IEP Goal Bank for Indiana Parents: What Good Goals Actually Look Like

Every IEP your child's Case Conference Committee writes must contain annual goals. But "improve reading skills" is not a goal — it's a wish. Indiana's Article 7 requires goals that are observable and measurable, and most parents don't realize they have the right to push back on goals that don't meet that standard. Here is what legally adequate IEP goals look like, with examples across common disability profiles.

Why IEP Goals Matter More Than Most Parents Realize

IEP goals are the mechanism that makes the IEP enforceable. They define what the district is committing to help your child achieve over the next twelve months. They drive what services are provided, how progress is measured, and whether your child is actually making meaningful educational benefit.

A weak goal — one with no baseline, no measurable criterion, no timeframe — cannot be evaluated for progress. That means it also can't be used to show the district is failing. Districts that write vague goals aren't always doing it maliciously, but the effect is the same: no accountability.

Indiana's 511 IAC Article 7 requires IEP annual goals to be measurable and to address needs that result from the child's disability. Federal IDEA adds that goals must be designed to enable the child to be involved in and make progress in the general curriculum.

The Components of a Measurable IEP Goal

Every legally adequate IEP goal has five components:

1. Who — the student's name or "the student"
2. Will do what — the observable, measurable behavior or skill
3. Under what conditions — the setting, tools, or supports present
4. To what criterion — the level of accuracy, frequency, or rate that constitutes mastery
5. By when — the timeframe (annual goals run to the next IEP, typically one year)

Weak goal: "Student will improve reading comprehension."

Adequate goal: "By [date one year out], given a fourth-grade level reading passage, [Student] will answer literal and inferential comprehension questions with 80% accuracy across 3 consecutive probes, as measured by weekly curriculum-based assessments."

The adequate version tells you exactly what mastery looks like, when it should be achieved, and how you'll know if it was reached.

IEP Goal Examples by Skill Area

Reading

• "Given a second-grade decodable text, [Student] will read orally at a rate of 90 words per minute with no more than 5 errors per minute, measured bi-weekly across 3 consecutive probes."
• "When reading a third-grade level passage, [Student] will identify the main idea and two supporting details with 75% accuracy on 4 out of 5 opportunities."

Written Expression

• "Given a writing prompt and graphic organizer, [Student] will produce a 5-sentence paragraph with a clear topic sentence, 3 detail sentences, and a conclusion sentence with 80% accuracy on 4 out of 5 assignments."
• "[Student] will correctly capitalize proper nouns and the first word of each sentence in independent writing samples with 90% accuracy across 3 consecutive writing samples."

Math

• "Given single-digit multiplication facts, [Student] will provide correct responses at a rate of 40 digits per minute with 95% accuracy, measured bi-weekly."
• "[Student] will solve two-step word problems involving addition and subtraction within 1,000 with 80% accuracy on 4 out of 5 problems."

Social-Emotional and Behavioral

• "When faced with a frustrating academic task, [Student] will use a self-regulation strategy (deep breathing, movement break, or asking for help) independently on 4 out of 5 observed opportunities."
• "During unstructured peer interaction (lunch, recess), [Student] will initiate at least one appropriate conversation per session, defined as a verbal or gestural greeting followed by a topic-relevant statement, on 3 out of 4 observed sessions."

Communication / Speech-Language

• "[Student] will use a complete subject-verb-object sentence to make a request across 3 different communicative partners with 80% accuracy on 4 out of 5 observed opportunities."
• "Given a picture-supported social story, [Student] will answer 'wh-' questions (who, what, where) about the story with 75% accuracy on 3 consecutive probes."

The Indiana IEP & 504 Blueprint includes a full goal bank organized by disability category and skill area, plus a guide to reviewing goals at CCC meetings and requesting revisions when goals are too low. Get the complete toolkit

IEP Goals for Autism in Indiana

Students with Autism Spectrum Disorder often need goals across multiple domains — academic skills, communication, social-emotional skills, adaptive behavior, and sometimes daily living skills. Indiana's evaluation for ASD should assess all these areas, and the IEP goals should reflect every area of documented need.

Strong IEP goals for students with autism address:

Functional communication: Many students with ASD have the cognitive capacity to learn academic content but need specific support for expressive communication. Goals should target the specific communication modality the student uses — verbal speech, AAC device, PECS, or a combination.

Example: "Using her AAC device, [Student] will independently request a desired item or activity across 3 different school settings (classroom, lunch, therapy room) on 4 out of 5 opportunities."

Social skills with peers: Goals should describe specific observable behaviors, not general outcomes like "improve social skills."

Example: "[Student] will join an ongoing peer activity by waiting for a natural pause and using a rehearsed entry phrase ('Can I play?' or 'I want to try') on 3 out of 4 observed structured opportunities."

Transition between activities: Many students with ASD need explicit support for transitions.

Example: "When given a 2-minute visual/auditory warning before a transition, [Student] will independently complete the transition to the next activity within 1 minute with no more than 1 verbal prompt on 4 out of 5 observed transitions."

How to Push Back on Weak Goals at Your CCC Meeting

You are a required member of the CCC. You have the right to propose goals, reject goals, and request that goals be revised before you sign the IEP.

If a goal is presented that doesn't meet the five-component standard:

1. Ask: "What is the measurable criterion for this goal? How will we know when it's been met?"
2. Ask: "What is the baseline — where is my child right now on this skill?"
3. Ask: "Is this goal based on growth expectations for a student at this level, or is it lower because the team expects limited progress?"

You do not have to sign the IEP at the meeting. You can take it home, review the goals, and request a follow-up CCC within a few days. The school cannot implement the IEP without your signature for initial services.

Progress Reporting on IEP Goals

Indiana requires progress reports on IEP goals concurrent with report card intervals — typically quarterly. Each goal should have a progress update explaining whether the student is on track to meet the goal by the annual review date.

"Progress is being made" is not an adequate progress report. Push for data: what score did the student achieve on the most recent probe, and what is the trajectory?

IEP goals are the foundation everything else is built on. Weak goals mean no accountability, no meaningful measurement, and no legal leverage if services aren't producing results. Get the Indiana IEP & 504 Blueprint for goal examples, a checklist for reviewing goals before you sign, and a guide to requesting goal revisions at any point during the year.

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