
structural analysis to identify unknown words. His oral reading fluency with fourth grade level
text is 120 words per minute, which is at the lower expectation range for that grade level.
His
strength
is that he is interested in learning about new things and would like to be able to read
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printed information he gets from the Internet.
As a result of his disability
, he has difficulty
comprehending and remembering what he has read (4.3 grade level according to the ABC). His
slow reading rate and limited vocabulary knowledge (4.7 grade level according to the ABC) also
make it difficult for him to understand what he is reading. According to his teacher and parents,
he doesn’t monitor his own understanding when he reads.
His priority educational needs
are to
increase his reading fluency and vocabulary to support improved comprehension at higher
reading levels and to use comprehension strategies to improve his ability to interpret and
remember what he is reading. He needs remediation to increase reading fluency, vocabulary, and
comprehension so that he will be able to show a learning gain of at least two years on the Grade
8 FCAT reading test.
Measurable Annual Goal
Billie will
increase his reading comprehension to a
beginning sixth grade level
as measured on
the ABC Reading Test.
Short-Term Objectives
Benchmarks
Billie
will
increase his oral reading fluency in
Billie will
increase his oral reading fifth grade
fifth grade level text to 140 wpm
with no
level text to 140 wpm with no more than three
more than three errors.
errors
by December
.
Billie will
increase his reading vocabulary to
Billie will
increase his reading vocabulary to a
a
fifth grade level on the vocabulary
fifth grade level on the vocabulary
assessments
in the core reading program.
assessments in the core reading program
by
December.
Billie will
demonstrate comprehension of
fifth grade level text with 90% accuracy on
Billie will
demonstrate comprehension of fifth
comprehension assessments
in the core
grade level text with 90% accuracy on
reading programs when using a self-
comprehension assessments in the core
questioning strategy.
reading program when using a self-
questioning strategy
by January
.
Kenyatta
Present Levels of Educational Performance
Based on information provided by
his parents, recorded observations of the ESE teacher, reports
from the regular education teacher and paraprofessional, and a recent speech-language
evaluation, Kenyatta has a speaking vocabulary of 600 words and uses one or two word
responses to questions 5 of 10 times when prompted. Kenyatta’s
strengths
are that he responds
with appropriate facial expressions and body language to interactions with peers and adults.
As a
result of Kenyatta’s disability,
he is unable to initiate verbal interactions and respond to routine
questions with others and has difficulty producing the words needed to answer questions. His
priority educational needs
are to increase his expressive language skills to make his needs
known and to respond to routine questions from peers and familiar adults.
Measurable Annual Goal
When
prompted verbally,
Kenyatta will
use simple phrases or sentences to make his needs
known and respond to routine questions from peers and familiar adults
during 5 out of 5
observations
in the classroom, lunchroom, and activity time.
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Short-Term Objectives and Benchmarks
Short-Term Objectives
Benchmarks
When prompted verbally, Kenyatta will
Kenyatta will
use simple phrases to
make his
use simple phrases to make his needs
needs known to familiar adults when verbally
known
to familiar adults during
3 out of 5
prompted in the classroom, lunchroom, and
observations
in the classroom, lunchroom,
activity time
by November.
and activity time.
When prompted verbally, Kenyatta will
Kenyatta will
use simple phrases to
make his
use simple phrases to make his needs
needs known and answer routine questions from
known and answer routine questions
from
peers and familiar adults when verbally
peers and familiar adults during
3 out of 5
prompted in the classroom, lunchroom, and
observations
in the classroom, lunchroom,
activity time
by January
.
and activity time.
When prompted verbally, Kenyatta will
Kenyatta will
use simple phrases and sentences
use simple phrases and sentences to make
to
make his needs known and answer routine
his needs known and answer routine
questions from peers and familiar adults when
questions
from peers and familiar adults
verbally prompted in the classroom, lunchroom,
on
4 out of 5 observations
in the
and activity time
by March.
classroom, lunchroom, and activity time.
Albert
Present Levels of Educational Performance
Based on information provided by
his parents, recorded observations and task analyses by the
ESE teacher, and reports from the paraprofessional, Albert is a 12-year-old student who is non-
verbal, although he makes sounds, points to items in response to prompting by the teacher or
paraprofessional, and lifts the hand of the teacher to initiate the use of some materials. His
receptive language is sufficient to allow him to respond to familiar instructions and participate in
established routines in the classroom. He can independently complete well-known procedures in
the classroom that have up to three steps. He does not use these routines or procedures at home
or in other school environments. Albert prefers to be left alone and does not independently
initiate interactions with peers or adults. Albert’s
strengths
are that he enjoys technology and
music, has become less tactilely defensive, exhibits receptive language ability, works well on
individual tasks, and responds to instruction that includes repetition and explicit steps.
As a result
of Albert’s disability
he is unable to express his desires verbally. He also has difficulty
interacting with group activities and unfamiliar individuals. He often chooses not to respond.
Albert requires specific step-by-step instruction, frequent physical assistance to respond, and
multiple repetitions to acquire any new behavior or skill. His
priority educational need
is to learn
to use a communication device to express his needs and responses to peers and adults other than
the teacher or paraprofessional.
Measurable Annual Goal
Given
a four-choice communication device,
Albert will
independently express his wants and
needs in the classroom setting
for 5 out of 5 teacher observations within the same week
.
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Short-Term Objectives and Benchmarks
Short-Term Objectives
Benchmarks
Given four teacher-created scenarios
,
Albert will
accept hand-over-hand
Albert will
accept hand-over-hand
prompting to use the four-choice
physical assistance for using the four-
communication device to express his wants
choice communication device to express
and needs without resistance in
2 of the 4
his wants and needs without resistance in
weekly observations
by the teacher
by
2 of the 4 weekly observations
.
November
.
Given four teacher-created scenarios
,
Albert will
use the four-choice
Albert will
use the four-choice
communication device independently in
2 of
communication device to express his
the 4 weekly observations by the teacher
wants and needs independently in
2 of the
and with hand-over-hand prompting without
4 weekly observations and with hand-
resistance for the remainder of the
over-hand prompting without resistance
observations by February
.
for the remainder of the observations.
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