Measurable Goals & Short-Term Objectives for Standards-

Based IEPs

RESA Vision ServicesSeptember 14, 2012

North GLRS

Goals are statements of annual program intent

Short-term objectives are statements ofactual instructional intent -- discrete periods of time –

shorter than one year

What are Annual Goals?

• Statements that identify knowledge, skills, behaviors that address a student’s needs

• Describe what can reasonably be expected to accomplish within an IEP year

• Must contain critical components• Specially designed instruction that the student

requires to address• Needs that arise from disability• Needs that interfere with ability to participate/progress

in general curriculum

What are Short-Term Objectives?

• Intermediate steps taken between the present level of performance (academics & functional) and the attainment of the annual goal

• Can be STOs or benchmarks

• Must contain all critical components

Direct Link

PLAAFP(Student Needs)

Goals/STOs

Academic vs. Functional?

• Academic Based Goals• Academic in nature• Learning academic content (progression to grade level

content standards• Math, Reading, Written Expression, Science, etc.

• Functional Goals• Not based on CCGPS• Focus on accessing the curriculum• Behavior, on-task, organization, keeping agenda,

turning in assignments, PT, OT, daily living skills, etc.

Annual Goals vs. Standards

Annual Goals• Included in IEPs• Measurable – each must

have level of performance/ criteria

• Individualized to learning needs of student

• Projections of what student will learn in one academic year

Standards• Provide performance

standards at grade levels for all students

• Broad, general descriptions of what students should K-U-D

• Continuum of skills/understandings for students as they progress through school

MYTH # 1

If the goal contains a percentage – it's measurable

Lee will control his behavior 80% of the time.

Laura will write a paragraph with 75% accuracy.

Jason will read an expository passage of 500 words and tell the main idea with 90% accuracy 70% of the time.

If a goal contains technical language – it must be valid

Kevin will improve his central auditory processing.

Kim will internalize values of democracy.

Brandon will be able to answer questions that critically investigate a written passage with 80% accuracy.

MYTH # 2

If the goal contains an action verb – it is measurable

John will ask questions to clarify issues.

Mary will develop a web to aid passage comprehension with 85% accuracy.

MYTH # 3

Components of an Objective

Identify the following:

• Learner• Target Behavior• Conditions of intervention• Criteria for acceptable performance

Target Behavior

• Observable, measurable, repeatable

• Operational definition of the behavior

• Reduces interpretation of what behavior should be

Is the Behavior Specific & Objective?

3 test questions:• Can you count number of times behavior occurs in

15 minute segment, one hour, one day?

• Will a stranger know exactly what to look for when you state the target behavior to be modified?

• Can you break the target behavior into smaller components – each of which is more specific and observable than original target behavior?

Conditions of Intervention

• Antecedent stimuli including instructions, materials, setting

• Can be part of natural environment

• Types of assistance available to student

• Assures consistent replication

• Helps to avoid misunderstandings

Categories of Antecedent Stimuli

• Verbal requests or instructionsPoint to the red carAdd these numbers

• Written instructions or formatFind the productsDiagram these sentences

• DemonstrationThis is how to . . .

Continued

• Materials to be usedA worksheet with 20 single digit addition problemsA tape recorder with the “play” button colored green and the “stop”

button colored red

• Environmental setting or timingOn the playground . . . During independent work period . . . During transitions between classes . . .

• Manner of assistanceWith verbal promptsWith the aid of a number line

Categories of Antecedent Stimuli

Criteria for Acceptable Performance

• Standard for minimally acceptable performance• Sufficiently ambitious, yet reasonable• Criterion level associated with content• Key dimensions –

• Accuracy• Frequency of occurrence• Duration• Latency

Can goals/objectives be prioritized?

IEP Teams can prioritize the need for instruction within the curriculum

PrioritizingDO DON’T

Understand student’s strengths/ weaknesses in relation to standards

Review strengths/weaknesses separate from the standards

Look for skills that impact & can be taught within different content areas

Isolate skills unless there is a specific reason to do so

Consider current & future curricular needs

Continue to base decisions on standards taught in earlier grades

Ensure that the opportunity to learn cuts across the curriculum Severely limit the student’s options

18

Hierarchy of Response Competence

Generalization

Maintenance

Fluency

Acquisition

Increasing functional use of a response

Hierarchy of Level of Learning

EvaluationSynthesisAnalysis

ApplicationComprehension

Knowledge

Increasing functional use of a behavior

Activity #2WORD SORT ACTIVITY

Components of Goals/Objectives

Working with a partner, categorize the phrasescontained in your envelope into the appropriatearea.

NOTE: The phrases cannot be assembled to represent a complete goal/objective.

What is progress monitoring?

• . . . The ongoing process of collecting and analyzing data to determine student progress

• . . . Should be used to make instructional decisions as well as SPED services decisions based on individual student performance

What can progress monitoring do?

• Progress toward meeting IEP goals is measured by comparing expected rates to actual rates of learning. Instruction techniques can then be adjusted to meet individual learning needs based on these measurements.

• Data regarding child’s progress can be easily communicated with parents using a continuous, objective data collection process.

“Teacher observation”, “review of work”, “teacher-made tests” that are reviewed only

once per quarter are not sufficient to determine adequate progress toward IEP goals

OR

to determine if current instructional method is effective.

Progress Monitoring Terms

Data Collection

• Data must be collected

• Data are shared at IEP Annual Reviews

• “Yes, student mastered skill” or “No, student did not master skill” are not acceptable

• Data allows IEP team to make informed decisions about the student’s needs

Data Collection for Gen Ed Placements

• The type of data collected should match the context of the setting

• Gen Ed teacher and SPED Teacher should work collaboratively to determine the roles each plays in the data collection process

Do you collect data everyday for each student?

Data can be collected on any schedule that works for you and the student’s situation

• Daily, • Several days a week, • One time a week, • Every other week/every 2 weeks, • One time a month

Data CollectionSchedule

The effectiveness of services and instructional method is determined most efficiently when progress is measured frequently.

If progress is monitored . . . Then effectiveness may . . .

Daily (as part of instruction) Be determined within 2 weeks

Twice a week Be determined within a month

Weekly Be determined within a quarter

Quarterly NOT be determined, even after a year!

Data CompilationSchedule

Data compilation schedule depends on data collection frequency

If data is collected . . . Then data should be compiled . . .

Daily Weekly

Two or three times per week Bi-weekly or monthly

Once a week Monthly

Responding to Lack of Progress

• Is data being collected correctly?

• Are teaching procedures being implemented with fidelity?

• Should teaching procedures be changed or altered?

• Is the goal developmentally appropriate?

Status Quo:Measuring Progress on Goals

• SPED administering a standardized, norm-referenced achievement prior to the annual IEP review – NOT progress monitoring

• Individually administered NRT (such as WIAT-II) are designed to compare a child’s performance to that of his age peers at a single point in time – not to measure progress over time.

Data CollectionDetermine Measurement Types and Tools

• Tools used to collect data and ultimately measure progress provide evidence of student performance specific to IEP goals & objectives

• Data collection tools represent different types of measurement in order to provide clear picture of student progress

Frequently Used Data Collection Categories

• Permanent Product Recording• Event Recording• Interval Recording• Time Sampling• Duration Recording• Latency Recording

Permanent Product Recording

• Data collection that records tangible outcomes

• Takes place after the behavior has occurred

Grade on a spelling testVideo of student reading a passageWritten student essayBiology unit test

Event Recording

• Counts the number of times a behavior occurs

• Count of behavior is made during a specified observation period

Increase # of correctly defined vocabulary wordsDecrease # of times student uses profanity in PEIncrease # of questions answered correctly during class discussionIncrease # of times student turns in homework

Interval Recording

• Similar to event recording • Count # of intervals of time within observation

period during which behavior occurs• Good for high frequency behaviors and

continuous behaviors• Difficult to collect data and deliver instruction

On-task / off-task behaviors

Time Sampling

• Similar to Interval Recording but captures behavior only at end of the observation period

• Least accurate of Event, Interval, Time Sampling

• Practical for data collection while teaching

On-Task / off-task behaviorOut of seat behavior

Duration Recording

• Best used when concern is the length of time behavior occurs

• Captures the temporal features of behaviors

How long student stays out of seatHow long student spends in bathroom when allowed to go independentlyHow long student engages in academic task

Latency Recording

• How long a student takes to begin a behavior once its performance has been requested

Initiation of work when requested by teacherComplying with teacher requests – sit down, quit talkingResponding to non-verbal cues – use inside voice, work cooperatively

Contact Information

Dinah Martindmartin@pioneerresa.org

North GLRS Center706.865.2141