1. education
2. special education

Writing
Measurable IEP
Goals
Presented By:
IEP Managers
NYC DOE
Integrated Service Centers
December 2, 2009
1
The IEP Managers
Staten Island ISC Janet Blit: [email protected]
Brooklyn ISC Nick Chavarria: [email protected]
Manhattan ISC Madeline Rochelle: [email protected]
Queens ISC Tanya Smith: [email protected]
2
Topics
Introduction
I.Educational Benefit
II.Present Levels of Performance
a) The Components
b) Expectations
c) Psychologist Connection
III.Smart Goals
a) Components of SMART Goals
b) Sample SMART Goals
IV. Appendix
a) Sample Goals
3
Audience Poll #1
Who is in the audience?
•
Principal or Assistant Principal
•
Teacher
•
School Psychologist
•
Related Service Provider
•
IEP Teacher or Coordinator
•
Other
4
5
Educational Benefit Review Process
6
THE IEP: DOES IT ALL CONNECT?
Is there a clear connection of the student’s transition needs throughout the IEP?
Determine if there is a clear relationship among:
> Present levels of performance
> Identified needs
> Annual goals
> Transition
> Short term objectives (required only for Pre-K & Alternate
Assessment Students)
> Progress reports
> Accommodations/modifications
> Recommended services
7
Summary of Educational Benefit
reflects on the quality of IEP development to increase student access, participation,
and progress in the general education curriculum
The intent of a “Free Appropriate Public Education” (FAPE) for students with disabilities is: to design
individualized instruction with sufficient supports and services to enable the student to receive educational
benefit.
What is Educational Benefit?
> Determining if there is a clear relationship between: the identified needs/present levels of
performance, annual goals, accommodations/modifications & services/placement
 (DOES IT ALL CONNECT?)
> Have changes to annual goals, services/placement been made based on the results of the
student’s progress?
 (HAS THE IEP BEEN WRITTEN/MODIFIED TO MEET THE STUDENT’S CURRENT NEEDS?)
> Information on the student’s IEP: strengths, needs, annual goals, accommodations & modifications,
services/placement & progress compared – looking for patterns over the past 3 years
 (DOES THE IEP GIVE A CLEAR PICTURE OF THE STUDENT’S PROGRESS THROUGH THE YEARS?)
The Purpose of the Educational Benefit Review Process is:
to determine whether the design of the IEP was *reasonably calculated for the student to receive
educational benefit.
* Reasonable Calculation evaluates if the IEP reflects on the student’s present levels of
performance, goals, supports & maximize access, participation & progress in the general
education curriculum
Staten Island Integrated Service Center (ISC)
8
Present
Levels of Performance
13 years old
7th grader
Comprehension on 5th grade
level
Weak content area
vocabulary
3rd grade decoding skills
affect comprehension
Written work shows good
understanding of structure
(i.e. connecting ideas)
Weaknesses in grammar and
spelling
Weak long-term memory
affects knowledge of Math
facts and problem solving
speed
Can add and subtract with
regrouping
Level 1Vocational indicates
intent to attend a 4 year
college and pursue a teaching
career
Shows frustration (by putting
head on desk and refusing to
continue working) when
confronted with difficult
assignments
Needs &
Concerns
Weak
content area
vocabulary
3rd grade
decoding
skills affect
comprehension
Weaknesses
in grammar
and spelling
Weak longterm memory
affects
knowledge of
Math facts
and problem
solving speed
Shows
frustration (by
putting head
on desk and
refusing to
continue
working )
when
confronted
with difficult
assignments
Goals &
Objectives
Using vocabulary
enhancement strategies,
Susan will increase her
content area vocabulary to
approach grade level.
Using a multi-sensory
reading program for multisyllable words, Susan will
improve her decoding
skills to approach grade
level
Using a structured
explicit writing program
which scaffolds lessons,
Susan will write an essay
approaching grade level
Will use Math fluency
strategies to improve
knowledge of Math facts
and problem solving
abilities
Using modeling and role
playing strategies, Susan
will improve her ability to
respond appropriately
when frustrated
Accommodations
&
Modifications
Instructional
Preview vocabulary in
content area reading
assignments
Make vocabulary pick lists
availableMulti-sensory
reading program
Peer Reader
Structured, scaffolded
writing program
Work with a peer editor on
writing assignments
Frequent opportunities to
assume leadership role in
class activities
Provide pick list or
checklist of steps for
problems involving Math
computation
Use of calculator when
leaning more complex
processes
Modeling
Role-playing
Services
&
Placement
Special class
in community
school
Counseling
1:40:3
Progress Toward
Goals
Progress has
been noted since
last year
Progress reports
will be filled out
Chunking assignments into
manageable parts
Assessment Accommodations:
Time and a half
Separate location
Test read aloud except
when it interferes with the
construct of the test
Directions read aloud 2 more
times then the standard number of
times provided for all students
9
Present
Levels of Performance
13 years old
7th grader
Comprehension on 5th grade
level
Weak content area
vocabulary
3rd grade decoding skills
affect comprehension
Written work shows good
understanding of structure
(i.e. connecting ideas)
Weaknesses in grammar and
spelling
Weak long-term memory
affects knowledge of Math
facts and problem solving
speed
Can add and subtract with
regrouping
Level 1Vocational indicates
intent to attend a 4 year
college and pursue a teaching
career
Shows frustration (by putting
head on desk and refusing to
continue working) when
confronted with difficult
assignments
Needs &
Concerns
Weak
content area
vocabulary
3rd grade
decoding
skills affect
comprehension
Weaknesses
in grammar
and spelling
Weak longterm memory
affects
knowledge of
Math facts
and problem
solving speed
Shows
frustration (by
putting head
on desk and
refusing to
continue
working )
when
confronted
with difficult
assignments
Goals &
Objectives
Using vocabulary
enhancement strategies,
Susan will increase her
content area vocabulary to
approach grade level.
Using a multi-sensory
reading program for multisyllable words, Susan will
improve her decoding
skills to approach grade
level
Using a structured
explicit writing program
which scaffolds lessons,
Susan will write an essay
approaching grade level
Will use Math fluency
strategies to improve
knowledge of Math facts
and problem solving
abilities
Using modeling and role
playing strategies, Susan
will improve her ability to
respond appropriately
when frustrated
Accommodations
&
Modifications
Instructional
Preview vocabulary in
content area reading
assignments
Make vocabulary pick lists
available
Multi-sensory reading
program
Peer Reader
Structured, scaffolded
writing program
Work with a peer editor on
writing assignments
Frequent opportunities to
assume leadership role in
class activities
Provide pick list or
checklist of steps for
problems involving Math
computation
Use of calculator when
leaning more complex
processes
Modeling
Role-playing
Services
&
Placement
Special class
in community
school
Counseling
1:40:3
Progress Toward
Goals
Progress has
been noted since
last year
Progress reports
will be filled out
Chunking assignments into
manageable parts
Assessment Accommodations:
Time and a half
Separate location
Test read aloud except
when it interferes with the
construct of the test
Directions read aloud 2 more
times then the standard number of
times provided for all students
10
Educational Benefit Chart/ Focus Transition
Present Levels
of Performance
Needs and
Concerns
Annual Goals
including Post
Secondary Goals
(Long-Term Adult
Outcomes)
Accommodations
& Modifications
Services and
Placements
Progress
Toward
Goals
Transition Services
Activities to Support Post Secondary Goals
(Required for students 15 years and older)
Instructional Activities
Training
Community Integration
Education
Post High School
Employment
Independent Living
Independent Living
Daily Living Skills/Functional Vocational
Assessment
11
Educational Benefit Chart/ Focus Transition
Present Levels
of Performance
Judy,17, is in
10th grade with
19 credits.
Wants to pursue
a career in
nursing
Average
auditory and
reading
comprehension
skills
Reads at 3rd
grade level,
affecting all
areas of class
work and
homework.
Unable to
decode multisyllabic words
Writing affected
by poor spelling
(3rd grade level)
Strong auditory
learner
Good calculation
and conceptual
math skills
etc.etc.etc.
Needs and
Concerns
Annual Goals
including Post
Secondary Goals
(Long-Term Adult
Outcomes)
Accommodations
& Modifications
Services and
Placements
Reads at 3rd
grade level,
affecting all
areas of class
work and
homework.
Training
Within one year Judy
will view 30 nonfiction/news programs on
television/internet related
to medical professions
and write threeparagraph reports (using
spell check/word
prediction software) on
each program. Advisory
teacher will examine the
reports for content and
writing skills.
Judy will receive
all curriculumrelated material via
books on CD or
read aloud by a
peer reader.
Judy will
participate in a
Transition
Advisory period
each week.
Education
Judy will enroll in a fouryear nurse training
program.
Judy will be
permitted to use
spell check and
word prediction
software..
Employment
Judy will be employed
full-time as a Nurse.
Judy will
participate in all
assessments with
instructions and
test questions and
answer choices
read aloud, except
for when reading
aloud would
interfere with the
construct of the
test.
Writing
affected by
poor spelling
(3rd grade
level)
Needs more
information
regarding
medical
professions
Independent Living
Judy will live in a
dormitory during
nursing school and will
maintain her own
apartment when she
becomes employed
Judy will receive
prepared class
notes from
teachers for
comparison and
correction of her
own notes taken
during class.
Judy will be
placed with a
local hospital for
summer
employment.
Progress
Toward
Goals
Recorded
on the IEP
at the end
of every
reporting
period.
Transition Services
Activities to Support Post Secondary Goals
(Required for students 15 years and older)
Instructional Activities
Judy will continue to be instructed in a multisensory reading program to remediate her
disability in the area of decoding and improve
her reading ability.
Community Integration
Judy will join the school’s chapter of “Future
Nurses of America” in order to learn more about
nursing and related medical professions and to
experience social opportunities with other
students with similar vocational interests..
Post High School
Judy will enroll in a local hospital’s volunteer
Saturday program in order to experience a
medical employment work site.
Judy will explore vocational options, schools and
training programs related to medicine.
Independent Living
Judy will receive instruction in personal
finances, including managing a checkbook and
budget management.
Daily Living Skills/Functional Vocational
Assessment
Judy will participate in assessment to identify
her vocational strengths and needs and to assist
her in setting vocational goals.
12
Present Levels of Performance
IEP Pages 3, 4 and 5
13
AUDIENCE POLL #2
All needs/concerns noted in the Present Levels of
Performance for students who participate in
Standardized assessment should be addressed in
a) The FBA
b) The BIP
c) Annual Goals
d) Short Term Objectives
14
Writing Present Levels of Performance
It cannot be overstated that the overall quality of an IEP rests
firmly on the foundation of the Present Levels of Performance.
15
IEP Development
The IEP as an individualized long-term lesson plan
Present Level of Performance
(PLOP)
Annual goals
Plan and deliver instruction
Measure progress (on-going assessment)
16
Key Questions for Present Level of Performance
Strengths, Affinities?
Needs? Learning styles?
Preferences, Interests?
Parent/Student concerns?
Special Considerations?
Progress in the past year?
Student Performance compared
to standards?
Response to Intervention?
What has worked? What hasn’t?
Transition – Post high school plans? (age 14 and up)
17
Audience Poll #3
Which of these items does NOT belong in the Present
Levels of Performance?:
a.Parent Concerns
b.Student Interests
c.Student Strengths
d.Student Needs
e.Holiday Wish List
18
Present Levels of Performance
Student Present Levels of Performance are documented on pages 3, 4
and 5 of the IEP, and are directly connected to the annual goals.
• Annual goals are developed to address the individual
student’s needs from the present levels of performance.
• There must be a direct relationship between the annual
goals and the present levels of performance.
• Annual goals are statements, which emanate from the
present levels of performance.
19
Present Levels of Performance
Present Levels of Performance must specifically describe and
reflect the students’ learning, social, health and developmental
characteristics as identified by the IEP Team.
It is also important to document student strengths and interests in
the present levels of performance.
• Strengths can be leveraged to enhance the learning experience.
• Level I Vocational Assessments describe student interests. This
becomes extremely important when addressing Transition in the
IEP.
• Students’ preferences can guide teaching strategies; e.g.
 Large group vs. small group, learning style, etc.
• Parental and student input must be reflected in order to give a more
complete description of the student.
20
Present Levels of Performance
Details, details …
When documenting Present Levels of Performance a detailed
description of the student’s learning, social and developmental
characteristics is required in order to ensure that the annual
goals, in turn, will truly address student needs;
e.g. Carla is reading far below grade level.
(No detail)
e.g. Carla demonstrates an inability to consistently remember
symbol to sound relationships. This prevents her from being
able to successfully sound out words. (Details!)
21
Present Levels of Performance
Page 3-Academic Performance and Learning Characteristics
Describing students’ needs and learning styles
Meaningful, measurable and observable annual goals must
emanate from the student’s Present Levels of Performance. A clear
picture of students’ needs,
which are
connected to:
• the disability, and
• the preferred learning style
… is necessary in order to know what areas need to be addressed
when writing annual goals.
23
Present Levels of Performance
Page 3-Academic Performance and Learning Characteristics
Detailed descriptions of students include information relating to progress made since
the previous IEP was written, as well as their performance compared to standards.
• The IEP must document student growth from one year to the next.
• Formal assessments, class tests, as well as teacher and provider observations give
information on how the student is performing in comparison to the standards.
Again, details are important:
• Suzanne has made progress since last year.
(No detail)
• Since last year, Suzanne has increased her decoding
skills. Currently, she is able to decode multi-syllable
words containing closed and open syllables. (Detail!)
24
Present Levels of Performance
Page 4 Social-Emotional Performance
Individual students may have unique traits that affect
their learning process; e.g.
• a student with behavioral challenges
• a student who takes medication
Detailed documentation of these traits on IEP pages 4 will give teachers better
insight into the student’s individual social–emotional performance.
Maria is disruptive. (No detail)
When Maria is confronted by challenging assignments she often reacts by talking
loudly, leaving her desk and refusing to complete the assignment. (Detail!)
25
Present Levels of Performance
Page 5 Health and Physical Development
When students are to receive services such as Adaptive Physical Education,
Occupational or Physical Therapy, there needs to be a description of the
attributes that require those services on page 5.
Example: When a student receives Occupational Therapy, a statement such
as,
•(Student) demonstrates (condition/characterized by:) that prevents him/her
from (identify the affected learning activity).
Example:
Jim demonstrates poor fine motor control that interferes with his general
handwriting ability, and he has difficulty producing legible written work.
26
The Psychologist Connection
For School Psychologists: How to make the connection between clinical
findings, gathered during a private, one-on-one session, and the classroom?
There must be connections among clinical findings and how:
•
Strengths, affinities and weaknesses may manifest in class
•
Cognitive attributes connect to management strategies and
annual goals
•
Achievement findings connect to classroom performance and annual goals
•
How what was seen in the testing situation may manifest during class performance
The objectives are to make annual goals achievable and relevant for students, and to
see improvements in test results, homework and the behaviors that heighten
responsiveness.
The collaboration between clinician and teacher is essential in order to develop the
connections mentioned above.
27
28
The Psychologist Connection
For School Psychologists: How to communicate the clinical findings in language
that can be understood and implemented by parents and teachers?
The best practice is to eliminate psychological jargon from the Present Levels
of Performance.
Also, be careful with terms such as “grade level”. It is more meaningful, instructionally,
when the student’s skills are described in light of what will manifest in class.
•
(Student’s) math skills are on a third grade level.
•
Although (Student) can add and subtract whole numbers up to three-digits, with
regrouping, multiply two-digit numbers by two-digit numbers, due to weakness in
active working memory s/he cannot retain information necessary for carrying out
the sequential steps of the long division process.
29
The Psychologist Connection
For School Psychologists: How to communicate the clinical findings in language that can
be understood and implemented by parents and teachers?
Psychological terms have relevance within the context of a psychoeducational report. The terms
familiar to only school psychologists are not necessarily appropriate within the context of the
Present Levels of Performance in an IEP.
When Reporting about cognitive functions such as memory, attention, visual or auditory
processing, spatial or temporal awareness or executive functioning skills the question
becomes:
•
How might the affected skill set manifest in the classroom? For example:
•
“On the Digit Span and Letter-Number Sequencing subtests, (student) demonstrated delays in
short-term memory”, might not have a lot of meaning for a teacher.
•
Better to describe: How a short-term memory delay might affect learning in the classroom.
The collaboration between clinician and teacher is essential in order to develop the connections
mentioned above.
30
AUDIENCE POLL #4
Why should IEP Writers use S.M.A.R.T. Goals?
a) Because there are no longer short term objectives
to fully explain the parameters of the goal and set
the standard for achievement
b) Because if the IEP is not lengthy, it looks like
we’re not doing enough
c) Because teachers and providers like to use lots of
paper and ink
31
S.M.A.R.T. Goals
32
Annual Goal Activity
Measurable & observable?.... Or Not?
Place next to measurable & observable examples
and X next to non measurable & non observable examples.
Enjoy
Point to
Spell orally
Read orally
List in writing
Write a paragraph
Know
Remember
Walk
Realize
Understand
Circle
Illustrate
Be familiar with
Grasp the meaning of
Count blocks
Categorize
Will you know it when you see it?
Writing Meaningful IEP Annual Goals
We can’t measure what we cannot sense (see, hear, smell, feel, taste).
Out with the old!
 Annual goal: (Student) will display improved social skills.
 What does that look like?
What is it you want to see?
 Annual goals must be observable as well as measurable.
Identify a behavior.
 Describe a concrete behavior or skill set that the
student will exhibit.
Audience Poll #5
Elements of Annual Goals need to incorporate all except
a. Specific
b. Measurable
c. Artistic
d. Achievable
e. Relevant
f. Time-Related
35
According to the SOPM:
• Short-term objectives are no longer required for students
who participate in City and State-wide testing.
> IEPs will now have Annual Goals only
> Only pre-school students and students who participate in
New York State Alternate Assessment (NYSAA) will require
short-term objectives
• Annual Goals must be directly related to the Present
Levels of Performance
• Annual Goals must be measurable and observable
36
S.M.A.R.T Annual Goals
Note: Do not get “hung-up” on the color codes; many S.M.A.R.T. elements overlap. The main purpose is to ensure that
all 5 elements are included in each annual goal.
S – Specific: Describe what the student will do one year from now that s/he
cannot do today.
M – Measurable: Describe the criteria that will be used to measure successful
achievement of the goal.
A – Achievable: Based on the student’s current level of performance, what is a
reasonable and attainable higher level of performance that the student
will achieve within one year?
(What will you see happening a year from now that you don’t see happening at the present time, and what can the
student reasonably be expected to be able to do in one year?)
R – Relevant: Does the annual goal reflect individual needs identified in the
Present Levels of Performance? How does the annual goal relate to the
student’s classroom performance?
(Annual goals emanate from the present levels of performance and must have a direct relationship with
classroom performance).
T – Time Related: Describe how long the goal will take to achieve, and embed
the evaluation schedule
37
38
Decoding: Student lacks automaticity in decoding words,
reducing comprehension of text.
Example: To address one possible deficit in decoding
Paul can decode initial consonants in single-syllable words but
lacks knowledge of short vowel sounds. He has difficulty
blending sounds to read words.
S – Specific, M – Measurable, A – Achievable, R – Relevant, T – Time Related
Annual Goal:
In one year, given strategies such as VAKT
(visual/auditory/kinesthetic/tactile) association, Paul will fluently
decode syllable types: closed, open, vowel-consonant-e, rcontrolled, consonant-le and vowel teams*, in controlled text
with 90% accuracy as measured in five consecutive trials over a
two-week period, as measured by (Whom?).
Note: Do not get “hung-up” on the color codes; many S.M.A.R.T. elements overlap. This is only one
example to ensure that all 5 elements are included in the annual goal.
39
Processing control: (Student) lacks ability to determine
relevance in order to retain information that is central to
reading comprehension
Example: To address one possible deficit in reading comprehension
Sarah has difficulty picking out the main idea from reading
passages. She is unable to isolate supporting details to help
her understand the text, and she is unable to correctly answer
reading comprehension questions.
Annual Goal:
In one year, given strategies such as: outlines to help focus on
important information, reading guided questions before reading
the text, summarizing and paraphrasing during reading,
previewing vocabulary and important concepts, prioritizing
specific information, Sarah will correctly answer nine out of ten*
comprehension questions on reading passages as measured by
(Whom?) on five consecutive weekly assessments.
* According to what is consistent with the student’s current level.
40
Organization
Example: To address one possible deficit in organization skills
Daquon lacks ability to organize academic materials for classes
and homework. He appears unable to keep track of due dates,
class and homework assignments, tests and projects. He loses
papers easily and arrives in class and at home without the
materials and directions necessary to complete assignments.
Annual Goal:
In one year, given explicit sequential instruction in organizational
strategies such as using an assignment pad, calendar, checklist
system and color-coded folders, Daquon will independently
keep track of and complete weekly assignments as measured
by (Whom?) over five consecutive weeks with 100% accuracy.
41
Writing: Language processing deficits interfere with the Student’s
ability to produce written compositions
Example: To address one possible deficit in written expressive
language
Indira has difficulty writing complete sentences, using proper grammar
and punctuation. She appears unable to organize ideas to
produce expository writing that effectively communicates ideas.
She has difficulty with consistently using transition words such as
because, although, but, so and therefore to expand sentences to
express her ideas.
S – Specific, M – Measurable, A – Achievable, R – Relevant, T – Time Related
Annual Goal:
In one year, given explicit sequential instruction in expanding
sentences to include transition words such as because, although,
but, so and therefore, Indira will write complex sentences using
sentence starters on nine of ten examples as measured by
(Whom)? in five assessments over a two -week period.
43
Auditory Comprehension/Cohesion: Student has difficulty
taking notes from orally-presented material.
Example: To address one possible deficit in auditory processing
Jack has difficulty taking notes in class due to slow processing of information
delivered orally. This prevents him from gathering enough information to
successfully complete assignments.
Annual Goal:
In one year, given strategies to improve auditory cohesion, such as picking key
words out of sentences and selected key concepts from orally-presented
paragraphs, summarizing exercises and comparison of note-taking efforts
with prepared notes, and using color-coding and graphic organizers to
guide note-taking, Jack will take appropriate notes on an orally-presented
narrative to include characters, time/locale, main issue and outcome, as
measured by (Whom?) with 90%* completeness of notes on five
consecutive weekly note-taking assessments.
* According to what is consistent with the student’s current level.
44
Behavior : Coping skills
Yasmin has difficulty negotiating situations in which she is in conflict
with her peers. Her inability to establish appropriate boundaries, and to
respect the boundaries of others causes her to get into frequent verbal
disputes with peers. She uses offensive and threatening language
during her disputes.
S – Specific, M – Measurable, A – Achievable, R – Relevant, T – Time Related
Goal: Within one year, given explicit instruction in conflict resolution
strategies and the opportunity to role-play in counseling sessions,
Yasmin will state verbally to a peer when she feels that she has been
disrespected or her personal space has been invaded, using
appropriate, inoffensive words, in 4 out of 5 situations as assessed both
in class and in unstructured settings by any of her teachers and/or
guidance counselor over two consecutive weeks through direct
observations.
Math: the Language of Math
To address one possible deficit in math processing
James has difficulty with recognizing numbers/digits, operational signs,
place value, fractions, squares, roots and the general language of
math. He has some directional confusion, and he inappropriately
inserts or omits digits, words and signs. He sometimes interchanges
similar digits inappropriately. These difficulties interfere with his ability
to solve word problems in math.
Goal: In one year, given VAKT (visual/auditory/tactile/kinesthetic)
strategies to improve directional confusion and concept understanding,
sequentially increasing language complexity, graphic organizers that
sort a) known information, b) unneeded information, c) what the
problem asks and d) strategies to solve the problem, rubrics for
checking and rechecking, James will solve math word problems with
two embedded operations with 90% accuracy on five consecutive
weekly quizzes.
Transition
All annual goals on a Transition IEP should be focused on working toward
the student’s post secondary work, school or training.
Ginny wants to work as a secretary in a law firm. She needs
to develop office skills, such as knowledge of wordprocessing software and keyboarding.
Goal: In one year, given opportunity to learn and practice
regularly with typing-teaching software and a word
processing program, Ginny will type text with appropriate
formatting of formal business letters at 20 words per
minute, as measured by 3 timed trials in a two-week
period.
Note: Academic goals should also point toward skills and
achievement toward the student’s career choice.
IEP
HELP
SQUAD
For Assistance & Support
Your IEP Managers to the rescue….
Staten Island ISC
Janet Blit: [email protected]
Brooklyn ISC Nick Chavarria: [email protected]
Manhattan ISC Madeline Rochelle: [email protected]
Queens ISC Tanya Smith: [email protected]
SOPM: http://schools.nyc.gov/NR/rdonlyres/5F3A5562-563C-4870-871F BB9156EEE60B/0/03062009SOPM.pdf
SOPM Forms: http://intranet.nycboe.net/TeachingLearning/SpecialEducation/SOPMLetters/default.htm
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APPENDIX
Sample Annual Goals
READING COMPREHENSION
Student does not comprehend written text.
Attention-lacks sufficient mental energy to read lengthy paragraphs. He currently
demonstrates comprehension of passages of no longer than one paragraph.
Goal: In one year, given strategies such as previewing organizers, previewing
passages, chunking of passages, frequent comprehension checks, “jumpstarting” by
adult reading first part of text to student and use of motivational topic texts, student
will correctly answer comprehension questions on passages of at least five
paragraphs in length with 90% accuracy on five consecutive weekly assessments.
Processing control: lacks ability to determine relevance in order to retain
information that is central to comprehension
Goal: In one year, given strategies such as: outlines to help focus on important
information, reading guided questions before reading the text, summarizing and
paraphrasing during reading, previewing vocabulary and important concepts,
prioritizing specific information student will correctly answer nine out of ten
comprehension questions on reading passages on five consecutive weekly
assessments.
READING COMPREHENSION , continued
Production Control: lacks ability to preview, self-monitor and pace. Student is
unable to make connections between text and prior knowledge. Short-term
memory problems are also a factor.
Goal: In one year, given strategies such as guiding questions, self-questioning
techniques (i.e. “Does this make sense? This is similar to…. This reminds me
of….”), post-it notes to record main idea, predict passage elements and
evaluate predictions and graphic organizers student will correctly answer
comprehension questions on five consecutive weekly assessments with 90%
accuracy.
Active working memory: Student lacks ability to hold what she has read in her
mind e.g., she forgets the beginning of a passage by the time she gets to the
end.
Goal: In one year, given strategies such as creating semantic maps to organize
and consolidate idea, drawing sequence pictures, highlighting/underlining as
she reads, associating pictures with text, taking notes, verbal paraphrasing and
summarizing, student will correctly answer comprehension questions on five
consecutive weekly assessments with 90% accuracy.
READING COMPREHENSION , continued
Higher Order Cognition: Student is unable to make inferences, compare
concepts and think critically and analytically
Goal: In one year, given strategies such as modeling of thought processes,
use of brainstorming and comparing and contrasting, and specific teaching of
visualization and questioning techniques, student will respond to reading
passages by answering inferential questions (i.e. compare/contrast, identify
main ideas and supporting details, distinguish fact from opinion, predict, draw
conlusions) with justification with 80% accuracy on five consecutive weekly
assessments.
Vocabulary Development: Student demonstrates poor vocabulary
development which affects ability to understand reading passages.
Goal: In one year, given strategies such as classifying activities, concept
maps, Venn diagrams, explicit instruction in prefixes, suffixes, root words,
synonyms, homonyms and antonyms to specifically teach vocabulary, student
will demonstrate understanding of target vocabulary by achieving 90% correct
on five consecutive weekly vocabulary quizzes.
DECODING
Student lacks automaticity in decoding words, reducing comprehension of text.
Goal: In one year, given strategies such as VAKT
(visual/auditory/kinesthetic/tactile association, student [will associate
specific letters (all consonants and short vowels) and sounds and blend
those letter sounds to fluently read CVC words in controlled text] with 90%
accuracy in five consecutive trials over a two-week period.
Goal: In one year, given strategies such as (VAKT )
visual/auditory/kinesthetic/tactile association, student will fluently decode
syllable types: closed, open, vowel-consonant-e, r-controlled, consonant-le,
vowel teams, in controlled text with 90% accuracy in five consecutive trials
over a two-week period.
Goal: In one year, given strategies such as flash cards, multiple repetitions,
choral chanting, music/rhythm student will read target sight words with 90%
accuracy in five consecutive trials over a two-week period.
ORGANIZATION
Student lacks ability to organize academic materials for classes and homework. He
appears unable to keep track of due dates, class and homework assignments, tests
and projects. He loses papers easily and arrives in class and at home without the
materials and directions necessary to complete assignments.
Goal: In one year, given explicit sequential instruction in organizational strategies such
as using an assignment pad, calendar, checklist system and color-coded folders,
student will independently keep track of and complete weekly assignments as
measured over five consecutive weeks with 100% accuracy.
WRITING
Language processing deficits interfere with the student’s ability to produce written
compositions with complete sentences, proper grammar and proper punctuation. He
appears unable to organize ideas to produce expository writing that effectively
communicates ideas. He has difficulty with consistency in using future (will ___) ,
present (-s, -es) and simple past tense (-ed) indicators with regular verbs.
Goal: In one year, given explicit sequential instruction and subject-verb agreement
activities, a rubric and repeated practice with number (is/are), and using a paragraph
frame, student will write a paragraph containing sentences using correct subject-verb
agreement (including common irregular verbs) as assessed by achievement of 90%
accuracy in ten consecutive writing assignments.
WRITING, continued
Goal: In one year, given explicit sequential instruction in expanding sentences
to include transition words such as because, although, but, so and
therefore, student will write complex sentences using sentence starters on
nine of ten examples in five assessments over a two -week period.
Goal: In one year, given explicit sequential instruction in expanding sentences
and activities such as expanding simple sentences by answering individual
question words and using pictures, student will identify words in an
expanded sentence that tell who, what, where, when, why and how (ex:
Yesterday, Sally ran quickly to the school. when, how, where) as measured
by 90% accuracy on five consecutive trials over a two-week period.
Goal: In one year, given explicit sequential instruction in use of future (will ___)
, present (-s, -es) and simple past tense (-ed) indicators with regular verbs
in sentences and use of visual aids such as a paragraph frame, picture cues
and highlighting, student will write a six-sentence paragraph using matching
tense markers as measured by 90% accuracy on five consecutive
assessments over a two-week period.
Goal: In one year, given explicit sequential instruction in constructing an
organized paragraph, use of visual aids and a specific paragraph frame and
color-coding, student will write a paragraph, consisting of a topic sentence,
3 supporting statements and a summarizing sentence as measured by 90%
accuracy on five consecutive paragraph assignments over a two-week
period.
VISUAL PROCESSING, continued
Visual Memory and Visual Sequential Memory: Student cannot copy from a
board or book accurately. Student cannot remember math facts/equations.
She has poor memory for sight words. Slow processing of visual stimulus.
She has difficulty with pairing sounds and written symbols (letters). She has
difficulty with remembering words, pictures, symbols, forms, numbers,
equations and their orientation when they are removed from sight.
Goal: In one year, given visual sequencing games and “what is different?”
exercises with tactile/kinesthetic and auditory cues, visualizing strategies,
“air writing” and concentration games to improve visual sequence memory,
student will correctly order the elements (picture/text) of an eight-element
narrative from memory when the correct model is removed from sight, as
measured by 90% accuracy in 10 consecutive trials over a two-week period.
Goal: In one year, given visual sequencing games and “what is different?”
exercises with tactile/kinesthetic and auditory cues, including math songs,
visualizing strategies, “air writing” and concentration games to improve
visual sequence memory, student will correctly write multiplication tables as
measured by 90% accuracy in 5 consecutive weekly quizzes.
VISUAL PROCESSING, continued
Goal: In one year, given visual sequencing games and “what is different?”
exercises with tactile/kinesthetic and auditory cues, visualizing strategies,
“air writing” and concentration games to improve visual sequence memory,
student will correctly draw sequences of geometric shapes and target
equations with correct orientation from memory when visual model is
removed from sight, as measured by 90% accuracy in 5 consecutive weekly
quizzes.
AUDITORY PROCESSING
Auditory Memory: Student has difficulty retrieving letters, words and numbers.
He has difficulty retrieving his address and phone number. He fails to
recognize the sound-symbol relationship because he cannot remember the
sounds . He cannot follow multi-step oral directions.
Goal: In one year, given VAKT (visual/auditory/tactile/kinesthetic) strategies,
auditory memory games with in- and out-of-category memory sequences
and focused listening exercises with frequent practice, student will correctly
follow three-step oral directions with 90% accuracy over 10 consecutive
trials within a two week period.
AUDITORY PROCESSING, continued
Goal: In one year, given VAKT (visual/auditory/tactile/kinesthetic) strategies,
auditory memory games and focused listening exercises with frequent
practice, student will correctly produce the letter sounds of the consonants
and short vowels with 90% accuracy over 10 consecutive trials within a two
week period.
Goal: In one year, given VAKT (visual/auditory/tactile/kinesthetic) strategies,
auditory memory games and focused listening exercises with frequent
practice, including number songs and other musical strategies, student will
correctly recite multiplication tables with 100% accuracy over 10
consecutive trials within a two week period.
Auditory Discrimination: Student cannot recognize same/different in sounds
in words orally presented in initial, medial, or final positions in words,
inhibiting his ability to manipulate phonemes to create new words.
Goal: In one year, given VAKT (visual/auditory/tactile/kinesthetic) strategies,
recognition of rhyming, and focused listening exercises, including different
colored tokens to represent phoneme sounds, to identify same/different in
sounds, beginning with sounds in isolation, then syllables and words, with
frequent practice, student will correctly manipulate phonemes in all positions
in CVC words to create new words with 90% accuracy over 10 consecutive
trials within a two week period.
AUDITORY PROCESSING, continued
Auditory Comprehension/Cohesion: Student has difficulty taking notes from orallypresented material.
Goal: In one year, given strategies to improve auditory cohesion, such as drawing
pictures to illustrate orally-presented material, picking key words out of sentences
and selected key concepts from orally-presented paragraphs, summarizing exercises
and comparison of note-taking efforts with prepared notes, and using color-coding
and graphic organizers to guide note-taking, student will take appropriate notes on an
orally-presented narrative to include characters, time/ locale, main issue and
outcome, as measured by 90% completeness of notes on five consecutive weekly
note-taking assessments.
MATH: DYSCALCULIA
Student lacks development in critical factors that affect math meaning. These factors
include ability to connect a new concept with prior experience, ability to form models
or examples from concrete material and to illustrate that model in a drawing, use of
number symbols, operational signs, formula and equations, concept application to
word problems and ability to communicate the processes used, as if in teaching the
concept to others.
Verbal Dyscalculia: Student has difficulty retrieving and naming math symbols, math
terms, operations and associating numbers to amounts of things. He has difficulty
naming amounts of objects. He has difficulty writing numbers when they are
presented orally.
MATH: DYSCALCULIA, continued
Goal: In one year, using (visual/auditory/tactile/kinesthetic) strategies for explicit
sequential teaching of discrete steps, color coding, mnemonic devices, manipulatives,
and math games such as War and Concentration, and with frequent practice, student
will perform calculations using the appropriate operations (addition, subtraction,
multiplication and division) with triple digit numbers with 80% accuracy on five
consecutive weekly quizzes.
Practical Skills Dyscalculia: Student has difficulty in visualizing math concepts. He
has difficulty manipulating items in math tasks and with adding comparing and
estimating pictured objects. He has difficulty with rote counting. He does not
understand part/whole relationships, spatial details, shapes and size.
Goal: In one year, using (visual/auditory/tactile/kinesthetic) strategies for explicit
teaching of practical skills, including color coding, number frames and other spatial
graphic organizers, counting drills, rhythmic activities and songs, student will match
pictured objects with correct numbers and use manipulatives to perform written
addition and subtraction with 90% accuracy in ten assessments over a two-week
period.
Goal: In one year, using (visual/auditory/tactile/kinesthetic) strategies for explicit
teaching of practical skills, sorting tasks, use of color coding, number frames and
other spatial graphic organizers, counting drills, rhythmic activities and songs, student
will describe comparative attributes of size, shape, and part/whole relationship
regarding pairs of objects and pictures with 90% accuracy in ten consecutive
assessments over a two-week period.
MATH: DYSCALCULIA, continued
Lexical Dyscalculia: Student has difficulty with recognizing numbers/digits,
operational signs, place value, fractions, squares, roots and the general language of
math. He has some directional confusion, and he inappropriately inserts or omits
digits, words and signs. He sometimes interchanges similar digits inappropriately.
These difficulties interfere with his ability to solve word problems in math.
Goal: In one year, given VAKT (visual/auditory/tactile/kinesthetic) strategies to
improve directional confusion and concept understanding, sequentially increasing
language complexity, graphic organizers that sort a) known information, b) unneeded
information, c) what the problem asks and d) strategies to solve the problem, rubrics
for checking and rechecking, student will solve math word problems with two
embedded operations with 90% accuracy on five consecutive weekly quizzes.
SOCIAL –EMOTIONAL
Student often presents as withdrawn, especially in unstructured settings (lunch room,
schoolyard). She rarely initiates conversations with peers. She tends to not seek out
the company of others. Her ability to participate in classroom group activities is
affected by her reluctance to initiate conversation.
SOCIAL –EMOTIONAL, continued
Goal: In one year, in the lunch room, the schoolyard and during group activities
in the classroom, given appropriate phrases for initiating conversation and a
sequenced set of specific strategies for maintaining verbal exchange and
reducing communicative stress, student will start conversations with two
classmates per day, as measured by the guidance counselor and/or classroom
teacher, during a two-week period.
Student demonstrates understanding of material presented in class, but he does
not volunteer to participate in class, due to poor self-image and resulting lack of
confidence. Additionally, he tends to respond, “I don’t know” when called upon
to contribute to class discussions.
Goal: In one year, given a cueing system, frequent practice and a gradually
diminishing system of supports, such as prior notification by teachers as to what
he will respond to in class (a preparatory set, provided privately), student will
verbally participate in class discussion by either answering a question or giving
a personal view, as appropriate to the class focus or aim, in 3 out of 4
occurrences, as assessed by his ELA, Math, Science and Social Studies
teachers over two consecutive weeks of targeted observation.
TRANSITION
Student has stated that she wants to become an EKG technician like her
mother and work in a hospital. She needs to learn more about how
electrocardiograms are produced and the equipment that is used and about
the information that is captured in an EKG.
Goal: In one year, given advisory assistance from the transition linkage
coordinator, student will compile a monthly log of ten literature responses to
internet search articles about the human heart, related biological issues and
the EKG process and use, as measured by appropriate 3-paragraph short
essays that reflect the topic. Progress will be measured by 100%
completion of the ten essays.
Student has difficulty organizing her thoughts on paper. She likes to write but
stated that punctuation, spelling and grammar slows her thought process
when writing. During her Level 1 Vocational Assessment she indicated that
her interest is in working with children, and she wants to become a teacher
Goal :In one year, student will complete job/college application essays written
on her career topic, Teaching. Using a graphic organizer to organize her
thought, she will complete 10 job/career essays. She will check her work
using a rubric and/or checklist to self-correct errors. Provider will measure
progress each report card period through work samples and/or portfolio
assessment.
TRANSITION, continued
Student has difficulty speaking in public. When asked to answer a question in
class she is often reluctant stating that she fears she is incorrect.
Goal: In one year, during a simulated job interview with a staff member or
peer, student will respond appropriately to ten questions used in interviews
with 100% accuracy in 3 out of 4 trials as assessed by her teacher over four
consecutive weeks through observations and recorded answers.
Student has decided to pursue a career in animal care. She wants to focus on
becoming a veterinarian. Her writing lacks appropriate sentence structure
and paragraph organizational skills. She writes in simple sentences and
does not use enough details to support her ideas. ….
Goal: Within one year, Carmen will complete a journal by writing eight to ten
sentences for each entry, including an opening topic sentence, supporting
details, and a concluding sentence, reflecting information learned from
viewing 20 documentaries or informational shows about animals, on
television and/or the internet, related to animals and animal care
professions. Progress will be evaluated monthly for 80% accuracy based on
a rubric, one entry per documentary, two full entries per month.