Arizona Measurable Postsecondary Goals in the IEP

What Measurable Postsecondary Goals Are

Measurable postsecondary goals (MPGs) describe what the student will do after high school — not what services they'll receive while still in school. Under IDEA and Arizona administrative rules, every IEP with an active transition plan must include MPGs covering at least two domains: education/training and employment. A third domain — independent living — is required when relevant to the student's needs.

Each goal must be:

• Measurable — written so that a yes/no determination can be made at the annual review ("Did the student achieve this, or not?")
• Based on age-appropriate transition assessments — formal or informal evaluations of the student's interests, strengths, and functional abilities
• Updated annually — the IEP team revisits goals each year and adjusts based on progress and changing circumstances

Arizona monitors MPG compliance through State Performance Plan Indicator 13, which audits whether IEPs contain all required transition components. Districts with low Indicator 13 scores face corrective action from ADE's Exceptional Student Services division.

Common Problems With Postsecondary Goals

Many IEPs contain goals that look appropriate on paper but fail the measurability test or are so generic they provide no planning value. Examples of weak MPGs:

• "The student will explore career options" — not measurable, not outcome-focused.
• "The student will transition to adult services" — describes a process, not a postsecondary outcome.
• "The student will be a productive member of society" — aspirational, not measurable or linked to assessments.

Strong MPGs reference a specific postsecondary outcome tied to the student's assessed interests:

• "After high school, the student will enroll in a culinary arts certificate program at a community college with disability support services."
• "After high school, the student will work part-time in a supported employment setting in the retail or food service industry."
• "After high school, the student will live in a community-based setting with daily living supports coordinated through DDD."

The difference is specificity. A goal you can verify with a single yes/no question one year after graduation is measurable. A goal that requires interpretation is not.

How Transition Assessments Feed the Goals

MPGs cannot come from the IEP team's assumptions about the student — they must be grounded in assessment data. Arizona accepts both formal instruments (standardized interest inventories, vocational aptitude tests, adaptive behavior scales) and informal assessments (student interviews, observation checklists, situational assessments in work settings).

The assessment results should appear in the IEP's Present Levels of Academic Achievement and Functional Performance section, with a clear line connecting the assessment findings to each postsecondary goal. When Indicator 13 reviewers audit an IEP, they check this connection — a goal without an assessment basis is a compliance finding.

If your child's IEP lists postsecondary goals that do not reference any transition assessment, request that the team conduct age-appropriate assessments before the next annual review. The school is obligated to provide these assessments as part of the transition planning process.

The Course of Study Connection

Each MPG must be linked to a "course of study" — the sequence of high school courses and activities that prepare the student to achieve the postsecondary goal. If the employment goal targets a skilled trade, the course of study should include relevant Career and Technical Education (CTE) pathways. If the education goal targets community college, the course of study should include the prerequisite academic courses.

A course of study that lists only standard academic classes for a student whose MPG targets supported employment suggests the IEP team has not aligned the transition plan with the student's actual trajectory. This misalignment is one of the most common Indicator 13 findings.

The Arizona IEP Transition to Adulthood Guide includes a transition assessment checklist and goal-writing worksheets that walk families through building MPGs from assessment data, aligning them with the course of study, and connecting them to specific agency handoffs.

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