Hawaii IEP Goal Bank: Measurable Goals Aligned to HIDOE Requirements

Generic IEP goal banks written for mainland districts don't account for Hawaii's specific requirements. HIDOE IEP goals must be measurable annual targets aligned with Hawaii Common Core and Next Generation Science Standards, tied to a baseline from the student's PLEP (Present Levels of Educational Performance), and specific enough to allow objective progress monitoring. Goals that don't meet this standard give the school cover to claim "progress" without evidence and reset the baseline every year without accountability.

This goal bank is organized by skill domain and disability area. Every goal includes the core components required under HAR Chapter 60: a baseline reference point, a measurable target behavior, criteria for mastery, and a measurement method.

How to Use These Goals

Each goal follows this structure:

By [date], [Student] will [observable behavior] [criteria] [conditions], as measured by [data method].

Before you bring any goal to an IEP meeting, confirm it connects to a specific data point in the PLEP. If the PLEP says your child is reading at a 2.3 grade level, the reading goal should target a specific, reachable growth point — not jump to grade level without intermediate steps. Goals that skip the baseline create inflated expectations that set the child up for a "not met" determination and give the school grounds to claim the disability is more significant than originally measured.

Reading and Literacy Goals

Decoding: By [date], [Student] will decode unfamiliar words using phonics patterns (vowel teams, r-controlled vowels) with 80% accuracy across 3 consecutive weekly probes using curriculum-based assessment passages at the instructional level.

Reading Fluency: By [date], [Student] will read grade-level decodable passages at [X] words per minute with 95% accuracy, as measured by bi-weekly ORF (Oral Reading Fluency) probes, increasing from a current baseline of [X] WPM.

Reading Comprehension: By [date], [Student] will identify the main idea and 2 supporting details from a grade-level informational text with 80% accuracy in 4 out of 5 trials, using a provided graphic organizer, as measured by teacher-scored written responses.

Vocabulary: By [date], [Student] will use context clues to determine the meaning of unfamiliar vocabulary words in grade-level reading passages in 3 out of 4 opportunities, as measured by teacher observation and weekly vocabulary probes.

Written Expression Goals

Sentence Structure: By [date], [Student] will write 5-sentence paragraphs that include a topic sentence, 3 supporting details, and a concluding sentence with correct capitalization and end punctuation in 4 out of 5 writing samples, as measured by rubric scoring.

Organization and Planning: By [date], [Student] will complete a graphic organizer before writing a multi-paragraph essay, including a thesis, body points, and conclusion, for 4 out of 5 assigned writing tasks, as measured by teacher review of completed organizers.

Writing Mechanics: By [date], [Student] will correctly use commas in compound sentences and after introductory phrases with 80% accuracy across 3 consecutive written work samples at the paragraph level.

Math Goals

Number Sense and Operations: By [date], [Student] will solve multi-step addition and subtraction word problems with regrouping using a visual strategy (number line, base-ten blocks) with 80% accuracy in 4 out of 5 trials, as measured by bi-weekly math probes.

Multiplication and Division: By [date], [Student] will fluently recall multiplication facts for factors 0–10 in 3 minutes or less with 90% accuracy, as measured by weekly timed assessments.

Fractions: By [date], [Student] will compare fractions with unlike denominators using visual models and explain the comparison verbally in 3 out of 4 observed opportunities, as measured by teacher observation and scored task analysis.

Algebra Readiness: By [date], [Student] will solve one-variable linear equations with one step using inverse operations with 80% accuracy across 3 consecutive class assessments.

Communication and Language Goals

Expressive Language: By [date], [Student] will use 4–5 word sentences to describe a picture or event in 80% of observed communication opportunities during structured group activities, as measured by SLP observation logs.

Receptive Language: By [date], [Student] will follow 3-step directions without visual cues in 4 out of 5 trials across 3 consecutive data collection sessions, as measured by classroom teacher and SLP observation data.

Pragmatics: By [date], [Student] will initiate a topic-relevant comment or question during a structured peer conversation in 3 out of 5 observed opportunities, as measured by weekly SLP session data.

AAC Use: By [date], [Student] will independently navigate an AAC device to request a preferred item or activity using a core vocabulary symbol in 4 out of 5 opportunities in the classroom setting, as measured by daily log kept by the SET.

Social-Emotional and Behavioral Goals

Self-Regulation: By [date], [Student] will independently identify a personal emotional state using a feelings chart and select a coping strategy from a visual menu in 3 out of 4 observed triggering situations, as measured by daily behavior log.

Conflict Resolution: By [date], [Student] will use a taught conflict resolution script (e.g., "I feel ___ when ___, I need ___") to respond to peer disagreements without adult prompting in 3 out of 5 observed opportunities, as measured by teacher observation.

Task Initiation: By [date], [Student] will begin an assigned independent task within 3 minutes of instruction without additional adult redirection in 4 out of 5 observations per week, as measured by teacher observation log.

On-Task Behavior: By [date], [Student] will remain on task during independent work periods for [X] minutes with no more than 1 adult prompt per [Y]-minute block, in 4 out of 5 daily observations, as measured by interval recording data.

Adaptive and Independent Living Goals

Organization: By [date], [Student] will independently organize assignment materials in the correct folder using a visual checklist in 4 out of 5 school days, as measured by teacher review at end of school day.

Time Management: By [date], [Student] will use a visual timer to complete classroom transitions (packing up, moving to next activity) within [X] minutes without adult reminder in 4 out of 5 observed opportunities.

Vocational/Transition Readiness (Ages 14+): By [date], [Student] will identify 3 personal strengths and 2 career interest areas based on structured interest inventory results and articulate how those strengths connect to career options during a structured class discussion, as measured by teacher and SET observation.

Transition Goals (Age 16 and Up, Required by HIDOE)

By age 16, Hawaii IEPs must include measurable postsecondary goals based on age-appropriate transition assessments. These goals address post-secondary education/training, employment, and where appropriate, independent living. HIDOE practice often begins building these pathways at age 14.

Post-Secondary Education: By [date], [Student] will complete a campus visit or virtual tour of a community college or vocational training program and identify 2 specific programs aligned with career interests, as documented in a student reflection and SET observation.

Employment: By [date], [Student] will independently complete a job application with 90% accuracy and participate in a mock interview scenario, demonstrating 4 out of 5 professional communication behaviors as scored by a rubric, with support from DVR transition services.

Independent Living: By [date], [Student] will independently budget a hypothetical weekly income, allocating funds across fixed expenses, food, and discretionary spending using a spreadsheet tool, with 80% accuracy on monthly check-ins.

Reviewing Goals at the Annual IEP Meeting

At every annual IEP review, the team must present progress data on each current goal. If the school reports "minimal progress" without actual data, ask to see the progress monitoring records. Under HAR Chapter 60, the HIDOE must track and report goal progress at least as often as general education students receive report cards.

If goals were not met, the question isn't just whether to write new goals — it's whether the services and supports provided were adequate to give the student a reasonable opportunity to meet those goals. Goals not met because of service gaps, provider absences, or neighbor island staffing failures are grounds for a compensatory education request.

For Hawaii-specific goal-writing templates, evaluation request letters, and IEP meeting preparation tools, see the Hawaii IEP & 504 Blueprint.

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