Yukon IEP Goal Bank: Writing SMART Goals Under the CB-IEP Framework
IEP goal writing is where the difference between an effective IEP and a useless one becomes concrete. A goal that cannot be measured cannot be enforced. A goal with no timeline cannot be reviewed. A goal with no baseline can never be shown to have produced improvement. In Yukon schools, the stakes are high: a 2019 Auditor General review found that only 2 of 82 IEPs examined contained the required progress reports — and many IEPs contained goals vague enough that progress would be impossible to measure.
Starting in the 2025-26 school year, all Yukon schools are transitioning to Competency-Based IEPs (CB-IEPs). The format is new, but the SMART requirement — Specific, Measurable, Achievable, Relevant, Time-related — does not change. If anything, the CB-IEP framework makes vague goal writing easier for schools if parents don't actively push back. Here's what good goals look like.
Why Goals Go Wrong
Most weak IEP goals fail in one of three ways:
Not measurable: "The student will improve reading comprehension." This cannot be measured. There's no baseline, no target, no measurement tool specified.
Not specific enough to be observable: "The student will develop better social skills." What behavior, in what setting, with what frequency?
Too aspirational without being achievable: "The student will read at grade level by June." If the student is currently two years below grade level, this may not be achievable in one term — but a goal showing a defined improvement step from the current baseline is.
The Yukon's own Student Support Services Manual is explicit: a goal like "the student will improve reading ability" is not acceptable. It must be transformed into something like "the student will decode multisyllabic words with 80% accuracy across three consecutive sessions by end of semester."
The CB-IEP Framework
Under the Competency-Based IEP format introduced in 2025-26, goals are structured around:
Curricular Competencies: The specific skills students will develop in each subject area (e.g., in English Language Arts: reading fluency, reading comprehension, writing process, oral communication)
Core Competencies: Cross-curricular life skills across three domains:
- Communication — reading, writing, speaking, listening, representing
- Thinking — creative thinking, critical and reflective thinking
- Personal and Social — self-awareness, self-regulation, relationship skills, social responsibility
Content: The specific knowledge or factual understanding the student will acquire.
Well-written CB-IEP goals name the competency, specify the skill behavior, set a measurable target, define the evidence source, and include a timeline.
Template: "Using [Curricular Competency or Core Competency], the student will [specific observable behavior] at [target level], as measured by [assessment tool or observation method], by [date]."
Reading Goals
Decoding (early literacy): "Using Reading Curricular Competencies, the student will decode CVC and CCVC words accurately at 90% on three consecutive oral reading probes, as measured by the Acadience/DIBELS Letter Naming Fluency and Word Reading subtests administered by the LAT, by end of Term 1."
Reading fluency: "Using Reading Curricular Competencies, the student will read Grade 3 leveled passages at a rate of 80 words per minute with no more than 5 errors, as measured by running records conducted weekly by the LAT, by end of Term 2."
Reading comprehension: "Using Reading Curricular Competencies, the student will answer inferential questions about grade-level nonfiction texts with 75% accuracy, as measured by comprehension checks administered by the classroom teacher, by end of June."
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Writing Goals
Written expression: "Using Writing Curricular Competencies, the student will write a structured paragraph with an identifiable topic sentence, two supporting details, and a concluding sentence using speech-to-text software, demonstrating this skill in 4 out of 5 writing assignments, as reviewed by the LAT, by end of Term 2."
Fine motor / written production: "Using Writing Curricular Competencies, the student will independently complete written assignments of up to 10 sentences using a combination of keyboarding and voice-to-text tools, requiring no more than 2 adult prompts per session, in 4 out of 5 observed instances, by end of semester."
Math Goals
Calculation: "Using Numeracy Curricular Competencies, the student will solve single-digit addition and subtraction problems with 90% accuracy using a number line support, as measured by weekly LAT probe scores, by end of Term 1."
Applied problem-solving: "Using Numeracy Curricular Competencies, the student will solve two-step word problems involving addition and subtraction by identifying the relevant information and showing a solution strategy, achieving 70% accuracy on 3 consecutive classroom assessments, by end of Term 3."
Communication Goals
Expressive language (for SLP-supported goals): "Using Communication Core Competency, the student will use complete 4-6 word sentences to request items, describe activities, or comment on shared experiences in structured classroom activities on 4 out of 5 observed opportunities, as tracked by SLP observation during bi-weekly sessions, by end of semester."
Pragmatic communication: "Using Communication Core Competency, the student will initiate a topic-relevant question or comment during small group activities on 3 out of 4 observed opportunities per week, as tracked by classroom teacher using a frequency observation log, by end of Term 2."
Social and Self-Regulation Goals
Self-regulation: "Using Personal and Social Core Competency, the student will independently use a learned coping strategy (e.g., break card, deep breathing, fidget tool) when identified signs of regulation difficulty occur (e.g., raised voice, pushing materials), demonstrating this skill in 4 out of 5 observed instances per week, as tracked by classroom teacher observation log, by end of Term 2."
Transition management: "Using Personal and Social Core Competency, the student will transition between classroom activities within 3 minutes of the verbal transition signal, requiring no more than one adult prompt, in 4 out of 5 school days per week, as tracked by daily teacher behavior data sheet, by end of Term 1."
Peer interaction: "Using Personal and Social Core Competency, the student will engage in cooperative play or collaborative group work for a minimum of 10 consecutive minutes without adult intervention during recess or structured group activities, 3 out of 4 observed opportunities per week, as tracked by EA observation, by end of semester."
Transition IEP Goals (Secondary Level)
Transition planning in Yukon IEPs should begin no later than age 14, and for students with significant disabilities, earlier. The Education Act and territorial policy require the SBT to consider post-secondary pathways as part of IEP planning in high school.
Transition goals address employment, post-secondary education, and community living. In the CB-IEP framework, they map to Core Competencies in Thinking (planning and organizing) and Personal and Social (self-advocacy, self-determination).
Post-secondary self-advocacy: "Using Communication and Personal and Social Core Competencies, the student will independently schedule and attend a meeting with the Yukon University Accessibility Services office, identify two required disability-related accommodations, and complete the accommodation request form without adult support, by end of Grade 11."
Employment readiness: "Using Personal and Social Core Competency, the student will complete a WHMIS safety training module independently and successfully pass the online assessment with 80% or higher, in preparation for the YACL Ready, Willing & Able vocational program, by the end of Grade 10."
Daily living: "Using Personal and Social Core Competency, the student will independently plan and prepare a simple meal (selecting a recipe, shopping list, and cooking steps) with no more than 2 adult prompts, demonstrated on 3 consecutive occasions, by end of Grade 9."
Keeping Goals Accountable
Every IEP goal should include:
- A named person responsible for measuring progress (LAT, classroom teacher, SLP, EA)
- A specific measurement tool or observation method
- A review date (at minimum, each of the three mandatory IEP meetings per year)
- A baseline — what the student can currently do, against which progress is measured
If you're walking into a Yukon IEP meeting and the proposed goals don't include all of these elements, push back before signing. "How will we know this goal has been met?" and "What's the current baseline?" are questions the SBT should be able to answer for every goal they write.
The Yukon IEP & Support Plan Blueprint covers IEP goal writing in detail, including how to negotiate goal language at the SBT meeting, how to use the three mandatory review meetings to update goals when they're not working, and how the 2025-26 CB-IEP transition changes the format without changing the substance of accountability.
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