Washington State IEP Goal Bank: Writing Measurable Goals That Hold Up

A good IEP goal is more than a positive statement about what a child will someday be able to do. In Washington, IEP goals are legal commitments — measurable targets the district promises to work toward during the IEP period. Vague goals allow districts to report "progress" without delivering it. Specific, measurable goals give you the data you need to hold the team accountable.

What Makes an IEP Goal Legally Sound in Washington

OSPI requires that annual goals be measurable, explicitly tied to the deficits documented in the PLAAFP (Present Levels of Academic Achievement and Functional Performance), and designed to close the gap between the student's current performance and grade-level or functional expectations.

A well-written goal includes:

• What the student will do (the observable behavior)
• Under what conditions (the materials, setting, supports provided)
• To what criterion (the level of accuracy or consistency required)
• By when (the annual date or a specific date)
• How it will be measured (data collection method)

A goal that cannot be observed and measured cannot be honestly reported on. If a quarterly progress report says "making adequate progress" without underlying data, that goal was not written with adequate specificity.

Reading Goals

Decoding / phonics: "By [date], when presented with a list of 30 unfamiliar CVC and CCVC words, the student will decode each word with 80% accuracy in 4 out of 5 assessment sessions as measured by teacher-administered word reading probes."

Reading fluency: "By [date], the student will read a 2nd-grade-level passage at a rate of at least 70 correct words per minute with no more than 3 errors per minute in 4 out of 5 timed readings as measured by curriculum-based measurement."

Reading comprehension: "By [date], after reading a grade-level expository text, the student will identify the main idea and 2 supporting details with 80% accuracy in 4 out of 5 opportunities as measured by teacher-developed probes."

Phonological awareness: "By [date], when presented with 20 spoken word pairs, the student will identify whether the words rhyme with 85% accuracy in 4 out of 5 sessions as measured by teacher observation data."

Writing Goals

Written expression: "By [date], using a graphic organizer, the student will produce a 3-paragraph persuasive essay containing a thesis, 2 supporting arguments with evidence, and a conclusion, independently in 4 out of 5 writing tasks as measured by teacher-scored rubric."

Handwriting / fine motor for writing: "By [date], when copying a 5-sentence paragraph from a model, the student will form all letters legibly and within standard margins with fewer than 5 formation errors per paragraph in 4 out of 5 trials as measured by teacher observation."

Sentence structure: "By [date], given a writing prompt, the student will produce 5 complete sentences with correct subject-verb agreement and ending punctuation with 85% accuracy in 4 out of 5 writing samples."

Math Goals

Computation: "By [date], given 20 multi-digit multiplication problems (up to 3 digits by 2 digits), the student will solve at least 16 correctly within 10 minutes in 4 out of 5 timed assessments."

Math problem-solving: "By [date], when presented with 2-step word problems involving addition and subtraction within 1,000, the student will select and apply the correct operation and arrive at the correct answer with 75% accuracy in 4 out of 5 sessions."

Number sense / place value: "By [date], using a place value chart, the student will identify the value of each digit in a 4-digit number with 90% accuracy in 4 out of 5 assessment opportunities."

Social-Emotional and Behavioral Goals

On-task behavior: "By [date], during 20-minute independent work periods, the student will remain on task for at least 15 continuous minutes as measured by 3 weekly structured observations across 4 consecutive weeks."

Requesting a break appropriately: "By [date], when frustrated or overwhelmed by a non-preferred task, the student will use a break card or verbal request ('Can I have a break?') to request a break rather than engaging in problem behavior in 4 out of 5 observed opportunities as measured by ABC data."

Turn-taking and conversation: "By [date], during structured group activities, the student will take turns speaking and listening, waiting for a full conversational exchange before speaking again, in 4 out of 5 observed opportunities as measured by teacher log."

Emotional regulation: "By [date], when presented with a frustrating situation, the student will identify their emotion and use a pre-taught regulation strategy (deep breathing, counting to 10, requesting adult support) without adult prompting in 4 out of 5 observed incidents."

Functional and Adaptive Skills Goals

Organizational skills: "By [date], the student will independently locate all required materials for class and organize them in the designated folder at the start of each period with no more than 1 adult prompt in 4 out of 5 observations per week."

Self-care / daily living: "By [date], following a visual checklist, the student will independently complete a 4-step morning hygiene routine with no adult prompting in 4 out of 5 mornings as measured by parent/staff log."

Navigating transitions: "By [date], when notified of a schedule change using a visual change card, the student will transition to the new activity within 3 minutes with no more than 1 adult prompt in 4 out of 5 observed opportunities."

Communication / Speech-Language Goals

Articulation: "By [date], the student will produce the /r/ sound in the initial position of words at the conversational level with 80% accuracy in 4 out of 5 speech-language therapy sessions as measured by clinician data."

Pragmatic language: "By [date], during a 10-minute structured peer conversation, the student will initiate a topic-relevant comment or question at least 3 times and maintain the topic for at least 2 exchanges in 4 out of 5 observed sessions."

AAC use (for non-verbal or minimally verbal students): "By [date], when requesting a desired item or activity, the student will use their AAC device to produce a 2-word request (verb + noun) with 80% accuracy in 4 out of 5 opportunities across 3 different settings as measured by SLP data."

The PLAAFP Connection: Why It Matters

Every goal above must connect to a documented present level. If the IEP has a reading fluency goal targeting 70 correct words per minute, the PLAAFP must document the student's current fluency rate. If the PLAAFP says "student has difficulty with reading" without a measured rate, the goal is floating without a baseline.

At the next IEP meeting, before any goals are finalized, ask: "What specific data in the PLAAFP shows the baseline that this goal is built on?" If the team can't answer that question with a specific number or observable data point, the goal should be revised along with the PLAAFP.

The Washington IEP & 504 Blueprint includes goal-writing frameworks, PLAAFP-to-goal connection templates, and how to challenge goals at the annual review when baseline data is absent or goals are written too broadly to measure.

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