DC IEP Goal Bank: Measurable Goals for DCPS and Charter School IEPs

IEP goals at DCPS and DC charter schools are supposed to be annual, measurable, and tied to your child's present levels. In practice, many are not. Vague goals like "will improve reading skills" or "will demonstrate better behavior" are legally insufficient and functionally useless — you cannot measure progress against them, and the school cannot be held accountable when they are not met.

These goal examples are written to the standard DC's 5-A DCMR requires: observable behavior, conditions under which it occurs, measurable criteria, and a timeframe. Use them to evaluate what the school has written, to propose amendments during an IEP meeting, or to understand what specificity you should be asking for.

Reading Goals

Reading fluency (grades 2–5 typical range):

• "By [date], [student] will read an unpracticed grade-level passage aloud at 80+ words correct per minute with 95% accuracy, across 3 consecutive weekly probes, as measured by curriculum-based measurement (CBM) fluency probes."

Reading comprehension:

• "By [date], [student] will answer 4 of 5 inferential comprehension questions about a grade-level passage after one reading, using text evidence in written or verbal responses, across 4 consecutive assessment sessions."

Phonics / decoding (early readers):

• "By [date], [student] will accurately decode consonant-vowel-consonant (CVC) words with short vowels in 4 of 5 trials at 90% accuracy, without picture cues, across 3 consecutive assessment sessions."

Reading vocabulary:

• "By [date], [student] will use context clues to determine the meaning of unfamiliar grade-level vocabulary in 4 of 5 weekly vocabulary probes, providing a definition or synonym in written or spoken form."

Math Goals

Computation (elementary):

• "By [date], [student] will solve 20 single-digit addition and subtraction facts within 5 minutes at 95% accuracy across 3 consecutive math fluency probes."

Problem solving:

• "By [date], [student] will solve grade-level 2-step word problems by identifying the relevant operation and showing work, at 70% accuracy across 4 of 5 consecutive probes."

Measurement and data (middle school):

• "By [date], [student] will calculate mean, median, and mode for a data set of 8–10 values with 80% accuracy across 3 consecutive classroom assessments."

Written Expression Goals

• "By [date], [student] will produce a 3–5 sentence paragraph with a topic sentence, 2 supporting details, and a closing sentence, at 80% accuracy on a 4-point rubric, across 4 consecutive writing probes."
• "By [date], [student] will use capitalization and end punctuation correctly in 90% of sentences in a spontaneous writing sample of at least 5 sentences, across 4 of 5 weekly writing probes."
• "By [date], [student] will write a 5-sentence narrative paragraph with a clear beginning, middle, and end using a graphic organizer scaffold, meeting 3 of 4 rubric criteria, across 3 consecutive writing samples."

Communication and Speech Goals

Articulation:

• "By [date], [student] will produce the /r/ sound in all word positions at 80% accuracy in structured conversation with a familiar adult, across 4 of 5 consecutive speech therapy sessions."

Expressive language:

• "By [date], [student] will produce grammatically correct sentences of 5–7 words in length during structured language tasks in 4 of 5 therapy sessions."

Receptive language:

• "By [date], [student] will follow 3-step verbal directions without visual cues in 4 of 5 opportunities, across 3 consecutive sessions."

Pragmatic / social communication:

• "By [date], [student] will maintain a topic-relevant conversation for 3 or more turns with a peer, initiating at least 1 turn, across 3 of 4 weekly peer interaction opportunities."

Behavioral and Social-Emotional Goals

Self-regulation:

• "By [date], [student] will use an identified coping strategy (deep breathing, movement break, quiet space) when feeling frustrated or overwhelmed, reducing physical outbursts to 0–1 per week across 4 consecutive weeks, as measured by incident logs."

Task completion:

• "By [date], [student] will complete assigned independent work tasks within 5 minutes of directions, with 1 verbal prompt or fewer, across 4 of 5 consecutive daily probes, as measured by teacher observation."

Peer interaction:

• "By [date], [student] will participate in a structured small-group activity without verbal altercations on 4 of 5 school days per week across 4 consecutive weeks, as measured by teacher log."

Check-in/check-out participation:

• "By [date], [student] will earn 80% or more of available points on a daily CICO point sheet across 4 of 5 school days per week for 4 consecutive weeks, as measured by CICO monitoring data."

Adaptive and Functional Skills Goals

• "By [date], [student] will independently manage their school supplies (organize backpack, retrieve needed materials) at the start and end of each class period on 4 of 5 school days per week across 4 consecutive weeks."
• "By [date], [student] will use a visual schedule to transition between activities with 1 verbal prompt or fewer, across 4 of 5 daily transitions, across 3 consecutive weeks."

Transition Goals (Ages 14 and Up in DC)

DC's transition planning begins at age 14 under 5-A DCMR — earlier than the federal age-16 minimum. Transition goals must be based on age-appropriate transition assessments and address post-secondary education, employment, and independent living as relevant to the student.

Employment and work readiness:

• "By [date], [student] will complete 15 hours of community-based work experience at an approved employer through RSA Pre-ETS, demonstrating punctuality, task completion, and supervisor communication at acceptable employer standards on 80% of observed shifts."

Post-secondary education:

• "By [date], [student] will research 3 post-secondary programs (2- or 4-year college, trade program, or supported employment program) aligned to their career interest area, documenting admissions requirements and accommodations available, as measured by written research summary."

Self-advocacy:

• "By [date], [student] will describe their 3 primary IEP-identified disability-related needs and the accommodations that address each, verbally, to an unfamiliar adult in a practice scenario, across 3 of 4 role-play sessions."

What DC Requires That Other States Don't Always Enforce

Under 5-A DCMR, IEP goals must be reviewed at least annually, but the IEP team must also report on progress toward goals at the same frequency they report to parents of students without disabilities — which at most DC schools means quarterly progress reports. This means you should receive a written progress report on every IEP goal four times per year, not just at the annual meeting. If you are not receiving quarterly progress reports, request them in writing.

The District of Columbia IEP & 504 Blueprint includes an expanded goal bank organized by grade band and disability area, with DCPS-specific context for each domain.

For a general introduction to IEP goals, see our IEP goal bank guide. For autism-specific goal examples, see our DC IEP for autism post.

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