Slide 1

From Gobbledygook
to
Clearly Written Annual IEP Goals

Nov./Dec. 2010

Accommodations –
Too Much of a Good Thing!
•

•

Only what the student needs on a daily basis
to access the general curriculum
Individualized to each student
– Re-evaluated each year!
– Not cookie-cutter!

•

Should pass “The Stranger Test”!

•

*sample accommodations

Accommodations vs. Modifications
• Accommodations
– Access general curriculum
– Do not take students off grade level
– Usually available in general ed. setting, and
could be available to any students

Accommodations vs. Modifications
• Modifications
– ACTUAL CHANGE to the curriculum (content,
delivery of instruction, methodology, and
performance criteria…Hint Hint, what does that
sound like?
– May take student off grade level
– Could take place in general ed. setting, but
could also take place in separate setting

Standard Accommodations:
Samples & Categories
• Setting
– Seating student near
teacher
– Seating student near
positive role model
– Avoid distracting stimuli
– Small groups

• Presentation
– Providing (reference sheets,
graphic organizers, copies
of notes, visual aids)
– Providing a written outline
– Simplifying directions
– Repeat verbal and written
directions to student
– Vary the format of the test

• Timing
– Giving extra time to complete
tasks
– Untimed assessments
– Frequent breaks

• Response
– Scribe
– Typed responses rather than
written
– Oral response

Specially Designed Instruction
a.k.a. MODIFICATIONS
• MUST BE IDENTIFIED ON AN IEP! (PLEP A&B)
• Specially Designed Instruction IS Special
Education.
• It is:

– Modifying the content, the methodology or the
performance criteria as appropriate to the needs of
the student
•
•
•
•

Address unique needs of student
Address child’s needs RELATED TO THE DISABILITY
Ensure access to general curriculum
Meet educational standards

Specially Designed Instruction
• 1) What type(s) of specially designed
instruction is necessary for the student to
make effective progress?

• One, two, or all three of the following areas
must be indentified for students determine
eligible for special education services:
– Content
– Methodology/Delivery of Instruction
– Performance Criteria

Specially Designed Instruction
• Content
– Identifies what the student MUST be taught
– IMPORTANT!
• When no content modifications are identified then the
assumption is that the student is working at grade level
responsibility for those curriculum areas NOT listed

– Curriculum modified for the provision of key facts and/or
concepts of grade level standards for the following
curriculum area (s)_________________
– Curriculum modified to focus on entry points of gradelevel standards for the following curriculum area
(s)_________________________________

Specially Designed Instruction
• Methodology/Delivery of Instruction
– Identifies how the student will be taught
(specialized, research-proven teaching
methods, groupings, therapies, or other
methods of instruction that the district needs
to provide to the student)
– EX: small group instruction, reduced
student/teacher ratio, instruction, specific
interventions, therapies, specialized reading
programs, DIRECT INSTRUCTION BY SPECIAL
EDUCATOR TO STUDENT ON HOW TO USE
AND IMPLEMENT ACCOMMODATIONS, hands
on activities

Specially Designed Instruction
• Performance Criteria
– How we know that that the student
learned it!
– Identifies how performance will be
evaluated differently than for other
students, based upon objective, not
subjective, criteria

Specially Designed Instruction
• Performance Criteria
– Examples
• Samples of student work will serve as the basis
for the determination of student performance
• Data collection based on (rubrics, checklists,
observations, etc)
• Weighted grading system (if grading will not be
modified, it is assumed that the student will be
graded the same as non-disabled peers
• Tests for Alternate subject material (based upon
content modifications identified earlier)

Current Levels of Performance
• Focus should be on what the student CAN
DO!
• This area will provide the blueprint for your
goal!
• Should provide quantifiable detail that
describes the student’s abilities/challenges

Current Performance:
Example
• When writing, Suzie writes sentences
approximately 3-8 words in length. She
often makes 4-5 errors with the spacing of
words, letter formation and spelling in a
single writing assignment. She has the
greatest success spelling sight words and
words that are part of her experiences. She
has difficulty with punctuation, either
omitting punctuation or inserting
punctuation out of place. The length of her
writings are generally about 4-5 sentences.

Current Performance:
Non-Example
• Johnny cannot remember or retrieve
what he has read or seen. After
reading grade level passages, he
cannot remember more than 3
elements from the reading. He is
unable to state the main idea of the
passage or sequence more than two
events.

Welcome to Day 2!
You made it!
GOALS & OBJECTIVES
• Should be DIRECTLY RELATED to the students CPL
(Current Performance Level)
• The goal MUST meet the following:
– It must be measurable
– It must tell what the student can reasonable
accomplish in this IEP year
– It must relate to helping the student be
successful in the general curriculum and/or
address other educational needs resulting from
the disability

Goal Focus
• The sources of potential goal focus
areas could be:
–
–
–
–
–
–

Parent/student concerns
Student strengths/challenges
Vision statement
Skills related to general curriculum
Other educational needs
Impact of the disability

Goals & Objectives :
A Fun Writing Activity!
• First choose your TOPIC (Goal Focus)

• Then, organize your thoughts into a
PARAGRAPH (CPL)
• Your paragraph should always contain a MAIN
IDEA (GOAL) and SUPPORTING DETAILS
(OBJECTIVES)

Goal Focus Areas
• Many IEP goal focus areas could be identified
from the following skill areas list:
–
–
–
–
–
–
–
–
–

Oral Expression
Listening Comprehension
Written Expression
Basic Reading Skills
Reading Comprehension
Mathematics Calculation
Mathematics Reasoning
Behavior
Social Skills

Goals & Objectives
• They need to be OBSERVABLE & MEASURABLE
– Question: How can I observe and measure how
Johnny “learned”?
Think about how you ALREADY observe and measure
your students, and use this information when
writing your goals/objectives!

Goals & Objectives
• If a student meets their goal,
CHANGE IT!
• If a student is still not making
progress or meeting their goal,
CHANGE IT!

A Measureable Annual Goal
Includes:
• an observable behavior,
• a criterion clearly stating how well, how
much or at what level the behavior is to be
performed
• The given or condition necessary.

Measurable Annual Goal
Target Behavior Condition Criteria
• When given a topic in History, Social Science,
ELA or Science and Technology, Jose will be
able to independently write a threeparagraph essay containing the required
elements: introduction, supporting details,
and conclusion.

• Nadia will identify types of sentences
(simple, compound, complex) when editing
scoring ¾ on the MCAS Scoring Guide for
Standard English Conventions.

Objectives/Benchmarks
• The focus of benchmark/objectives comes from the
details identified in the current performance level.
• Objectives must be measurable; describes a tangible
outcome. It must be visible or audible.
• They describe what you intend the student to
achieve.
• Benchmarks/objectives are made up of four parts:
– Condition- what an adult will do to have the skill occur
– Learner’s name- do not write “the student”
– Skill/performance or behavior- what the learner is
expected to do
– Criteria- how the skill will be measured, or when we know
that the learner has achieved or surpassed the expectation

Objectives/Benchmarks
• Avoid using percentages as the only way of
measuring success.
– “Suzie will cross the street with 80% accuracy”
– “Suzie will use a treadmill with 95% accuracy””
– “Given a list of sight words, Suzie will state them with 75%
accuracy.”
– “Suzie will make eye contact with 85% accuracy.”

• With objectives and with goals there should be no
room for error. The above examples can ONLY be
done correctly or incorrectly, not as a percentage of
accuracy.
• Therefore, does the writer actually mean
percentage of occasions that it will be done 100%
accurately.

Benchmarks/Objectives:
Be Sure to Identify what is Intended
• Often we write accuracy in a benchmark or objective but we
really mean the number of occasions that the student performs
a skill accurately.
• Criteria-Benchmarks/objectives can be measured in a variety
of ways:
– time/speed
– Accuracy
– Specific statements of measure
– And yes, sometimes percentages- but NOT ALWAYS!

Thank you for joining us!


Slide 2

From Gobbledygook
to
Clearly Written Annual IEP Goals

Nov./Dec. 2010

Accommodations –
Too Much of a Good Thing!
•

•

Only what the student needs on a daily basis
to access the general curriculum
Individualized to each student
– Re-evaluated each year!
– Not cookie-cutter!

•

Should pass “The Stranger Test”!

•

*sample accommodations

Accommodations vs. Modifications
• Accommodations
– Access general curriculum
– Do not take students off grade level
– Usually available in general ed. setting, and
could be available to any students

Accommodations vs. Modifications
• Modifications
– ACTUAL CHANGE to the curriculum (content,
delivery of instruction, methodology, and
performance criteria…Hint Hint, what does that
sound like?
– May take student off grade level
– Could take place in general ed. setting, but
could also take place in separate setting

Standard Accommodations:
Samples & Categories
• Setting
– Seating student near
teacher
– Seating student near
positive role model
– Avoid distracting stimuli
– Small groups

• Presentation
– Providing (reference sheets,
graphic organizers, copies
of notes, visual aids)
– Providing a written outline
– Simplifying directions
– Repeat verbal and written
directions to student
– Vary the format of the test

• Timing
– Giving extra time to complete
tasks
– Untimed assessments
– Frequent breaks

• Response
– Scribe
– Typed responses rather than
written
– Oral response

Specially Designed Instruction
a.k.a. MODIFICATIONS
• MUST BE IDENTIFIED ON AN IEP! (PLEP A&B)
• Specially Designed Instruction IS Special
Education.
• It is:

– Modifying the content, the methodology or the
performance criteria as appropriate to the needs of
the student
•
•
•
•

Address unique needs of student
Address child’s needs RELATED TO THE DISABILITY
Ensure access to general curriculum
Meet educational standards

Specially Designed Instruction
• 1) What type(s) of specially designed
instruction is necessary for the student to
make effective progress?

• One, two, or all three of the following areas
must be indentified for students determine
eligible for special education services:
– Content
– Methodology/Delivery of Instruction
– Performance Criteria

Specially Designed Instruction
• Content
– Identifies what the student MUST be taught
– IMPORTANT!
• When no content modifications are identified then the
assumption is that the student is working at grade level
responsibility for those curriculum areas NOT listed

– Curriculum modified for the provision of key facts and/or
concepts of grade level standards for the following
curriculum area (s)_________________
– Curriculum modified to focus on entry points of gradelevel standards for the following curriculum area
(s)_________________________________

Specially Designed Instruction
• Methodology/Delivery of Instruction
– Identifies how the student will be taught
(specialized, research-proven teaching
methods, groupings, therapies, or other
methods of instruction that the district needs
to provide to the student)
– EX: small group instruction, reduced
student/teacher ratio, instruction, specific
interventions, therapies, specialized reading
programs, DIRECT INSTRUCTION BY SPECIAL
EDUCATOR TO STUDENT ON HOW TO USE
AND IMPLEMENT ACCOMMODATIONS, hands
on activities

Specially Designed Instruction
• Performance Criteria
– How we know that that the student
learned it!
– Identifies how performance will be
evaluated differently than for other
students, based upon objective, not
subjective, criteria

Specially Designed Instruction
• Performance Criteria
– Examples
• Samples of student work will serve as the basis
for the determination of student performance
• Data collection based on (rubrics, checklists,
observations, etc)
• Weighted grading system (if grading will not be
modified, it is assumed that the student will be
graded the same as non-disabled peers
• Tests for Alternate subject material (based upon
content modifications identified earlier)

Current Levels of Performance
• Focus should be on what the student CAN
DO!
• This area will provide the blueprint for your
goal!
• Should provide quantifiable detail that
describes the student’s abilities/challenges

Current Performance:
Example
• When writing, Suzie writes sentences
approximately 3-8 words in length. She
often makes 4-5 errors with the spacing of
words, letter formation and spelling in a
single writing assignment. She has the
greatest success spelling sight words and
words that are part of her experiences. She
has difficulty with punctuation, either
omitting punctuation or inserting
punctuation out of place. The length of her
writings are generally about 4-5 sentences.

Current Performance:
Non-Example
• Johnny cannot remember or retrieve
what he has read or seen. After
reading grade level passages, he
cannot remember more than 3
elements from the reading. He is
unable to state the main idea of the
passage or sequence more than two
events.

Welcome to Day 2!
You made it!
GOALS & OBJECTIVES
• Should be DIRECTLY RELATED to the students CPL
(Current Performance Level)
• The goal MUST meet the following:
– It must be measurable
– It must tell what the student can reasonable
accomplish in this IEP year
– It must relate to helping the student be
successful in the general curriculum and/or
address other educational needs resulting from
the disability

Goal Focus
• The sources of potential goal focus
areas could be:
–
–
–
–
–
–

Parent/student concerns
Student strengths/challenges
Vision statement
Skills related to general curriculum
Other educational needs
Impact of the disability

Goals & Objectives :
A Fun Writing Activity!
• First choose your TOPIC (Goal Focus)

• Then, organize your thoughts into a
PARAGRAPH (CPL)
• Your paragraph should always contain a MAIN
IDEA (GOAL) and SUPPORTING DETAILS
(OBJECTIVES)

Goal Focus Areas
• Many IEP goal focus areas could be identified
from the following skill areas list:
–
–
–
–
–
–
–
–
–

Oral Expression
Listening Comprehension
Written Expression
Basic Reading Skills
Reading Comprehension
Mathematics Calculation
Mathematics Reasoning
Behavior
Social Skills

Goals & Objectives
• They need to be OBSERVABLE & MEASURABLE
– Question: How can I observe and measure how
Johnny “learned”?
Think about how you ALREADY observe and measure
your students, and use this information when
writing your goals/objectives!

Goals & Objectives
• If a student meets their goal,
CHANGE IT!
• If a student is still not making
progress or meeting their goal,
CHANGE IT!

A Measureable Annual Goal
Includes:
• an observable behavior,
• a criterion clearly stating how well, how
much or at what level the behavior is to be
performed
• The given or condition necessary.

Measurable Annual Goal
Target Behavior Condition Criteria
• When given a topic in History, Social Science,
ELA or Science and Technology, Jose will be
able to independently write a threeparagraph essay containing the required
elements: introduction, supporting details,
and conclusion.

• Nadia will identify types of sentences
(simple, compound, complex) when editing
scoring ¾ on the MCAS Scoring Guide for
Standard English Conventions.

Objectives/Benchmarks
• The focus of benchmark/objectives comes from the
details identified in the current performance level.
• Objectives must be measurable; describes a tangible
outcome. It must be visible or audible.
• They describe what you intend the student to
achieve.
• Benchmarks/objectives are made up of four parts:
– Condition- what an adult will do to have the skill occur
– Learner’s name- do not write “the student”
– Skill/performance or behavior- what the learner is
expected to do
– Criteria- how the skill will be measured, or when we know
that the learner has achieved or surpassed the expectation

Objectives/Benchmarks
• Avoid using percentages as the only way of
measuring success.
– “Suzie will cross the street with 80% accuracy”
– “Suzie will use a treadmill with 95% accuracy””
– “Given a list of sight words, Suzie will state them with 75%
accuracy.”
– “Suzie will make eye contact with 85% accuracy.”

• With objectives and with goals there should be no
room for error. The above examples can ONLY be
done correctly or incorrectly, not as a percentage of
accuracy.
• Therefore, does the writer actually mean
percentage of occasions that it will be done 100%
accurately.

Benchmarks/Objectives:
Be Sure to Identify what is Intended
• Often we write accuracy in a benchmark or objective but we
really mean the number of occasions that the student performs
a skill accurately.
• Criteria-Benchmarks/objectives can be measured in a variety
of ways:
– time/speed
– Accuracy
– Specific statements of measure
– And yes, sometimes percentages- but NOT ALWAYS!

Thank you for joining us!


Slide 3

From Gobbledygook
to
Clearly Written Annual IEP Goals

Nov./Dec. 2010

Accommodations –
Too Much of a Good Thing!
•

•

Only what the student needs on a daily basis
to access the general curriculum
Individualized to each student
– Re-evaluated each year!
– Not cookie-cutter!

•

Should pass “The Stranger Test”!

•

*sample accommodations

Accommodations vs. Modifications
• Accommodations
– Access general curriculum
– Do not take students off grade level
– Usually available in general ed. setting, and
could be available to any students

Accommodations vs. Modifications
• Modifications
– ACTUAL CHANGE to the curriculum (content,
delivery of instruction, methodology, and
performance criteria…Hint Hint, what does that
sound like?
– May take student off grade level
– Could take place in general ed. setting, but
could also take place in separate setting

Standard Accommodations:
Samples & Categories
• Setting
– Seating student near
teacher
– Seating student near
positive role model
– Avoid distracting stimuli
– Small groups

• Presentation
– Providing (reference sheets,
graphic organizers, copies
of notes, visual aids)
– Providing a written outline
– Simplifying directions
– Repeat verbal and written
directions to student
– Vary the format of the test

• Timing
– Giving extra time to complete
tasks
– Untimed assessments
– Frequent breaks

• Response
– Scribe
– Typed responses rather than
written
– Oral response

Specially Designed Instruction
a.k.a. MODIFICATIONS
• MUST BE IDENTIFIED ON AN IEP! (PLEP A&B)
• Specially Designed Instruction IS Special
Education.
• It is:

– Modifying the content, the methodology or the
performance criteria as appropriate to the needs of
the student
•
•
•
•

Address unique needs of student
Address child’s needs RELATED TO THE DISABILITY
Ensure access to general curriculum
Meet educational standards

Specially Designed Instruction
• 1) What type(s) of specially designed
instruction is necessary for the student to
make effective progress?

• One, two, or all three of the following areas
must be indentified for students determine
eligible for special education services:
– Content
– Methodology/Delivery of Instruction
– Performance Criteria

Specially Designed Instruction
• Content
– Identifies what the student MUST be taught
– IMPORTANT!
• When no content modifications are identified then the
assumption is that the student is working at grade level
responsibility for those curriculum areas NOT listed

– Curriculum modified for the provision of key facts and/or
concepts of grade level standards for the following
curriculum area (s)_________________
– Curriculum modified to focus on entry points of gradelevel standards for the following curriculum area
(s)_________________________________

Specially Designed Instruction
• Methodology/Delivery of Instruction
– Identifies how the student will be taught
(specialized, research-proven teaching
methods, groupings, therapies, or other
methods of instruction that the district needs
to provide to the student)
– EX: small group instruction, reduced
student/teacher ratio, instruction, specific
interventions, therapies, specialized reading
programs, DIRECT INSTRUCTION BY SPECIAL
EDUCATOR TO STUDENT ON HOW TO USE
AND IMPLEMENT ACCOMMODATIONS, hands
on activities

Specially Designed Instruction
• Performance Criteria
– How we know that that the student
learned it!
– Identifies how performance will be
evaluated differently than for other
students, based upon objective, not
subjective, criteria

Specially Designed Instruction
• Performance Criteria
– Examples
• Samples of student work will serve as the basis
for the determination of student performance
• Data collection based on (rubrics, checklists,
observations, etc)
• Weighted grading system (if grading will not be
modified, it is assumed that the student will be
graded the same as non-disabled peers
• Tests for Alternate subject material (based upon
content modifications identified earlier)

Current Levels of Performance
• Focus should be on what the student CAN
DO!
• This area will provide the blueprint for your
goal!
• Should provide quantifiable detail that
describes the student’s abilities/challenges

Current Performance:
Example
• When writing, Suzie writes sentences
approximately 3-8 words in length. She
often makes 4-5 errors with the spacing of
words, letter formation and spelling in a
single writing assignment. She has the
greatest success spelling sight words and
words that are part of her experiences. She
has difficulty with punctuation, either
omitting punctuation or inserting
punctuation out of place. The length of her
writings are generally about 4-5 sentences.

Current Performance:
Non-Example
• Johnny cannot remember or retrieve
what he has read or seen. After
reading grade level passages, he
cannot remember more than 3
elements from the reading. He is
unable to state the main idea of the
passage or sequence more than two
events.

Welcome to Day 2!
You made it!
GOALS & OBJECTIVES
• Should be DIRECTLY RELATED to the students CPL
(Current Performance Level)
• The goal MUST meet the following:
– It must be measurable
– It must tell what the student can reasonable
accomplish in this IEP year
– It must relate to helping the student be
successful in the general curriculum and/or
address other educational needs resulting from
the disability

Goal Focus
• The sources of potential goal focus
areas could be:
–
–
–
–
–
–

Parent/student concerns
Student strengths/challenges
Vision statement
Skills related to general curriculum
Other educational needs
Impact of the disability

Goals & Objectives :
A Fun Writing Activity!
• First choose your TOPIC (Goal Focus)

• Then, organize your thoughts into a
PARAGRAPH (CPL)
• Your paragraph should always contain a MAIN
IDEA (GOAL) and SUPPORTING DETAILS
(OBJECTIVES)

Goal Focus Areas
• Many IEP goal focus areas could be identified
from the following skill areas list:
–
–
–
–
–
–
–
–
–

Oral Expression
Listening Comprehension
Written Expression
Basic Reading Skills
Reading Comprehension
Mathematics Calculation
Mathematics Reasoning
Behavior
Social Skills

Goals & Objectives
• They need to be OBSERVABLE & MEASURABLE
– Question: How can I observe and measure how
Johnny “learned”?
Think about how you ALREADY observe and measure
your students, and use this information when
writing your goals/objectives!

Goals & Objectives
• If a student meets their goal,
CHANGE IT!
• If a student is still not making
progress or meeting their goal,
CHANGE IT!

A Measureable Annual Goal
Includes:
• an observable behavior,
• a criterion clearly stating how well, how
much or at what level the behavior is to be
performed
• The given or condition necessary.

Measurable Annual Goal
Target Behavior Condition Criteria
• When given a topic in History, Social Science,
ELA or Science and Technology, Jose will be
able to independently write a threeparagraph essay containing the required
elements: introduction, supporting details,
and conclusion.

• Nadia will identify types of sentences
(simple, compound, complex) when editing
scoring ¾ on the MCAS Scoring Guide for
Standard English Conventions.

Objectives/Benchmarks
• The focus of benchmark/objectives comes from the
details identified in the current performance level.
• Objectives must be measurable; describes a tangible
outcome. It must be visible or audible.
• They describe what you intend the student to
achieve.
• Benchmarks/objectives are made up of four parts:
– Condition- what an adult will do to have the skill occur
– Learner’s name- do not write “the student”
– Skill/performance or behavior- what the learner is
expected to do
– Criteria- how the skill will be measured, or when we know
that the learner has achieved or surpassed the expectation

Objectives/Benchmarks
• Avoid using percentages as the only way of
measuring success.
– “Suzie will cross the street with 80% accuracy”
– “Suzie will use a treadmill with 95% accuracy””
– “Given a list of sight words, Suzie will state them with 75%
accuracy.”
– “Suzie will make eye contact with 85% accuracy.”

• With objectives and with goals there should be no
room for error. The above examples can ONLY be
done correctly or incorrectly, not as a percentage of
accuracy.
• Therefore, does the writer actually mean
percentage of occasions that it will be done 100%
accurately.

Benchmarks/Objectives:
Be Sure to Identify what is Intended
• Often we write accuracy in a benchmark or objective but we
really mean the number of occasions that the student performs
a skill accurately.
• Criteria-Benchmarks/objectives can be measured in a variety
of ways:
– time/speed
– Accuracy
– Specific statements of measure
– And yes, sometimes percentages- but NOT ALWAYS!

Thank you for joining us!


Slide 4

From Gobbledygook
to
Clearly Written Annual IEP Goals

Nov./Dec. 2010

Accommodations –
Too Much of a Good Thing!
•

•

Only what the student needs on a daily basis
to access the general curriculum
Individualized to each student
– Re-evaluated each year!
– Not cookie-cutter!

•

Should pass “The Stranger Test”!

•

*sample accommodations

Accommodations vs. Modifications
• Accommodations
– Access general curriculum
– Do not take students off grade level
– Usually available in general ed. setting, and
could be available to any students

Accommodations vs. Modifications
• Modifications
– ACTUAL CHANGE to the curriculum (content,
delivery of instruction, methodology, and
performance criteria…Hint Hint, what does that
sound like?
– May take student off grade level
– Could take place in general ed. setting, but
could also take place in separate setting

Standard Accommodations:
Samples & Categories
• Setting
– Seating student near
teacher
– Seating student near
positive role model
– Avoid distracting stimuli
– Small groups

• Presentation
– Providing (reference sheets,
graphic organizers, copies
of notes, visual aids)
– Providing a written outline
– Simplifying directions
– Repeat verbal and written
directions to student
– Vary the format of the test

• Timing
– Giving extra time to complete
tasks
– Untimed assessments
– Frequent breaks

• Response
– Scribe
– Typed responses rather than
written
– Oral response

Specially Designed Instruction
a.k.a. MODIFICATIONS
• MUST BE IDENTIFIED ON AN IEP! (PLEP A&B)
• Specially Designed Instruction IS Special
Education.
• It is:

– Modifying the content, the methodology or the
performance criteria as appropriate to the needs of
the student
•
•
•
•

Address unique needs of student
Address child’s needs RELATED TO THE DISABILITY
Ensure access to general curriculum
Meet educational standards

Specially Designed Instruction
• 1) What type(s) of specially designed
instruction is necessary for the student to
make effective progress?

• One, two, or all three of the following areas
must be indentified for students determine
eligible for special education services:
– Content
– Methodology/Delivery of Instruction
– Performance Criteria

Specially Designed Instruction
• Content
– Identifies what the student MUST be taught
– IMPORTANT!
• When no content modifications are identified then the
assumption is that the student is working at grade level
responsibility for those curriculum areas NOT listed

– Curriculum modified for the provision of key facts and/or
concepts of grade level standards for the following
curriculum area (s)_________________
– Curriculum modified to focus on entry points of gradelevel standards for the following curriculum area
(s)_________________________________

Specially Designed Instruction
• Methodology/Delivery of Instruction
– Identifies how the student will be taught
(specialized, research-proven teaching
methods, groupings, therapies, or other
methods of instruction that the district needs
to provide to the student)
– EX: small group instruction, reduced
student/teacher ratio, instruction, specific
interventions, therapies, specialized reading
programs, DIRECT INSTRUCTION BY SPECIAL
EDUCATOR TO STUDENT ON HOW TO USE
AND IMPLEMENT ACCOMMODATIONS, hands
on activities

Specially Designed Instruction
• Performance Criteria
– How we know that that the student
learned it!
– Identifies how performance will be
evaluated differently than for other
students, based upon objective, not
subjective, criteria

Specially Designed Instruction
• Performance Criteria
– Examples
• Samples of student work will serve as the basis
for the determination of student performance
• Data collection based on (rubrics, checklists,
observations, etc)
• Weighted grading system (if grading will not be
modified, it is assumed that the student will be
graded the same as non-disabled peers
• Tests for Alternate subject material (based upon
content modifications identified earlier)

Current Levels of Performance
• Focus should be on what the student CAN
DO!
• This area will provide the blueprint for your
goal!
• Should provide quantifiable detail that
describes the student’s abilities/challenges

Current Performance:
Example
• When writing, Suzie writes sentences
approximately 3-8 words in length. She
often makes 4-5 errors with the spacing of
words, letter formation and spelling in a
single writing assignment. She has the
greatest success spelling sight words and
words that are part of her experiences. She
has difficulty with punctuation, either
omitting punctuation or inserting
punctuation out of place. The length of her
writings are generally about 4-5 sentences.

Current Performance:
Non-Example
• Johnny cannot remember or retrieve
what he has read or seen. After
reading grade level passages, he
cannot remember more than 3
elements from the reading. He is
unable to state the main idea of the
passage or sequence more than two
events.

Welcome to Day 2!
You made it!
GOALS & OBJECTIVES
• Should be DIRECTLY RELATED to the students CPL
(Current Performance Level)
• The goal MUST meet the following:
– It must be measurable
– It must tell what the student can reasonable
accomplish in this IEP year
– It must relate to helping the student be
successful in the general curriculum and/or
address other educational needs resulting from
the disability

Goal Focus
• The sources of potential goal focus
areas could be:
–
–
–
–
–
–

Parent/student concerns
Student strengths/challenges
Vision statement
Skills related to general curriculum
Other educational needs
Impact of the disability

Goals & Objectives :
A Fun Writing Activity!
• First choose your TOPIC (Goal Focus)

• Then, organize your thoughts into a
PARAGRAPH (CPL)
• Your paragraph should always contain a MAIN
IDEA (GOAL) and SUPPORTING DETAILS
(OBJECTIVES)

Goal Focus Areas
• Many IEP goal focus areas could be identified
from the following skill areas list:
–
–
–
–
–
–
–
–
–

Oral Expression
Listening Comprehension
Written Expression
Basic Reading Skills
Reading Comprehension
Mathematics Calculation
Mathematics Reasoning
Behavior
Social Skills

Goals & Objectives
• They need to be OBSERVABLE & MEASURABLE
– Question: How can I observe and measure how
Johnny “learned”?
Think about how you ALREADY observe and measure
your students, and use this information when
writing your goals/objectives!

Goals & Objectives
• If a student meets their goal,
CHANGE IT!
• If a student is still not making
progress or meeting their goal,
CHANGE IT!

A Measureable Annual Goal
Includes:
• an observable behavior,
• a criterion clearly stating how well, how
much or at what level the behavior is to be
performed
• The given or condition necessary.

Measurable Annual Goal
Target Behavior Condition Criteria
• When given a topic in History, Social Science,
ELA or Science and Technology, Jose will be
able to independently write a threeparagraph essay containing the required
elements: introduction, supporting details,
and conclusion.

• Nadia will identify types of sentences
(simple, compound, complex) when editing
scoring ¾ on the MCAS Scoring Guide for
Standard English Conventions.

Objectives/Benchmarks
• The focus of benchmark/objectives comes from the
details identified in the current performance level.
• Objectives must be measurable; describes a tangible
outcome. It must be visible or audible.
• They describe what you intend the student to
achieve.
• Benchmarks/objectives are made up of four parts:
– Condition- what an adult will do to have the skill occur
– Learner’s name- do not write “the student”
– Skill/performance or behavior- what the learner is
expected to do
– Criteria- how the skill will be measured, or when we know
that the learner has achieved or surpassed the expectation

Objectives/Benchmarks
• Avoid using percentages as the only way of
measuring success.
– “Suzie will cross the street with 80% accuracy”
– “Suzie will use a treadmill with 95% accuracy””
– “Given a list of sight words, Suzie will state them with 75%
accuracy.”
– “Suzie will make eye contact with 85% accuracy.”

• With objectives and with goals there should be no
room for error. The above examples can ONLY be
done correctly or incorrectly, not as a percentage of
accuracy.
• Therefore, does the writer actually mean
percentage of occasions that it will be done 100%
accurately.

Benchmarks/Objectives:
Be Sure to Identify what is Intended
• Often we write accuracy in a benchmark or objective but we
really mean the number of occasions that the student performs
a skill accurately.
• Criteria-Benchmarks/objectives can be measured in a variety
of ways:
– time/speed
– Accuracy
– Specific statements of measure
– And yes, sometimes percentages- but NOT ALWAYS!

Thank you for joining us!


Slide 5

From Gobbledygook
to
Clearly Written Annual IEP Goals

Nov./Dec. 2010

Accommodations –
Too Much of a Good Thing!
•

•

Only what the student needs on a daily basis
to access the general curriculum
Individualized to each student
– Re-evaluated each year!
– Not cookie-cutter!

•

Should pass “The Stranger Test”!

•

*sample accommodations

Accommodations vs. Modifications
• Accommodations
– Access general curriculum
– Do not take students off grade level
– Usually available in general ed. setting, and
could be available to any students

Accommodations vs. Modifications
• Modifications
– ACTUAL CHANGE to the curriculum (content,
delivery of instruction, methodology, and
performance criteria…Hint Hint, what does that
sound like?
– May take student off grade level
– Could take place in general ed. setting, but
could also take place in separate setting

Standard Accommodations:
Samples & Categories
• Setting
– Seating student near
teacher
– Seating student near
positive role model
– Avoid distracting stimuli
– Small groups

• Presentation
– Providing (reference sheets,
graphic organizers, copies
of notes, visual aids)
– Providing a written outline
– Simplifying directions
– Repeat verbal and written
directions to student
– Vary the format of the test

• Timing
– Giving extra time to complete
tasks
– Untimed assessments
– Frequent breaks

• Response
– Scribe
– Typed responses rather than
written
– Oral response

Specially Designed Instruction
a.k.a. MODIFICATIONS
• MUST BE IDENTIFIED ON AN IEP! (PLEP A&B)
• Specially Designed Instruction IS Special
Education.
• It is:

– Modifying the content, the methodology or the
performance criteria as appropriate to the needs of
the student
•
•
•
•

Address unique needs of student
Address child’s needs RELATED TO THE DISABILITY
Ensure access to general curriculum
Meet educational standards

Specially Designed Instruction
• 1) What type(s) of specially designed
instruction is necessary for the student to
make effective progress?

• One, two, or all three of the following areas
must be indentified for students determine
eligible for special education services:
– Content
– Methodology/Delivery of Instruction
– Performance Criteria

Specially Designed Instruction
• Content
– Identifies what the student MUST be taught
– IMPORTANT!
• When no content modifications are identified then the
assumption is that the student is working at grade level
responsibility for those curriculum areas NOT listed

– Curriculum modified for the provision of key facts and/or
concepts of grade level standards for the following
curriculum area (s)_________________
– Curriculum modified to focus on entry points of gradelevel standards for the following curriculum area
(s)_________________________________

Specially Designed Instruction
• Methodology/Delivery of Instruction
– Identifies how the student will be taught
(specialized, research-proven teaching
methods, groupings, therapies, or other
methods of instruction that the district needs
to provide to the student)
– EX: small group instruction, reduced
student/teacher ratio, instruction, specific
interventions, therapies, specialized reading
programs, DIRECT INSTRUCTION BY SPECIAL
EDUCATOR TO STUDENT ON HOW TO USE
AND IMPLEMENT ACCOMMODATIONS, hands
on activities

Specially Designed Instruction
• Performance Criteria
– How we know that that the student
learned it!
– Identifies how performance will be
evaluated differently than for other
students, based upon objective, not
subjective, criteria

Specially Designed Instruction
• Performance Criteria
– Examples
• Samples of student work will serve as the basis
for the determination of student performance
• Data collection based on (rubrics, checklists,
observations, etc)
• Weighted grading system (if grading will not be
modified, it is assumed that the student will be
graded the same as non-disabled peers
• Tests for Alternate subject material (based upon
content modifications identified earlier)

Current Levels of Performance
• Focus should be on what the student CAN
DO!
• This area will provide the blueprint for your
goal!
• Should provide quantifiable detail that
describes the student’s abilities/challenges

Current Performance:
Example
• When writing, Suzie writes sentences
approximately 3-8 words in length. She
often makes 4-5 errors with the spacing of
words, letter formation and spelling in a
single writing assignment. She has the
greatest success spelling sight words and
words that are part of her experiences. She
has difficulty with punctuation, either
omitting punctuation or inserting
punctuation out of place. The length of her
writings are generally about 4-5 sentences.

Current Performance:
Non-Example
• Johnny cannot remember or retrieve
what he has read or seen. After
reading grade level passages, he
cannot remember more than 3
elements from the reading. He is
unable to state the main idea of the
passage or sequence more than two
events.

Welcome to Day 2!
You made it!
GOALS & OBJECTIVES
• Should be DIRECTLY RELATED to the students CPL
(Current Performance Level)
• The goal MUST meet the following:
– It must be measurable
– It must tell what the student can reasonable
accomplish in this IEP year
– It must relate to helping the student be
successful in the general curriculum and/or
address other educational needs resulting from
the disability

Goal Focus
• The sources of potential goal focus
areas could be:
–
–
–
–
–
–

Parent/student concerns
Student strengths/challenges
Vision statement
Skills related to general curriculum
Other educational needs
Impact of the disability

Goals & Objectives :
A Fun Writing Activity!
• First choose your TOPIC (Goal Focus)

• Then, organize your thoughts into a
PARAGRAPH (CPL)
• Your paragraph should always contain a MAIN
IDEA (GOAL) and SUPPORTING DETAILS
(OBJECTIVES)

Goal Focus Areas
• Many IEP goal focus areas could be identified
from the following skill areas list:
–
–
–
–
–
–
–
–
–

Oral Expression
Listening Comprehension
Written Expression
Basic Reading Skills
Reading Comprehension
Mathematics Calculation
Mathematics Reasoning
Behavior
Social Skills

Goals & Objectives
• They need to be OBSERVABLE & MEASURABLE
– Question: How can I observe and measure how
Johnny “learned”?
Think about how you ALREADY observe and measure
your students, and use this information when
writing your goals/objectives!

Goals & Objectives
• If a student meets their goal,
CHANGE IT!
• If a student is still not making
progress or meeting their goal,
CHANGE IT!

A Measureable Annual Goal
Includes:
• an observable behavior,
• a criterion clearly stating how well, how
much or at what level the behavior is to be
performed
• The given or condition necessary.

Measurable Annual Goal
Target Behavior Condition Criteria
• When given a topic in History, Social Science,
ELA or Science and Technology, Jose will be
able to independently write a threeparagraph essay containing the required
elements: introduction, supporting details,
and conclusion.

• Nadia will identify types of sentences
(simple, compound, complex) when editing
scoring ¾ on the MCAS Scoring Guide for
Standard English Conventions.

Objectives/Benchmarks
• The focus of benchmark/objectives comes from the
details identified in the current performance level.
• Objectives must be measurable; describes a tangible
outcome. It must be visible or audible.
• They describe what you intend the student to
achieve.
• Benchmarks/objectives are made up of four parts:
– Condition- what an adult will do to have the skill occur
– Learner’s name- do not write “the student”
– Skill/performance or behavior- what the learner is
expected to do
– Criteria- how the skill will be measured, or when we know
that the learner has achieved or surpassed the expectation

Objectives/Benchmarks
• Avoid using percentages as the only way of
measuring success.
– “Suzie will cross the street with 80% accuracy”
– “Suzie will use a treadmill with 95% accuracy””
– “Given a list of sight words, Suzie will state them with 75%
accuracy.”
– “Suzie will make eye contact with 85% accuracy.”

• With objectives and with goals there should be no
room for error. The above examples can ONLY be
done correctly or incorrectly, not as a percentage of
accuracy.
• Therefore, does the writer actually mean
percentage of occasions that it will be done 100%
accurately.

Benchmarks/Objectives:
Be Sure to Identify what is Intended
• Often we write accuracy in a benchmark or objective but we
really mean the number of occasions that the student performs
a skill accurately.
• Criteria-Benchmarks/objectives can be measured in a variety
of ways:
– time/speed
– Accuracy
– Specific statements of measure
– And yes, sometimes percentages- but NOT ALWAYS!

Thank you for joining us!


Slide 6

From Gobbledygook
to
Clearly Written Annual IEP Goals

Nov./Dec. 2010

Accommodations –
Too Much of a Good Thing!
•

•

Only what the student needs on a daily basis
to access the general curriculum
Individualized to each student
– Re-evaluated each year!
– Not cookie-cutter!

•

Should pass “The Stranger Test”!

•

*sample accommodations

Accommodations vs. Modifications
• Accommodations
– Access general curriculum
– Do not take students off grade level
– Usually available in general ed. setting, and
could be available to any students

Accommodations vs. Modifications
• Modifications
– ACTUAL CHANGE to the curriculum (content,
delivery of instruction, methodology, and
performance criteria…Hint Hint, what does that
sound like?
– May take student off grade level
– Could take place in general ed. setting, but
could also take place in separate setting

Standard Accommodations:
Samples & Categories
• Setting
– Seating student near
teacher
– Seating student near
positive role model
– Avoid distracting stimuli
– Small groups

• Presentation
– Providing (reference sheets,
graphic organizers, copies
of notes, visual aids)
– Providing a written outline
– Simplifying directions
– Repeat verbal and written
directions to student
– Vary the format of the test

• Timing
– Giving extra time to complete
tasks
– Untimed assessments
– Frequent breaks

• Response
– Scribe
– Typed responses rather than
written
– Oral response

Specially Designed Instruction
a.k.a. MODIFICATIONS
• MUST BE IDENTIFIED ON AN IEP! (PLEP A&B)
• Specially Designed Instruction IS Special
Education.
• It is:

– Modifying the content, the methodology or the
performance criteria as appropriate to the needs of
the student
•
•
•
•

Address unique needs of student
Address child’s needs RELATED TO THE DISABILITY
Ensure access to general curriculum
Meet educational standards

Specially Designed Instruction
• 1) What type(s) of specially designed
instruction is necessary for the student to
make effective progress?

• One, two, or all three of the following areas
must be indentified for students determine
eligible for special education services:
– Content
– Methodology/Delivery of Instruction
– Performance Criteria

Specially Designed Instruction
• Content
– Identifies what the student MUST be taught
– IMPORTANT!
• When no content modifications are identified then the
assumption is that the student is working at grade level
responsibility for those curriculum areas NOT listed

– Curriculum modified for the provision of key facts and/or
concepts of grade level standards for the following
curriculum area (s)_________________
– Curriculum modified to focus on entry points of gradelevel standards for the following curriculum area
(s)_________________________________

Specially Designed Instruction
• Methodology/Delivery of Instruction
– Identifies how the student will be taught
(specialized, research-proven teaching
methods, groupings, therapies, or other
methods of instruction that the district needs
to provide to the student)
– EX: small group instruction, reduced
student/teacher ratio, instruction, specific
interventions, therapies, specialized reading
programs, DIRECT INSTRUCTION BY SPECIAL
EDUCATOR TO STUDENT ON HOW TO USE
AND IMPLEMENT ACCOMMODATIONS, hands
on activities

Specially Designed Instruction
• Performance Criteria
– How we know that that the student
learned it!
– Identifies how performance will be
evaluated differently than for other
students, based upon objective, not
subjective, criteria

Specially Designed Instruction
• Performance Criteria
– Examples
• Samples of student work will serve as the basis
for the determination of student performance
• Data collection based on (rubrics, checklists,
observations, etc)
• Weighted grading system (if grading will not be
modified, it is assumed that the student will be
graded the same as non-disabled peers
• Tests for Alternate subject material (based upon
content modifications identified earlier)

Current Levels of Performance
• Focus should be on what the student CAN
DO!
• This area will provide the blueprint for your
goal!
• Should provide quantifiable detail that
describes the student’s abilities/challenges

Current Performance:
Example
• When writing, Suzie writes sentences
approximately 3-8 words in length. She
often makes 4-5 errors with the spacing of
words, letter formation and spelling in a
single writing assignment. She has the
greatest success spelling sight words and
words that are part of her experiences. She
has difficulty with punctuation, either
omitting punctuation or inserting
punctuation out of place. The length of her
writings are generally about 4-5 sentences.

Current Performance:
Non-Example
• Johnny cannot remember or retrieve
what he has read or seen. After
reading grade level passages, he
cannot remember more than 3
elements from the reading. He is
unable to state the main idea of the
passage or sequence more than two
events.

Welcome to Day 2!
You made it!
GOALS & OBJECTIVES
• Should be DIRECTLY RELATED to the students CPL
(Current Performance Level)
• The goal MUST meet the following:
– It must be measurable
– It must tell what the student can reasonable
accomplish in this IEP year
– It must relate to helping the student be
successful in the general curriculum and/or
address other educational needs resulting from
the disability

Goal Focus
• The sources of potential goal focus
areas could be:
–
–
–
–
–
–

Parent/student concerns
Student strengths/challenges
Vision statement
Skills related to general curriculum
Other educational needs
Impact of the disability

Goals & Objectives :
A Fun Writing Activity!
• First choose your TOPIC (Goal Focus)

• Then, organize your thoughts into a
PARAGRAPH (CPL)
• Your paragraph should always contain a MAIN
IDEA (GOAL) and SUPPORTING DETAILS
(OBJECTIVES)

Goal Focus Areas
• Many IEP goal focus areas could be identified
from the following skill areas list:
–
–
–
–
–
–
–
–
–

Oral Expression
Listening Comprehension
Written Expression
Basic Reading Skills
Reading Comprehension
Mathematics Calculation
Mathematics Reasoning
Behavior
Social Skills

Goals & Objectives
• They need to be OBSERVABLE & MEASURABLE
– Question: How can I observe and measure how
Johnny “learned”?
Think about how you ALREADY observe and measure
your students, and use this information when
writing your goals/objectives!

Goals & Objectives
• If a student meets their goal,
CHANGE IT!
• If a student is still not making
progress or meeting their goal,
CHANGE IT!

A Measureable Annual Goal
Includes:
• an observable behavior,
• a criterion clearly stating how well, how
much or at what level the behavior is to be
performed
• The given or condition necessary.

Measurable Annual Goal
Target Behavior Condition Criteria
• When given a topic in History, Social Science,
ELA or Science and Technology, Jose will be
able to independently write a threeparagraph essay containing the required
elements: introduction, supporting details,
and conclusion.

• Nadia will identify types of sentences
(simple, compound, complex) when editing
scoring ¾ on the MCAS Scoring Guide for
Standard English Conventions.

Objectives/Benchmarks
• The focus of benchmark/objectives comes from the
details identified in the current performance level.
• Objectives must be measurable; describes a tangible
outcome. It must be visible or audible.
• They describe what you intend the student to
achieve.
• Benchmarks/objectives are made up of four parts:
– Condition- what an adult will do to have the skill occur
– Learner’s name- do not write “the student”
– Skill/performance or behavior- what the learner is
expected to do
– Criteria- how the skill will be measured, or when we know
that the learner has achieved or surpassed the expectation

Objectives/Benchmarks
• Avoid using percentages as the only way of
measuring success.
– “Suzie will cross the street with 80% accuracy”
– “Suzie will use a treadmill with 95% accuracy””
– “Given a list of sight words, Suzie will state them with 75%
accuracy.”
– “Suzie will make eye contact with 85% accuracy.”

• With objectives and with goals there should be no
room for error. The above examples can ONLY be
done correctly or incorrectly, not as a percentage of
accuracy.
• Therefore, does the writer actually mean
percentage of occasions that it will be done 100%
accurately.

Benchmarks/Objectives:
Be Sure to Identify what is Intended
• Often we write accuracy in a benchmark or objective but we
really mean the number of occasions that the student performs
a skill accurately.
• Criteria-Benchmarks/objectives can be measured in a variety
of ways:
– time/speed
– Accuracy
– Specific statements of measure
– And yes, sometimes percentages- but NOT ALWAYS!

Thank you for joining us!


Slide 7

From Gobbledygook
to
Clearly Written Annual IEP Goals

Nov./Dec. 2010

Accommodations –
Too Much of a Good Thing!
•

•

Only what the student needs on a daily basis
to access the general curriculum
Individualized to each student
– Re-evaluated each year!
– Not cookie-cutter!

•

Should pass “The Stranger Test”!

•

*sample accommodations

Accommodations vs. Modifications
• Accommodations
– Access general curriculum
– Do not take students off grade level
– Usually available in general ed. setting, and
could be available to any students

Accommodations vs. Modifications
• Modifications
– ACTUAL CHANGE to the curriculum (content,
delivery of instruction, methodology, and
performance criteria…Hint Hint, what does that
sound like?
– May take student off grade level
– Could take place in general ed. setting, but
could also take place in separate setting

Standard Accommodations:
Samples & Categories
• Setting
– Seating student near
teacher
– Seating student near
positive role model
– Avoid distracting stimuli
– Small groups

• Presentation
– Providing (reference sheets,
graphic organizers, copies
of notes, visual aids)
– Providing a written outline
– Simplifying directions
– Repeat verbal and written
directions to student
– Vary the format of the test

• Timing
– Giving extra time to complete
tasks
– Untimed assessments
– Frequent breaks

• Response
– Scribe
– Typed responses rather than
written
– Oral response

Specially Designed Instruction
a.k.a. MODIFICATIONS
• MUST BE IDENTIFIED ON AN IEP! (PLEP A&B)
• Specially Designed Instruction IS Special
Education.
• It is:

– Modifying the content, the methodology or the
performance criteria as appropriate to the needs of
the student
•
•
•
•

Address unique needs of student
Address child’s needs RELATED TO THE DISABILITY
Ensure access to general curriculum
Meet educational standards

Specially Designed Instruction
• 1) What type(s) of specially designed
instruction is necessary for the student to
make effective progress?

• One, two, or all three of the following areas
must be indentified for students determine
eligible for special education services:
– Content
– Methodology/Delivery of Instruction
– Performance Criteria

Specially Designed Instruction
• Content
– Identifies what the student MUST be taught
– IMPORTANT!
• When no content modifications are identified then the
assumption is that the student is working at grade level
responsibility for those curriculum areas NOT listed

– Curriculum modified for the provision of key facts and/or
concepts of grade level standards for the following
curriculum area (s)_________________
– Curriculum modified to focus on entry points of gradelevel standards for the following curriculum area
(s)_________________________________

Specially Designed Instruction
• Methodology/Delivery of Instruction
– Identifies how the student will be taught
(specialized, research-proven teaching
methods, groupings, therapies, or other
methods of instruction that the district needs
to provide to the student)
– EX: small group instruction, reduced
student/teacher ratio, instruction, specific
interventions, therapies, specialized reading
programs, DIRECT INSTRUCTION BY SPECIAL
EDUCATOR TO STUDENT ON HOW TO USE
AND IMPLEMENT ACCOMMODATIONS, hands
on activities

Specially Designed Instruction
• Performance Criteria
– How we know that that the student
learned it!
– Identifies how performance will be
evaluated differently than for other
students, based upon objective, not
subjective, criteria

Specially Designed Instruction
• Performance Criteria
– Examples
• Samples of student work will serve as the basis
for the determination of student performance
• Data collection based on (rubrics, checklists,
observations, etc)
• Weighted grading system (if grading will not be
modified, it is assumed that the student will be
graded the same as non-disabled peers
• Tests for Alternate subject material (based upon
content modifications identified earlier)

Current Levels of Performance
• Focus should be on what the student CAN
DO!
• This area will provide the blueprint for your
goal!
• Should provide quantifiable detail that
describes the student’s abilities/challenges

Current Performance:
Example
• When writing, Suzie writes sentences
approximately 3-8 words in length. She
often makes 4-5 errors with the spacing of
words, letter formation and spelling in a
single writing assignment. She has the
greatest success spelling sight words and
words that are part of her experiences. She
has difficulty with punctuation, either
omitting punctuation or inserting
punctuation out of place. The length of her
writings are generally about 4-5 sentences.

Current Performance:
Non-Example
• Johnny cannot remember or retrieve
what he has read or seen. After
reading grade level passages, he
cannot remember more than 3
elements from the reading. He is
unable to state the main idea of the
passage or sequence more than two
events.

Welcome to Day 2!
You made it!
GOALS & OBJECTIVES
• Should be DIRECTLY RELATED to the students CPL
(Current Performance Level)
• The goal MUST meet the following:
– It must be measurable
– It must tell what the student can reasonable
accomplish in this IEP year
– It must relate to helping the student be
successful in the general curriculum and/or
address other educational needs resulting from
the disability

Goal Focus
• The sources of potential goal focus
areas could be:
–
–
–
–
–
–

Parent/student concerns
Student strengths/challenges
Vision statement
Skills related to general curriculum
Other educational needs
Impact of the disability

Goals & Objectives :
A Fun Writing Activity!
• First choose your TOPIC (Goal Focus)

• Then, organize your thoughts into a
PARAGRAPH (CPL)
• Your paragraph should always contain a MAIN
IDEA (GOAL) and SUPPORTING DETAILS
(OBJECTIVES)

Goal Focus Areas
• Many IEP goal focus areas could be identified
from the following skill areas list:
–
–
–
–
–
–
–
–
–

Oral Expression
Listening Comprehension
Written Expression
Basic Reading Skills
Reading Comprehension
Mathematics Calculation
Mathematics Reasoning
Behavior
Social Skills

Goals & Objectives
• They need to be OBSERVABLE & MEASURABLE
– Question: How can I observe and measure how
Johnny “learned”?
Think about how you ALREADY observe and measure
your students, and use this information when
writing your goals/objectives!

Goals & Objectives
• If a student meets their goal,
CHANGE IT!
• If a student is still not making
progress or meeting their goal,
CHANGE IT!

A Measureable Annual Goal
Includes:
• an observable behavior,
• a criterion clearly stating how well, how
much or at what level the behavior is to be
performed
• The given or condition necessary.

Measurable Annual Goal
Target Behavior Condition Criteria
• When given a topic in History, Social Science,
ELA or Science and Technology, Jose will be
able to independently write a threeparagraph essay containing the required
elements: introduction, supporting details,
and conclusion.

• Nadia will identify types of sentences
(simple, compound, complex) when editing
scoring ¾ on the MCAS Scoring Guide for
Standard English Conventions.

Objectives/Benchmarks
• The focus of benchmark/objectives comes from the
details identified in the current performance level.
• Objectives must be measurable; describes a tangible
outcome. It must be visible or audible.
• They describe what you intend the student to
achieve.
• Benchmarks/objectives are made up of four parts:
– Condition- what an adult will do to have the skill occur
– Learner’s name- do not write “the student”
– Skill/performance or behavior- what the learner is
expected to do
– Criteria- how the skill will be measured, or when we know
that the learner has achieved or surpassed the expectation

Objectives/Benchmarks
• Avoid using percentages as the only way of
measuring success.
– “Suzie will cross the street with 80% accuracy”
– “Suzie will use a treadmill with 95% accuracy””
– “Given a list of sight words, Suzie will state them with 75%
accuracy.”
– “Suzie will make eye contact with 85% accuracy.”

• With objectives and with goals there should be no
room for error. The above examples can ONLY be
done correctly or incorrectly, not as a percentage of
accuracy.
• Therefore, does the writer actually mean
percentage of occasions that it will be done 100%
accurately.

Benchmarks/Objectives:
Be Sure to Identify what is Intended
• Often we write accuracy in a benchmark or objective but we
really mean the number of occasions that the student performs
a skill accurately.
• Criteria-Benchmarks/objectives can be measured in a variety
of ways:
– time/speed
– Accuracy
– Specific statements of measure
– And yes, sometimes percentages- but NOT ALWAYS!

Thank you for joining us!


Slide 8

From Gobbledygook
to
Clearly Written Annual IEP Goals

Nov./Dec. 2010

Accommodations –
Too Much of a Good Thing!
•

•

Only what the student needs on a daily basis
to access the general curriculum
Individualized to each student
– Re-evaluated each year!
– Not cookie-cutter!

•

Should pass “The Stranger Test”!

•

*sample accommodations

Accommodations vs. Modifications
• Accommodations
– Access general curriculum
– Do not take students off grade level
– Usually available in general ed. setting, and
could be available to any students

Accommodations vs. Modifications
• Modifications
– ACTUAL CHANGE to the curriculum (content,
delivery of instruction, methodology, and
performance criteria…Hint Hint, what does that
sound like?
– May take student off grade level
– Could take place in general ed. setting, but
could also take place in separate setting

Standard Accommodations:
Samples & Categories
• Setting
– Seating student near
teacher
– Seating student near
positive role model
– Avoid distracting stimuli
– Small groups

• Presentation
– Providing (reference sheets,
graphic organizers, copies
of notes, visual aids)
– Providing a written outline
– Simplifying directions
– Repeat verbal and written
directions to student
– Vary the format of the test

• Timing
– Giving extra time to complete
tasks
– Untimed assessments
– Frequent breaks

• Response
– Scribe
– Typed responses rather than
written
– Oral response

Specially Designed Instruction
a.k.a. MODIFICATIONS
• MUST BE IDENTIFIED ON AN IEP! (PLEP A&B)
• Specially Designed Instruction IS Special
Education.
• It is:

– Modifying the content, the methodology or the
performance criteria as appropriate to the needs of
the student
•
•
•
•

Address unique needs of student
Address child’s needs RELATED TO THE DISABILITY
Ensure access to general curriculum
Meet educational standards

Specially Designed Instruction
• 1) What type(s) of specially designed
instruction is necessary for the student to
make effective progress?

• One, two, or all three of the following areas
must be indentified for students determine
eligible for special education services:
– Content
– Methodology/Delivery of Instruction
– Performance Criteria

Specially Designed Instruction
• Content
– Identifies what the student MUST be taught
– IMPORTANT!
• When no content modifications are identified then the
assumption is that the student is working at grade level
responsibility for those curriculum areas NOT listed

– Curriculum modified for the provision of key facts and/or
concepts of grade level standards for the following
curriculum area (s)_________________
– Curriculum modified to focus on entry points of gradelevel standards for the following curriculum area
(s)_________________________________

Specially Designed Instruction
• Methodology/Delivery of Instruction
– Identifies how the student will be taught
(specialized, research-proven teaching
methods, groupings, therapies, or other
methods of instruction that the district needs
to provide to the student)
– EX: small group instruction, reduced
student/teacher ratio, instruction, specific
interventions, therapies, specialized reading
programs, DIRECT INSTRUCTION BY SPECIAL
EDUCATOR TO STUDENT ON HOW TO USE
AND IMPLEMENT ACCOMMODATIONS, hands
on activities

Specially Designed Instruction
• Performance Criteria
– How we know that that the student
learned it!
– Identifies how performance will be
evaluated differently than for other
students, based upon objective, not
subjective, criteria

Specially Designed Instruction
• Performance Criteria
– Examples
• Samples of student work will serve as the basis
for the determination of student performance
• Data collection based on (rubrics, checklists,
observations, etc)
• Weighted grading system (if grading will not be
modified, it is assumed that the student will be
graded the same as non-disabled peers
• Tests for Alternate subject material (based upon
content modifications identified earlier)

Current Levels of Performance
• Focus should be on what the student CAN
DO!
• This area will provide the blueprint for your
goal!
• Should provide quantifiable detail that
describes the student’s abilities/challenges

Current Performance:
Example
• When writing, Suzie writes sentences
approximately 3-8 words in length. She
often makes 4-5 errors with the spacing of
words, letter formation and spelling in a
single writing assignment. She has the
greatest success spelling sight words and
words that are part of her experiences. She
has difficulty with punctuation, either
omitting punctuation or inserting
punctuation out of place. The length of her
writings are generally about 4-5 sentences.

Current Performance:
Non-Example
• Johnny cannot remember or retrieve
what he has read or seen. After
reading grade level passages, he
cannot remember more than 3
elements from the reading. He is
unable to state the main idea of the
passage or sequence more than two
events.

Welcome to Day 2!
You made it!
GOALS & OBJECTIVES
• Should be DIRECTLY RELATED to the students CPL
(Current Performance Level)
• The goal MUST meet the following:
– It must be measurable
– It must tell what the student can reasonable
accomplish in this IEP year
– It must relate to helping the student be
successful in the general curriculum and/or
address other educational needs resulting from
the disability

Goal Focus
• The sources of potential goal focus
areas could be:
–
–
–
–
–
–

Parent/student concerns
Student strengths/challenges
Vision statement
Skills related to general curriculum
Other educational needs
Impact of the disability

Goals & Objectives :
A Fun Writing Activity!
• First choose your TOPIC (Goal Focus)

• Then, organize your thoughts into a
PARAGRAPH (CPL)
• Your paragraph should always contain a MAIN
IDEA (GOAL) and SUPPORTING DETAILS
(OBJECTIVES)

Goal Focus Areas
• Many IEP goal focus areas could be identified
from the following skill areas list:
–
–
–
–
–
–
–
–
–

Oral Expression
Listening Comprehension
Written Expression
Basic Reading Skills
Reading Comprehension
Mathematics Calculation
Mathematics Reasoning
Behavior
Social Skills

Goals & Objectives
• They need to be OBSERVABLE & MEASURABLE
– Question: How can I observe and measure how
Johnny “learned”?
Think about how you ALREADY observe and measure
your students, and use this information when
writing your goals/objectives!

Goals & Objectives
• If a student meets their goal,
CHANGE IT!
• If a student is still not making
progress or meeting their goal,
CHANGE IT!

A Measureable Annual Goal
Includes:
• an observable behavior,
• a criterion clearly stating how well, how
much or at what level the behavior is to be
performed
• The given or condition necessary.

Measurable Annual Goal
Target Behavior Condition Criteria
• When given a topic in History, Social Science,
ELA or Science and Technology, Jose will be
able to independently write a threeparagraph essay containing the required
elements: introduction, supporting details,
and conclusion.

• Nadia will identify types of sentences
(simple, compound, complex) when editing
scoring ¾ on the MCAS Scoring Guide for
Standard English Conventions.

Objectives/Benchmarks
• The focus of benchmark/objectives comes from the
details identified in the current performance level.
• Objectives must be measurable; describes a tangible
outcome. It must be visible or audible.
• They describe what you intend the student to
achieve.
• Benchmarks/objectives are made up of four parts:
– Condition- what an adult will do to have the skill occur
– Learner’s name- do not write “the student”
– Skill/performance or behavior- what the learner is
expected to do
– Criteria- how the skill will be measured, or when we know
that the learner has achieved or surpassed the expectation

Objectives/Benchmarks
• Avoid using percentages as the only way of
measuring success.
– “Suzie will cross the street with 80% accuracy”
– “Suzie will use a treadmill with 95% accuracy””
– “Given a list of sight words, Suzie will state them with 75%
accuracy.”
– “Suzie will make eye contact with 85% accuracy.”

• With objectives and with goals there should be no
room for error. The above examples can ONLY be
done correctly or incorrectly, not as a percentage of
accuracy.
• Therefore, does the writer actually mean
percentage of occasions that it will be done 100%
accurately.

Benchmarks/Objectives:
Be Sure to Identify what is Intended
• Often we write accuracy in a benchmark or objective but we
really mean the number of occasions that the student performs
a skill accurately.
• Criteria-Benchmarks/objectives can be measured in a variety
of ways:
– time/speed
– Accuracy
– Specific statements of measure
– And yes, sometimes percentages- but NOT ALWAYS!

Thank you for joining us!


Slide 9

From Gobbledygook
to
Clearly Written Annual IEP Goals

Nov./Dec. 2010

Accommodations –
Too Much of a Good Thing!
•

•

Only what the student needs on a daily basis
to access the general curriculum
Individualized to each student
– Re-evaluated each year!
– Not cookie-cutter!

•

Should pass “The Stranger Test”!

•

*sample accommodations

Accommodations vs. Modifications
• Accommodations
– Access general curriculum
– Do not take students off grade level
– Usually available in general ed. setting, and
could be available to any students

Accommodations vs. Modifications
• Modifications
– ACTUAL CHANGE to the curriculum (content,
delivery of instruction, methodology, and
performance criteria…Hint Hint, what does that
sound like?
– May take student off grade level
– Could take place in general ed. setting, but
could also take place in separate setting

Standard Accommodations:
Samples & Categories
• Setting
– Seating student near
teacher
– Seating student near
positive role model
– Avoid distracting stimuli
– Small groups

• Presentation
– Providing (reference sheets,
graphic organizers, copies
of notes, visual aids)
– Providing a written outline
– Simplifying directions
– Repeat verbal and written
directions to student
– Vary the format of the test

• Timing
– Giving extra time to complete
tasks
– Untimed assessments
– Frequent breaks

• Response
– Scribe
– Typed responses rather than
written
– Oral response

Specially Designed Instruction
a.k.a. MODIFICATIONS
• MUST BE IDENTIFIED ON AN IEP! (PLEP A&B)
• Specially Designed Instruction IS Special
Education.
• It is:

– Modifying the content, the methodology or the
performance criteria as appropriate to the needs of
the student
•
•
•
•

Address unique needs of student
Address child’s needs RELATED TO THE DISABILITY
Ensure access to general curriculum
Meet educational standards

Specially Designed Instruction
• 1) What type(s) of specially designed
instruction is necessary for the student to
make effective progress?

• One, two, or all three of the following areas
must be indentified for students determine
eligible for special education services:
– Content
– Methodology/Delivery of Instruction
– Performance Criteria

Specially Designed Instruction
• Content
– Identifies what the student MUST be taught
– IMPORTANT!
• When no content modifications are identified then the
assumption is that the student is working at grade level
responsibility for those curriculum areas NOT listed

– Curriculum modified for the provision of key facts and/or
concepts of grade level standards for the following
curriculum area (s)_________________
– Curriculum modified to focus on entry points of gradelevel standards for the following curriculum area
(s)_________________________________

Specially Designed Instruction
• Methodology/Delivery of Instruction
– Identifies how the student will be taught
(specialized, research-proven teaching
methods, groupings, therapies, or other
methods of instruction that the district needs
to provide to the student)
– EX: small group instruction, reduced
student/teacher ratio, instruction, specific
interventions, therapies, specialized reading
programs, DIRECT INSTRUCTION BY SPECIAL
EDUCATOR TO STUDENT ON HOW TO USE
AND IMPLEMENT ACCOMMODATIONS, hands
on activities

Specially Designed Instruction
• Performance Criteria
– How we know that that the student
learned it!
– Identifies how performance will be
evaluated differently than for other
students, based upon objective, not
subjective, criteria

Specially Designed Instruction
• Performance Criteria
– Examples
• Samples of student work will serve as the basis
for the determination of student performance
• Data collection based on (rubrics, checklists,
observations, etc)
• Weighted grading system (if grading will not be
modified, it is assumed that the student will be
graded the same as non-disabled peers
• Tests for Alternate subject material (based upon
content modifications identified earlier)

Current Levels of Performance
• Focus should be on what the student CAN
DO!
• This area will provide the blueprint for your
goal!
• Should provide quantifiable detail that
describes the student’s abilities/challenges

Current Performance:
Example
• When writing, Suzie writes sentences
approximately 3-8 words in length. She
often makes 4-5 errors with the spacing of
words, letter formation and spelling in a
single writing assignment. She has the
greatest success spelling sight words and
words that are part of her experiences. She
has difficulty with punctuation, either
omitting punctuation or inserting
punctuation out of place. The length of her
writings are generally about 4-5 sentences.

Current Performance:
Non-Example
• Johnny cannot remember or retrieve
what he has read or seen. After
reading grade level passages, he
cannot remember more than 3
elements from the reading. He is
unable to state the main idea of the
passage or sequence more than two
events.

Welcome to Day 2!
You made it!
GOALS & OBJECTIVES
• Should be DIRECTLY RELATED to the students CPL
(Current Performance Level)
• The goal MUST meet the following:
– It must be measurable
– It must tell what the student can reasonable
accomplish in this IEP year
– It must relate to helping the student be
successful in the general curriculum and/or
address other educational needs resulting from
the disability

Goal Focus
• The sources of potential goal focus
areas could be:
–
–
–
–
–
–

Parent/student concerns
Student strengths/challenges
Vision statement
Skills related to general curriculum
Other educational needs
Impact of the disability

Goals & Objectives :
A Fun Writing Activity!
• First choose your TOPIC (Goal Focus)

• Then, organize your thoughts into a
PARAGRAPH (CPL)
• Your paragraph should always contain a MAIN
IDEA (GOAL) and SUPPORTING DETAILS
(OBJECTIVES)

Goal Focus Areas
• Many IEP goal focus areas could be identified
from the following skill areas list:
–
–
–
–
–
–
–
–
–

Oral Expression
Listening Comprehension
Written Expression
Basic Reading Skills
Reading Comprehension
Mathematics Calculation
Mathematics Reasoning
Behavior
Social Skills

Goals & Objectives
• They need to be OBSERVABLE & MEASURABLE
– Question: How can I observe and measure how
Johnny “learned”?
Think about how you ALREADY observe and measure
your students, and use this information when
writing your goals/objectives!

Goals & Objectives
• If a student meets their goal,
CHANGE IT!
• If a student is still not making
progress or meeting their goal,
CHANGE IT!

A Measureable Annual Goal
Includes:
• an observable behavior,
• a criterion clearly stating how well, how
much or at what level the behavior is to be
performed
• The given or condition necessary.

Measurable Annual Goal
Target Behavior Condition Criteria
• When given a topic in History, Social Science,
ELA or Science and Technology, Jose will be
able to independently write a threeparagraph essay containing the required
elements: introduction, supporting details,
and conclusion.

• Nadia will identify types of sentences
(simple, compound, complex) when editing
scoring ¾ on the MCAS Scoring Guide for
Standard English Conventions.

Objectives/Benchmarks
• The focus of benchmark/objectives comes from the
details identified in the current performance level.
• Objectives must be measurable; describes a tangible
outcome. It must be visible or audible.
• They describe what you intend the student to
achieve.
• Benchmarks/objectives are made up of four parts:
– Condition- what an adult will do to have the skill occur
– Learner’s name- do not write “the student”
– Skill/performance or behavior- what the learner is
expected to do
– Criteria- how the skill will be measured, or when we know
that the learner has achieved or surpassed the expectation

Objectives/Benchmarks
• Avoid using percentages as the only way of
measuring success.
– “Suzie will cross the street with 80% accuracy”
– “Suzie will use a treadmill with 95% accuracy””
– “Given a list of sight words, Suzie will state them with 75%
accuracy.”
– “Suzie will make eye contact with 85% accuracy.”

• With objectives and with goals there should be no
room for error. The above examples can ONLY be
done correctly or incorrectly, not as a percentage of
accuracy.
• Therefore, does the writer actually mean
percentage of occasions that it will be done 100%
accurately.

Benchmarks/Objectives:
Be Sure to Identify what is Intended
• Often we write accuracy in a benchmark or objective but we
really mean the number of occasions that the student performs
a skill accurately.
• Criteria-Benchmarks/objectives can be measured in a variety
of ways:
– time/speed
– Accuracy
– Specific statements of measure
– And yes, sometimes percentages- but NOT ALWAYS!

Thank you for joining us!


Slide 10

From Gobbledygook
to
Clearly Written Annual IEP Goals

Nov./Dec. 2010

Accommodations –
Too Much of a Good Thing!
•

•

Only what the student needs on a daily basis
to access the general curriculum
Individualized to each student
– Re-evaluated each year!
– Not cookie-cutter!

•

Should pass “The Stranger Test”!

•

*sample accommodations

Accommodations vs. Modifications
• Accommodations
– Access general curriculum
– Do not take students off grade level
– Usually available in general ed. setting, and
could be available to any students

Accommodations vs. Modifications
• Modifications
– ACTUAL CHANGE to the curriculum (content,
delivery of instruction, methodology, and
performance criteria…Hint Hint, what does that
sound like?
– May take student off grade level
– Could take place in general ed. setting, but
could also take place in separate setting

Standard Accommodations:
Samples & Categories
• Setting
– Seating student near
teacher
– Seating student near
positive role model
– Avoid distracting stimuli
– Small groups

• Presentation
– Providing (reference sheets,
graphic organizers, copies
of notes, visual aids)
– Providing a written outline
– Simplifying directions
– Repeat verbal and written
directions to student
– Vary the format of the test

• Timing
– Giving extra time to complete
tasks
– Untimed assessments
– Frequent breaks

• Response
– Scribe
– Typed responses rather than
written
– Oral response

Specially Designed Instruction
a.k.a. MODIFICATIONS
• MUST BE IDENTIFIED ON AN IEP! (PLEP A&B)
• Specially Designed Instruction IS Special
Education.
• It is:

– Modifying the content, the methodology or the
performance criteria as appropriate to the needs of
the student
•
•
•
•

Address unique needs of student
Address child’s needs RELATED TO THE DISABILITY
Ensure access to general curriculum
Meet educational standards

Specially Designed Instruction
• 1) What type(s) of specially designed
instruction is necessary for the student to
make effective progress?

• One, two, or all three of the following areas
must be indentified for students determine
eligible for special education services:
– Content
– Methodology/Delivery of Instruction
– Performance Criteria

Specially Designed Instruction
• Content
– Identifies what the student MUST be taught
– IMPORTANT!
• When no content modifications are identified then the
assumption is that the student is working at grade level
responsibility for those curriculum areas NOT listed

– Curriculum modified for the provision of key facts and/or
concepts of grade level standards for the following
curriculum area (s)_________________
– Curriculum modified to focus on entry points of gradelevel standards for the following curriculum area
(s)_________________________________

Specially Designed Instruction
• Methodology/Delivery of Instruction
– Identifies how the student will be taught
(specialized, research-proven teaching
methods, groupings, therapies, or other
methods of instruction that the district needs
to provide to the student)
– EX: small group instruction, reduced
student/teacher ratio, instruction, specific
interventions, therapies, specialized reading
programs, DIRECT INSTRUCTION BY SPECIAL
EDUCATOR TO STUDENT ON HOW TO USE
AND IMPLEMENT ACCOMMODATIONS, hands
on activities

Specially Designed Instruction
• Performance Criteria
– How we know that that the student
learned it!
– Identifies how performance will be
evaluated differently than for other
students, based upon objective, not
subjective, criteria

Specially Designed Instruction
• Performance Criteria
– Examples
• Samples of student work will serve as the basis
for the determination of student performance
• Data collection based on (rubrics, checklists,
observations, etc)
• Weighted grading system (if grading will not be
modified, it is assumed that the student will be
graded the same as non-disabled peers
• Tests for Alternate subject material (based upon
content modifications identified earlier)

Current Levels of Performance
• Focus should be on what the student CAN
DO!
• This area will provide the blueprint for your
goal!
• Should provide quantifiable detail that
describes the student’s abilities/challenges

Current Performance:
Example
• When writing, Suzie writes sentences
approximately 3-8 words in length. She
often makes 4-5 errors with the spacing of
words, letter formation and spelling in a
single writing assignment. She has the
greatest success spelling sight words and
words that are part of her experiences. She
has difficulty with punctuation, either
omitting punctuation or inserting
punctuation out of place. The length of her
writings are generally about 4-5 sentences.

Current Performance:
Non-Example
• Johnny cannot remember or retrieve
what he has read or seen. After
reading grade level passages, he
cannot remember more than 3
elements from the reading. He is
unable to state the main idea of the
passage or sequence more than two
events.

Welcome to Day 2!
You made it!
GOALS & OBJECTIVES
• Should be DIRECTLY RELATED to the students CPL
(Current Performance Level)
• The goal MUST meet the following:
– It must be measurable
– It must tell what the student can reasonable
accomplish in this IEP year
– It must relate to helping the student be
successful in the general curriculum and/or
address other educational needs resulting from
the disability

Goal Focus
• The sources of potential goal focus
areas could be:
–
–
–
–
–
–

Parent/student concerns
Student strengths/challenges
Vision statement
Skills related to general curriculum
Other educational needs
Impact of the disability

Goals & Objectives :
A Fun Writing Activity!
• First choose your TOPIC (Goal Focus)

• Then, organize your thoughts into a
PARAGRAPH (CPL)
• Your paragraph should always contain a MAIN
IDEA (GOAL) and SUPPORTING DETAILS
(OBJECTIVES)

Goal Focus Areas
• Many IEP goal focus areas could be identified
from the following skill areas list:
–
–
–
–
–
–
–
–
–

Oral Expression
Listening Comprehension
Written Expression
Basic Reading Skills
Reading Comprehension
Mathematics Calculation
Mathematics Reasoning
Behavior
Social Skills

Goals & Objectives
• They need to be OBSERVABLE & MEASURABLE
– Question: How can I observe and measure how
Johnny “learned”?
Think about how you ALREADY observe and measure
your students, and use this information when
writing your goals/objectives!

Goals & Objectives
• If a student meets their goal,
CHANGE IT!
• If a student is still not making
progress or meeting their goal,
CHANGE IT!

A Measureable Annual Goal
Includes:
• an observable behavior,
• a criterion clearly stating how well, how
much or at what level the behavior is to be
performed
• The given or condition necessary.

Measurable Annual Goal
Target Behavior Condition Criteria
• When given a topic in History, Social Science,
ELA or Science and Technology, Jose will be
able to independently write a threeparagraph essay containing the required
elements: introduction, supporting details,
and conclusion.

• Nadia will identify types of sentences
(simple, compound, complex) when editing
scoring ¾ on the MCAS Scoring Guide for
Standard English Conventions.

Objectives/Benchmarks
• The focus of benchmark/objectives comes from the
details identified in the current performance level.
• Objectives must be measurable; describes a tangible
outcome. It must be visible or audible.
• They describe what you intend the student to
achieve.
• Benchmarks/objectives are made up of four parts:
– Condition- what an adult will do to have the skill occur
– Learner’s name- do not write “the student”
– Skill/performance or behavior- what the learner is
expected to do
– Criteria- how the skill will be measured, or when we know
that the learner has achieved or surpassed the expectation

Objectives/Benchmarks
• Avoid using percentages as the only way of
measuring success.
– “Suzie will cross the street with 80% accuracy”
– “Suzie will use a treadmill with 95% accuracy””
– “Given a list of sight words, Suzie will state them with 75%
accuracy.”
– “Suzie will make eye contact with 85% accuracy.”

• With objectives and with goals there should be no
room for error. The above examples can ONLY be
done correctly or incorrectly, not as a percentage of
accuracy.
• Therefore, does the writer actually mean
percentage of occasions that it will be done 100%
accurately.

Benchmarks/Objectives:
Be Sure to Identify what is Intended
• Often we write accuracy in a benchmark or objective but we
really mean the number of occasions that the student performs
a skill accurately.
• Criteria-Benchmarks/objectives can be measured in a variety
of ways:
– time/speed
– Accuracy
– Specific statements of measure
– And yes, sometimes percentages- but NOT ALWAYS!

Thank you for joining us!


Slide 11

From Gobbledygook
to
Clearly Written Annual IEP Goals

Nov./Dec. 2010

Accommodations –
Too Much of a Good Thing!
•

•

Only what the student needs on a daily basis
to access the general curriculum
Individualized to each student
– Re-evaluated each year!
– Not cookie-cutter!

•

Should pass “The Stranger Test”!

•

*sample accommodations

Accommodations vs. Modifications
• Accommodations
– Access general curriculum
– Do not take students off grade level
– Usually available in general ed. setting, and
could be available to any students

Accommodations vs. Modifications
• Modifications
– ACTUAL CHANGE to the curriculum (content,
delivery of instruction, methodology, and
performance criteria…Hint Hint, what does that
sound like?
– May take student off grade level
– Could take place in general ed. setting, but
could also take place in separate setting

Standard Accommodations:
Samples & Categories
• Setting
– Seating student near
teacher
– Seating student near
positive role model
– Avoid distracting stimuli
– Small groups

• Presentation
– Providing (reference sheets,
graphic organizers, copies
of notes, visual aids)
– Providing a written outline
– Simplifying directions
– Repeat verbal and written
directions to student
– Vary the format of the test

• Timing
– Giving extra time to complete
tasks
– Untimed assessments
– Frequent breaks

• Response
– Scribe
– Typed responses rather than
written
– Oral response

Specially Designed Instruction
a.k.a. MODIFICATIONS
• MUST BE IDENTIFIED ON AN IEP! (PLEP A&B)
• Specially Designed Instruction IS Special
Education.
• It is:

– Modifying the content, the methodology or the
performance criteria as appropriate to the needs of
the student
•
•
•
•

Address unique needs of student
Address child’s needs RELATED TO THE DISABILITY
Ensure access to general curriculum
Meet educational standards

Specially Designed Instruction
• 1) What type(s) of specially designed
instruction is necessary for the student to
make effective progress?

• One, two, or all three of the following areas
must be indentified for students determine
eligible for special education services:
– Content
– Methodology/Delivery of Instruction
– Performance Criteria

Specially Designed Instruction
• Content
– Identifies what the student MUST be taught
– IMPORTANT!
• When no content modifications are identified then the
assumption is that the student is working at grade level
responsibility for those curriculum areas NOT listed

– Curriculum modified for the provision of key facts and/or
concepts of grade level standards for the following
curriculum area (s)_________________
– Curriculum modified to focus on entry points of gradelevel standards for the following curriculum area
(s)_________________________________

Specially Designed Instruction
• Methodology/Delivery of Instruction
– Identifies how the student will be taught
(specialized, research-proven teaching
methods, groupings, therapies, or other
methods of instruction that the district needs
to provide to the student)
– EX: small group instruction, reduced
student/teacher ratio, instruction, specific
interventions, therapies, specialized reading
programs, DIRECT INSTRUCTION BY SPECIAL
EDUCATOR TO STUDENT ON HOW TO USE
AND IMPLEMENT ACCOMMODATIONS, hands
on activities

Specially Designed Instruction
• Performance Criteria
– How we know that that the student
learned it!
– Identifies how performance will be
evaluated differently than for other
students, based upon objective, not
subjective, criteria

Specially Designed Instruction
• Performance Criteria
– Examples
• Samples of student work will serve as the basis
for the determination of student performance
• Data collection based on (rubrics, checklists,
observations, etc)
• Weighted grading system (if grading will not be
modified, it is assumed that the student will be
graded the same as non-disabled peers
• Tests for Alternate subject material (based upon
content modifications identified earlier)

Current Levels of Performance
• Focus should be on what the student CAN
DO!
• This area will provide the blueprint for your
goal!
• Should provide quantifiable detail that
describes the student’s abilities/challenges

Current Performance:
Example
• When writing, Suzie writes sentences
approximately 3-8 words in length. She
often makes 4-5 errors with the spacing of
words, letter formation and spelling in a
single writing assignment. She has the
greatest success spelling sight words and
words that are part of her experiences. She
has difficulty with punctuation, either
omitting punctuation or inserting
punctuation out of place. The length of her
writings are generally about 4-5 sentences.

Current Performance:
Non-Example
• Johnny cannot remember or retrieve
what he has read or seen. After
reading grade level passages, he
cannot remember more than 3
elements from the reading. He is
unable to state the main idea of the
passage or sequence more than two
events.

Welcome to Day 2!
You made it!
GOALS & OBJECTIVES
• Should be DIRECTLY RELATED to the students CPL
(Current Performance Level)
• The goal MUST meet the following:
– It must be measurable
– It must tell what the student can reasonable
accomplish in this IEP year
– It must relate to helping the student be
successful in the general curriculum and/or
address other educational needs resulting from
the disability

Goal Focus
• The sources of potential goal focus
areas could be:
–
–
–
–
–
–

Parent/student concerns
Student strengths/challenges
Vision statement
Skills related to general curriculum
Other educational needs
Impact of the disability

Goals & Objectives :
A Fun Writing Activity!
• First choose your TOPIC (Goal Focus)

• Then, organize your thoughts into a
PARAGRAPH (CPL)
• Your paragraph should always contain a MAIN
IDEA (GOAL) and SUPPORTING DETAILS
(OBJECTIVES)

Goal Focus Areas
• Many IEP goal focus areas could be identified
from the following skill areas list:
–
–
–
–
–
–
–
–
–

Oral Expression
Listening Comprehension
Written Expression
Basic Reading Skills
Reading Comprehension
Mathematics Calculation
Mathematics Reasoning
Behavior
Social Skills

Goals & Objectives
• They need to be OBSERVABLE & MEASURABLE
– Question: How can I observe and measure how
Johnny “learned”?
Think about how you ALREADY observe and measure
your students, and use this information when
writing your goals/objectives!

Goals & Objectives
• If a student meets their goal,
CHANGE IT!
• If a student is still not making
progress or meeting their goal,
CHANGE IT!

A Measureable Annual Goal
Includes:
• an observable behavior,
• a criterion clearly stating how well, how
much or at what level the behavior is to be
performed
• The given or condition necessary.

Measurable Annual Goal
Target Behavior Condition Criteria
• When given a topic in History, Social Science,
ELA or Science and Technology, Jose will be
able to independently write a threeparagraph essay containing the required
elements: introduction, supporting details,
and conclusion.

• Nadia will identify types of sentences
(simple, compound, complex) when editing
scoring ¾ on the MCAS Scoring Guide for
Standard English Conventions.

Objectives/Benchmarks
• The focus of benchmark/objectives comes from the
details identified in the current performance level.
• Objectives must be measurable; describes a tangible
outcome. It must be visible or audible.
• They describe what you intend the student to
achieve.
• Benchmarks/objectives are made up of four parts:
– Condition- what an adult will do to have the skill occur
– Learner’s name- do not write “the student”
– Skill/performance or behavior- what the learner is
expected to do
– Criteria- how the skill will be measured, or when we know
that the learner has achieved or surpassed the expectation

Objectives/Benchmarks
• Avoid using percentages as the only way of
measuring success.
– “Suzie will cross the street with 80% accuracy”
– “Suzie will use a treadmill with 95% accuracy””
– “Given a list of sight words, Suzie will state them with 75%
accuracy.”
– “Suzie will make eye contact with 85% accuracy.”

• With objectives and with goals there should be no
room for error. The above examples can ONLY be
done correctly or incorrectly, not as a percentage of
accuracy.
• Therefore, does the writer actually mean
percentage of occasions that it will be done 100%
accurately.

Benchmarks/Objectives:
Be Sure to Identify what is Intended
• Often we write accuracy in a benchmark or objective but we
really mean the number of occasions that the student performs
a skill accurately.
• Criteria-Benchmarks/objectives can be measured in a variety
of ways:
– time/speed
– Accuracy
– Specific statements of measure
– And yes, sometimes percentages- but NOT ALWAYS!

Thank you for joining us!


Slide 12

From Gobbledygook
to
Clearly Written Annual IEP Goals

Nov./Dec. 2010

Accommodations –
Too Much of a Good Thing!
•

•

Only what the student needs on a daily basis
to access the general curriculum
Individualized to each student
– Re-evaluated each year!
– Not cookie-cutter!

•

Should pass “The Stranger Test”!

•

*sample accommodations

Accommodations vs. Modifications
• Accommodations
– Access general curriculum
– Do not take students off grade level
– Usually available in general ed. setting, and
could be available to any students

Accommodations vs. Modifications
• Modifications
– ACTUAL CHANGE to the curriculum (content,
delivery of instruction, methodology, and
performance criteria…Hint Hint, what does that
sound like?
– May take student off grade level
– Could take place in general ed. setting, but
could also take place in separate setting

Standard Accommodations:
Samples & Categories
• Setting
– Seating student near
teacher
– Seating student near
positive role model
– Avoid distracting stimuli
– Small groups

• Presentation
– Providing (reference sheets,
graphic organizers, copies
of notes, visual aids)
– Providing a written outline
– Simplifying directions
– Repeat verbal and written
directions to student
– Vary the format of the test

• Timing
– Giving extra time to complete
tasks
– Untimed assessments
– Frequent breaks

• Response
– Scribe
– Typed responses rather than
written
– Oral response

Specially Designed Instruction
a.k.a. MODIFICATIONS
• MUST BE IDENTIFIED ON AN IEP! (PLEP A&B)
• Specially Designed Instruction IS Special
Education.
• It is:

– Modifying the content, the methodology or the
performance criteria as appropriate to the needs of
the student
•
•
•
•

Address unique needs of student
Address child’s needs RELATED TO THE DISABILITY
Ensure access to general curriculum
Meet educational standards

Specially Designed Instruction
• 1) What type(s) of specially designed
instruction is necessary for the student to
make effective progress?

• One, two, or all three of the following areas
must be indentified for students determine
eligible for special education services:
– Content
– Methodology/Delivery of Instruction
– Performance Criteria

Specially Designed Instruction
• Content
– Identifies what the student MUST be taught
– IMPORTANT!
• When no content modifications are identified then the
assumption is that the student is working at grade level
responsibility for those curriculum areas NOT listed

– Curriculum modified for the provision of key facts and/or
concepts of grade level standards for the following
curriculum area (s)_________________
– Curriculum modified to focus on entry points of gradelevel standards for the following curriculum area
(s)_________________________________

Specially Designed Instruction
• Methodology/Delivery of Instruction
– Identifies how the student will be taught
(specialized, research-proven teaching
methods, groupings, therapies, or other
methods of instruction that the district needs
to provide to the student)
– EX: small group instruction, reduced
student/teacher ratio, instruction, specific
interventions, therapies, specialized reading
programs, DIRECT INSTRUCTION BY SPECIAL
EDUCATOR TO STUDENT ON HOW TO USE
AND IMPLEMENT ACCOMMODATIONS, hands
on activities

Specially Designed Instruction
• Performance Criteria
– How we know that that the student
learned it!
– Identifies how performance will be
evaluated differently than for other
students, based upon objective, not
subjective, criteria

Specially Designed Instruction
• Performance Criteria
– Examples
• Samples of student work will serve as the basis
for the determination of student performance
• Data collection based on (rubrics, checklists,
observations, etc)
• Weighted grading system (if grading will not be
modified, it is assumed that the student will be
graded the same as non-disabled peers
• Tests for Alternate subject material (based upon
content modifications identified earlier)

Current Levels of Performance
• Focus should be on what the student CAN
DO!
• This area will provide the blueprint for your
goal!
• Should provide quantifiable detail that
describes the student’s abilities/challenges

Current Performance:
Example
• When writing, Suzie writes sentences
approximately 3-8 words in length. She
often makes 4-5 errors with the spacing of
words, letter formation and spelling in a
single writing assignment. She has the
greatest success spelling sight words and
words that are part of her experiences. She
has difficulty with punctuation, either
omitting punctuation or inserting
punctuation out of place. The length of her
writings are generally about 4-5 sentences.

Current Performance:
Non-Example
• Johnny cannot remember or retrieve
what he has read or seen. After
reading grade level passages, he
cannot remember more than 3
elements from the reading. He is
unable to state the main idea of the
passage or sequence more than two
events.

Welcome to Day 2!
You made it!
GOALS & OBJECTIVES
• Should be DIRECTLY RELATED to the students CPL
(Current Performance Level)
• The goal MUST meet the following:
– It must be measurable
– It must tell what the student can reasonable
accomplish in this IEP year
– It must relate to helping the student be
successful in the general curriculum and/or
address other educational needs resulting from
the disability

Goal Focus
• The sources of potential goal focus
areas could be:
–
–
–
–
–
–

Parent/student concerns
Student strengths/challenges
Vision statement
Skills related to general curriculum
Other educational needs
Impact of the disability

Goals & Objectives :
A Fun Writing Activity!
• First choose your TOPIC (Goal Focus)

• Then, organize your thoughts into a
PARAGRAPH (CPL)
• Your paragraph should always contain a MAIN
IDEA (GOAL) and SUPPORTING DETAILS
(OBJECTIVES)

Goal Focus Areas
• Many IEP goal focus areas could be identified
from the following skill areas list:
–
–
–
–
–
–
–
–
–

Oral Expression
Listening Comprehension
Written Expression
Basic Reading Skills
Reading Comprehension
Mathematics Calculation
Mathematics Reasoning
Behavior
Social Skills

Goals & Objectives
• They need to be OBSERVABLE & MEASURABLE
– Question: How can I observe and measure how
Johnny “learned”?
Think about how you ALREADY observe and measure
your students, and use this information when
writing your goals/objectives!

Goals & Objectives
• If a student meets their goal,
CHANGE IT!
• If a student is still not making
progress or meeting their goal,
CHANGE IT!

A Measureable Annual Goal
Includes:
• an observable behavior,
• a criterion clearly stating how well, how
much or at what level the behavior is to be
performed
• The given or condition necessary.

Measurable Annual Goal
Target Behavior Condition Criteria
• When given a topic in History, Social Science,
ELA or Science and Technology, Jose will be
able to independently write a threeparagraph essay containing the required
elements: introduction, supporting details,
and conclusion.

• Nadia will identify types of sentences
(simple, compound, complex) when editing
scoring ¾ on the MCAS Scoring Guide for
Standard English Conventions.

Objectives/Benchmarks
• The focus of benchmark/objectives comes from the
details identified in the current performance level.
• Objectives must be measurable; describes a tangible
outcome. It must be visible or audible.
• They describe what you intend the student to
achieve.
• Benchmarks/objectives are made up of four parts:
– Condition- what an adult will do to have the skill occur
– Learner’s name- do not write “the student”
– Skill/performance or behavior- what the learner is
expected to do
– Criteria- how the skill will be measured, or when we know
that the learner has achieved or surpassed the expectation

Objectives/Benchmarks
• Avoid using percentages as the only way of
measuring success.
– “Suzie will cross the street with 80% accuracy”
– “Suzie will use a treadmill with 95% accuracy””
– “Given a list of sight words, Suzie will state them with 75%
accuracy.”
– “Suzie will make eye contact with 85% accuracy.”

• With objectives and with goals there should be no
room for error. The above examples can ONLY be
done correctly or incorrectly, not as a percentage of
accuracy.
• Therefore, does the writer actually mean
percentage of occasions that it will be done 100%
accurately.

Benchmarks/Objectives:
Be Sure to Identify what is Intended
• Often we write accuracy in a benchmark or objective but we
really mean the number of occasions that the student performs
a skill accurately.
• Criteria-Benchmarks/objectives can be measured in a variety
of ways:
– time/speed
– Accuracy
– Specific statements of measure
– And yes, sometimes percentages- but NOT ALWAYS!

Thank you for joining us!


Slide 13

From Gobbledygook
to
Clearly Written Annual IEP Goals

Nov./Dec. 2010

Accommodations –
Too Much of a Good Thing!
•

•

Only what the student needs on a daily basis
to access the general curriculum
Individualized to each student
– Re-evaluated each year!
– Not cookie-cutter!

•

Should pass “The Stranger Test”!

•

*sample accommodations

Accommodations vs. Modifications
• Accommodations
– Access general curriculum
– Do not take students off grade level
– Usually available in general ed. setting, and
could be available to any students

Accommodations vs. Modifications
• Modifications
– ACTUAL CHANGE to the curriculum (content,
delivery of instruction, methodology, and
performance criteria…Hint Hint, what does that
sound like?
– May take student off grade level
– Could take place in general ed. setting, but
could also take place in separate setting

Standard Accommodations:
Samples & Categories
• Setting
– Seating student near
teacher
– Seating student near
positive role model
– Avoid distracting stimuli
– Small groups

• Presentation
– Providing (reference sheets,
graphic organizers, copies
of notes, visual aids)
– Providing a written outline
– Simplifying directions
– Repeat verbal and written
directions to student
– Vary the format of the test

• Timing
– Giving extra time to complete
tasks
– Untimed assessments
– Frequent breaks

• Response
– Scribe
– Typed responses rather than
written
– Oral response

Specially Designed Instruction
a.k.a. MODIFICATIONS
• MUST BE IDENTIFIED ON AN IEP! (PLEP A&B)
• Specially Designed Instruction IS Special
Education.
• It is:

– Modifying the content, the methodology or the
performance criteria as appropriate to the needs of
the student
•
•
•
•

Address unique needs of student
Address child’s needs RELATED TO THE DISABILITY
Ensure access to general curriculum
Meet educational standards

Specially Designed Instruction
• 1) What type(s) of specially designed
instruction is necessary for the student to
make effective progress?

• One, two, or all three of the following areas
must be indentified for students determine
eligible for special education services:
– Content
– Methodology/Delivery of Instruction
– Performance Criteria

Specially Designed Instruction
• Content
– Identifies what the student MUST be taught
– IMPORTANT!
• When no content modifications are identified then the
assumption is that the student is working at grade level
responsibility for those curriculum areas NOT listed

– Curriculum modified for the provision of key facts and/or
concepts of grade level standards for the following
curriculum area (s)_________________
– Curriculum modified to focus on entry points of gradelevel standards for the following curriculum area
(s)_________________________________

Specially Designed Instruction
• Methodology/Delivery of Instruction
– Identifies how the student will be taught
(specialized, research-proven teaching
methods, groupings, therapies, or other
methods of instruction that the district needs
to provide to the student)
– EX: small group instruction, reduced
student/teacher ratio, instruction, specific
interventions, therapies, specialized reading
programs, DIRECT INSTRUCTION BY SPECIAL
EDUCATOR TO STUDENT ON HOW TO USE
AND IMPLEMENT ACCOMMODATIONS, hands
on activities

Specially Designed Instruction
• Performance Criteria
– How we know that that the student
learned it!
– Identifies how performance will be
evaluated differently than for other
students, based upon objective, not
subjective, criteria

Specially Designed Instruction
• Performance Criteria
– Examples
• Samples of student work will serve as the basis
for the determination of student performance
• Data collection based on (rubrics, checklists,
observations, etc)
• Weighted grading system (if grading will not be
modified, it is assumed that the student will be
graded the same as non-disabled peers
• Tests for Alternate subject material (based upon
content modifications identified earlier)

Current Levels of Performance
• Focus should be on what the student CAN
DO!
• This area will provide the blueprint for your
goal!
• Should provide quantifiable detail that
describes the student’s abilities/challenges

Current Performance:
Example
• When writing, Suzie writes sentences
approximately 3-8 words in length. She
often makes 4-5 errors with the spacing of
words, letter formation and spelling in a
single writing assignment. She has the
greatest success spelling sight words and
words that are part of her experiences. She
has difficulty with punctuation, either
omitting punctuation or inserting
punctuation out of place. The length of her
writings are generally about 4-5 sentences.

Current Performance:
Non-Example
• Johnny cannot remember or retrieve
what he has read or seen. After
reading grade level passages, he
cannot remember more than 3
elements from the reading. He is
unable to state the main idea of the
passage or sequence more than two
events.

Welcome to Day 2!
You made it!
GOALS & OBJECTIVES
• Should be DIRECTLY RELATED to the students CPL
(Current Performance Level)
• The goal MUST meet the following:
– It must be measurable
– It must tell what the student can reasonable
accomplish in this IEP year
– It must relate to helping the student be
successful in the general curriculum and/or
address other educational needs resulting from
the disability

Goal Focus
• The sources of potential goal focus
areas could be:
–
–
–
–
–
–

Parent/student concerns
Student strengths/challenges
Vision statement
Skills related to general curriculum
Other educational needs
Impact of the disability

Goals & Objectives :
A Fun Writing Activity!
• First choose your TOPIC (Goal Focus)

• Then, organize your thoughts into a
PARAGRAPH (CPL)
• Your paragraph should always contain a MAIN
IDEA (GOAL) and SUPPORTING DETAILS
(OBJECTIVES)

Goal Focus Areas
• Many IEP goal focus areas could be identified
from the following skill areas list:
–
–
–
–
–
–
–
–
–

Oral Expression
Listening Comprehension
Written Expression
Basic Reading Skills
Reading Comprehension
Mathematics Calculation
Mathematics Reasoning
Behavior
Social Skills

Goals & Objectives
• They need to be OBSERVABLE & MEASURABLE
– Question: How can I observe and measure how
Johnny “learned”?
Think about how you ALREADY observe and measure
your students, and use this information when
writing your goals/objectives!

Goals & Objectives
• If a student meets their goal,
CHANGE IT!
• If a student is still not making
progress or meeting their goal,
CHANGE IT!

A Measureable Annual Goal
Includes:
• an observable behavior,
• a criterion clearly stating how well, how
much or at what level the behavior is to be
performed
• The given or condition necessary.

Measurable Annual Goal
Target Behavior Condition Criteria
• When given a topic in History, Social Science,
ELA or Science and Technology, Jose will be
able to independently write a threeparagraph essay containing the required
elements: introduction, supporting details,
and conclusion.

• Nadia will identify types of sentences
(simple, compound, complex) when editing
scoring ¾ on the MCAS Scoring Guide for
Standard English Conventions.

Objectives/Benchmarks
• The focus of benchmark/objectives comes from the
details identified in the current performance level.
• Objectives must be measurable; describes a tangible
outcome. It must be visible or audible.
• They describe what you intend the student to
achieve.
• Benchmarks/objectives are made up of four parts:
– Condition- what an adult will do to have the skill occur
– Learner’s name- do not write “the student”
– Skill/performance or behavior- what the learner is
expected to do
– Criteria- how the skill will be measured, or when we know
that the learner has achieved or surpassed the expectation

Objectives/Benchmarks
• Avoid using percentages as the only way of
measuring success.
– “Suzie will cross the street with 80% accuracy”
– “Suzie will use a treadmill with 95% accuracy””
– “Given a list of sight words, Suzie will state them with 75%
accuracy.”
– “Suzie will make eye contact with 85% accuracy.”

• With objectives and with goals there should be no
room for error. The above examples can ONLY be
done correctly or incorrectly, not as a percentage of
accuracy.
• Therefore, does the writer actually mean
percentage of occasions that it will be done 100%
accurately.

Benchmarks/Objectives:
Be Sure to Identify what is Intended
• Often we write accuracy in a benchmark or objective but we
really mean the number of occasions that the student performs
a skill accurately.
• Criteria-Benchmarks/objectives can be measured in a variety
of ways:
– time/speed
– Accuracy
– Specific statements of measure
– And yes, sometimes percentages- but NOT ALWAYS!

Thank you for joining us!


Slide 14

From Gobbledygook
to
Clearly Written Annual IEP Goals

Nov./Dec. 2010

Accommodations –
Too Much of a Good Thing!
•

•

Only what the student needs on a daily basis
to access the general curriculum
Individualized to each student
– Re-evaluated each year!
– Not cookie-cutter!

•

Should pass “The Stranger Test”!

•

*sample accommodations

Accommodations vs. Modifications
• Accommodations
– Access general curriculum
– Do not take students off grade level
– Usually available in general ed. setting, and
could be available to any students

Accommodations vs. Modifications
• Modifications
– ACTUAL CHANGE to the curriculum (content,
delivery of instruction, methodology, and
performance criteria…Hint Hint, what does that
sound like?
– May take student off grade level
– Could take place in general ed. setting, but
could also take place in separate setting

Standard Accommodations:
Samples & Categories
• Setting
– Seating student near
teacher
– Seating student near
positive role model
– Avoid distracting stimuli
– Small groups

• Presentation
– Providing (reference sheets,
graphic organizers, copies
of notes, visual aids)
– Providing a written outline
– Simplifying directions
– Repeat verbal and written
directions to student
– Vary the format of the test

• Timing
– Giving extra time to complete
tasks
– Untimed assessments
– Frequent breaks

• Response
– Scribe
– Typed responses rather than
written
– Oral response

Specially Designed Instruction
a.k.a. MODIFICATIONS
• MUST BE IDENTIFIED ON AN IEP! (PLEP A&B)
• Specially Designed Instruction IS Special
Education.
• It is:

– Modifying the content, the methodology or the
performance criteria as appropriate to the needs of
the student
•
•
•
•

Address unique needs of student
Address child’s needs RELATED TO THE DISABILITY
Ensure access to general curriculum
Meet educational standards

Specially Designed Instruction
• 1) What type(s) of specially designed
instruction is necessary for the student to
make effective progress?

• One, two, or all three of the following areas
must be indentified for students determine
eligible for special education services:
– Content
– Methodology/Delivery of Instruction
– Performance Criteria

Specially Designed Instruction
• Content
– Identifies what the student MUST be taught
– IMPORTANT!
• When no content modifications are identified then the
assumption is that the student is working at grade level
responsibility for those curriculum areas NOT listed

– Curriculum modified for the provision of key facts and/or
concepts of grade level standards for the following
curriculum area (s)_________________
– Curriculum modified to focus on entry points of gradelevel standards for the following curriculum area
(s)_________________________________

Specially Designed Instruction
• Methodology/Delivery of Instruction
– Identifies how the student will be taught
(specialized, research-proven teaching
methods, groupings, therapies, or other
methods of instruction that the district needs
to provide to the student)
– EX: small group instruction, reduced
student/teacher ratio, instruction, specific
interventions, therapies, specialized reading
programs, DIRECT INSTRUCTION BY SPECIAL
EDUCATOR TO STUDENT ON HOW TO USE
AND IMPLEMENT ACCOMMODATIONS, hands
on activities

Specially Designed Instruction
• Performance Criteria
– How we know that that the student
learned it!
– Identifies how performance will be
evaluated differently than for other
students, based upon objective, not
subjective, criteria

Specially Designed Instruction
• Performance Criteria
– Examples
• Samples of student work will serve as the basis
for the determination of student performance
• Data collection based on (rubrics, checklists,
observations, etc)
• Weighted grading system (if grading will not be
modified, it is assumed that the student will be
graded the same as non-disabled peers
• Tests for Alternate subject material (based upon
content modifications identified earlier)

Current Levels of Performance
• Focus should be on what the student CAN
DO!
• This area will provide the blueprint for your
goal!
• Should provide quantifiable detail that
describes the student’s abilities/challenges

Current Performance:
Example
• When writing, Suzie writes sentences
approximately 3-8 words in length. She
often makes 4-5 errors with the spacing of
words, letter formation and spelling in a
single writing assignment. She has the
greatest success spelling sight words and
words that are part of her experiences. She
has difficulty with punctuation, either
omitting punctuation or inserting
punctuation out of place. The length of her
writings are generally about 4-5 sentences.

Current Performance:
Non-Example
• Johnny cannot remember or retrieve
what he has read or seen. After
reading grade level passages, he
cannot remember more than 3
elements from the reading. He is
unable to state the main idea of the
passage or sequence more than two
events.

Welcome to Day 2!
You made it!
GOALS & OBJECTIVES
• Should be DIRECTLY RELATED to the students CPL
(Current Performance Level)
• The goal MUST meet the following:
– It must be measurable
– It must tell what the student can reasonable
accomplish in this IEP year
– It must relate to helping the student be
successful in the general curriculum and/or
address other educational needs resulting from
the disability

Goal Focus
• The sources of potential goal focus
areas could be:
–
–
–
–
–
–

Parent/student concerns
Student strengths/challenges
Vision statement
Skills related to general curriculum
Other educational needs
Impact of the disability

Goals & Objectives :
A Fun Writing Activity!
• First choose your TOPIC (Goal Focus)

• Then, organize your thoughts into a
PARAGRAPH (CPL)
• Your paragraph should always contain a MAIN
IDEA (GOAL) and SUPPORTING DETAILS
(OBJECTIVES)

Goal Focus Areas
• Many IEP goal focus areas could be identified
from the following skill areas list:
–
–
–
–
–
–
–
–
–

Oral Expression
Listening Comprehension
Written Expression
Basic Reading Skills
Reading Comprehension
Mathematics Calculation
Mathematics Reasoning
Behavior
Social Skills

Goals & Objectives
• They need to be OBSERVABLE & MEASURABLE
– Question: How can I observe and measure how
Johnny “learned”?
Think about how you ALREADY observe and measure
your students, and use this information when
writing your goals/objectives!

Goals & Objectives
• If a student meets their goal,
CHANGE IT!
• If a student is still not making
progress or meeting their goal,
CHANGE IT!

A Measureable Annual Goal
Includes:
• an observable behavior,
• a criterion clearly stating how well, how
much or at what level the behavior is to be
performed
• The given or condition necessary.

Measurable Annual Goal
Target Behavior Condition Criteria
• When given a topic in History, Social Science,
ELA or Science and Technology, Jose will be
able to independently write a threeparagraph essay containing the required
elements: introduction, supporting details,
and conclusion.

• Nadia will identify types of sentences
(simple, compound, complex) when editing
scoring ¾ on the MCAS Scoring Guide for
Standard English Conventions.

Objectives/Benchmarks
• The focus of benchmark/objectives comes from the
details identified in the current performance level.
• Objectives must be measurable; describes a tangible
outcome. It must be visible or audible.
• They describe what you intend the student to
achieve.
• Benchmarks/objectives are made up of four parts:
– Condition- what an adult will do to have the skill occur
– Learner’s name- do not write “the student”
– Skill/performance or behavior- what the learner is
expected to do
– Criteria- how the skill will be measured, or when we know
that the learner has achieved or surpassed the expectation

Objectives/Benchmarks
• Avoid using percentages as the only way of
measuring success.
– “Suzie will cross the street with 80% accuracy”
– “Suzie will use a treadmill with 95% accuracy””
– “Given a list of sight words, Suzie will state them with 75%
accuracy.”
– “Suzie will make eye contact with 85% accuracy.”

• With objectives and with goals there should be no
room for error. The above examples can ONLY be
done correctly or incorrectly, not as a percentage of
accuracy.
• Therefore, does the writer actually mean
percentage of occasions that it will be done 100%
accurately.

Benchmarks/Objectives:
Be Sure to Identify what is Intended
• Often we write accuracy in a benchmark or objective but we
really mean the number of occasions that the student performs
a skill accurately.
• Criteria-Benchmarks/objectives can be measured in a variety
of ways:
– time/speed
– Accuracy
– Specific statements of measure
– And yes, sometimes percentages- but NOT ALWAYS!

Thank you for joining us!


Slide 15

From Gobbledygook
to
Clearly Written Annual IEP Goals

Nov./Dec. 2010

Accommodations –
Too Much of a Good Thing!
•

•

Only what the student needs on a daily basis
to access the general curriculum
Individualized to each student
– Re-evaluated each year!
– Not cookie-cutter!

•

Should pass “The Stranger Test”!

•

*sample accommodations

Accommodations vs. Modifications
• Accommodations
– Access general curriculum
– Do not take students off grade level
– Usually available in general ed. setting, and
could be available to any students

Accommodations vs. Modifications
• Modifications
– ACTUAL CHANGE to the curriculum (content,
delivery of instruction, methodology, and
performance criteria…Hint Hint, what does that
sound like?
– May take student off grade level
– Could take place in general ed. setting, but
could also take place in separate setting

Standard Accommodations:
Samples & Categories
• Setting
– Seating student near
teacher
– Seating student near
positive role model
– Avoid distracting stimuli
– Small groups

• Presentation
– Providing (reference sheets,
graphic organizers, copies
of notes, visual aids)
– Providing a written outline
– Simplifying directions
– Repeat verbal and written
directions to student
– Vary the format of the test

• Timing
– Giving extra time to complete
tasks
– Untimed assessments
– Frequent breaks

• Response
– Scribe
– Typed responses rather than
written
– Oral response

Specially Designed Instruction
a.k.a. MODIFICATIONS
• MUST BE IDENTIFIED ON AN IEP! (PLEP A&B)
• Specially Designed Instruction IS Special
Education.
• It is:

– Modifying the content, the methodology or the
performance criteria as appropriate to the needs of
the student
•
•
•
•

Address unique needs of student
Address child’s needs RELATED TO THE DISABILITY
Ensure access to general curriculum
Meet educational standards

Specially Designed Instruction
• 1) What type(s) of specially designed
instruction is necessary for the student to
make effective progress?

• One, two, or all three of the following areas
must be indentified for students determine
eligible for special education services:
– Content
– Methodology/Delivery of Instruction
– Performance Criteria

Specially Designed Instruction
• Content
– Identifies what the student MUST be taught
– IMPORTANT!
• When no content modifications are identified then the
assumption is that the student is working at grade level
responsibility for those curriculum areas NOT listed

– Curriculum modified for the provision of key facts and/or
concepts of grade level standards for the following
curriculum area (s)_________________
– Curriculum modified to focus on entry points of gradelevel standards for the following curriculum area
(s)_________________________________

Specially Designed Instruction
• Methodology/Delivery of Instruction
– Identifies how the student will be taught
(specialized, research-proven teaching
methods, groupings, therapies, or other
methods of instruction that the district needs
to provide to the student)
– EX: small group instruction, reduced
student/teacher ratio, instruction, specific
interventions, therapies, specialized reading
programs, DIRECT INSTRUCTION BY SPECIAL
EDUCATOR TO STUDENT ON HOW TO USE
AND IMPLEMENT ACCOMMODATIONS, hands
on activities

Specially Designed Instruction
• Performance Criteria
– How we know that that the student
learned it!
– Identifies how performance will be
evaluated differently than for other
students, based upon objective, not
subjective, criteria

Specially Designed Instruction
• Performance Criteria
– Examples
• Samples of student work will serve as the basis
for the determination of student performance
• Data collection based on (rubrics, checklists,
observations, etc)
• Weighted grading system (if grading will not be
modified, it is assumed that the student will be
graded the same as non-disabled peers
• Tests for Alternate subject material (based upon
content modifications identified earlier)

Current Levels of Performance
• Focus should be on what the student CAN
DO!
• This area will provide the blueprint for your
goal!
• Should provide quantifiable detail that
describes the student’s abilities/challenges

Current Performance:
Example
• When writing, Suzie writes sentences
approximately 3-8 words in length. She
often makes 4-5 errors with the spacing of
words, letter formation and spelling in a
single writing assignment. She has the
greatest success spelling sight words and
words that are part of her experiences. She
has difficulty with punctuation, either
omitting punctuation or inserting
punctuation out of place. The length of her
writings are generally about 4-5 sentences.

Current Performance:
Non-Example
• Johnny cannot remember or retrieve
what he has read or seen. After
reading grade level passages, he
cannot remember more than 3
elements from the reading. He is
unable to state the main idea of the
passage or sequence more than two
events.

Welcome to Day 2!
You made it!
GOALS & OBJECTIVES
• Should be DIRECTLY RELATED to the students CPL
(Current Performance Level)
• The goal MUST meet the following:
– It must be measurable
– It must tell what the student can reasonable
accomplish in this IEP year
– It must relate to helping the student be
successful in the general curriculum and/or
address other educational needs resulting from
the disability

Goal Focus
• The sources of potential goal focus
areas could be:
–
–
–
–
–
–

Parent/student concerns
Student strengths/challenges
Vision statement
Skills related to general curriculum
Other educational needs
Impact of the disability

Goals & Objectives :
A Fun Writing Activity!
• First choose your TOPIC (Goal Focus)

• Then, organize your thoughts into a
PARAGRAPH (CPL)
• Your paragraph should always contain a MAIN
IDEA (GOAL) and SUPPORTING DETAILS
(OBJECTIVES)

Goal Focus Areas
• Many IEP goal focus areas could be identified
from the following skill areas list:
–
–
–
–
–
–
–
–
–

Oral Expression
Listening Comprehension
Written Expression
Basic Reading Skills
Reading Comprehension
Mathematics Calculation
Mathematics Reasoning
Behavior
Social Skills

Goals & Objectives
• They need to be OBSERVABLE & MEASURABLE
– Question: How can I observe and measure how
Johnny “learned”?
Think about how you ALREADY observe and measure
your students, and use this information when
writing your goals/objectives!

Goals & Objectives
• If a student meets their goal,
CHANGE IT!
• If a student is still not making
progress or meeting their goal,
CHANGE IT!

A Measureable Annual Goal
Includes:
• an observable behavior,
• a criterion clearly stating how well, how
much or at what level the behavior is to be
performed
• The given or condition necessary.

Measurable Annual Goal
Target Behavior Condition Criteria
• When given a topic in History, Social Science,
ELA or Science and Technology, Jose will be
able to independently write a threeparagraph essay containing the required
elements: introduction, supporting details,
and conclusion.

• Nadia will identify types of sentences
(simple, compound, complex) when editing
scoring ¾ on the MCAS Scoring Guide for
Standard English Conventions.

Objectives/Benchmarks
• The focus of benchmark/objectives comes from the
details identified in the current performance level.
• Objectives must be measurable; describes a tangible
outcome. It must be visible or audible.
• They describe what you intend the student to
achieve.
• Benchmarks/objectives are made up of four parts:
– Condition- what an adult will do to have the skill occur
– Learner’s name- do not write “the student”
– Skill/performance or behavior- what the learner is
expected to do
– Criteria- how the skill will be measured, or when we know
that the learner has achieved or surpassed the expectation

Objectives/Benchmarks
• Avoid using percentages as the only way of
measuring success.
– “Suzie will cross the street with 80% accuracy”
– “Suzie will use a treadmill with 95% accuracy””
– “Given a list of sight words, Suzie will state them with 75%
accuracy.”
– “Suzie will make eye contact with 85% accuracy.”

• With objectives and with goals there should be no
room for error. The above examples can ONLY be
done correctly or incorrectly, not as a percentage of
accuracy.
• Therefore, does the writer actually mean
percentage of occasions that it will be done 100%
accurately.

Benchmarks/Objectives:
Be Sure to Identify what is Intended
• Often we write accuracy in a benchmark or objective but we
really mean the number of occasions that the student performs
a skill accurately.
• Criteria-Benchmarks/objectives can be measured in a variety
of ways:
– time/speed
– Accuracy
– Specific statements of measure
– And yes, sometimes percentages- but NOT ALWAYS!

Thank you for joining us!


Slide 16

From Gobbledygook
to
Clearly Written Annual IEP Goals

Nov./Dec. 2010

Accommodations –
Too Much of a Good Thing!
•

•

Only what the student needs on a daily basis
to access the general curriculum
Individualized to each student
– Re-evaluated each year!
– Not cookie-cutter!

•

Should pass “The Stranger Test”!

•

*sample accommodations

Accommodations vs. Modifications
• Accommodations
– Access general curriculum
– Do not take students off grade level
– Usually available in general ed. setting, and
could be available to any students

Accommodations vs. Modifications
• Modifications
– ACTUAL CHANGE to the curriculum (content,
delivery of instruction, methodology, and
performance criteria…Hint Hint, what does that
sound like?
– May take student off grade level
– Could take place in general ed. setting, but
could also take place in separate setting

Standard Accommodations:
Samples & Categories
• Setting
– Seating student near
teacher
– Seating student near
positive role model
– Avoid distracting stimuli
– Small groups

• Presentation
– Providing (reference sheets,
graphic organizers, copies
of notes, visual aids)
– Providing a written outline
– Simplifying directions
– Repeat verbal and written
directions to student
– Vary the format of the test

• Timing
– Giving extra time to complete
tasks
– Untimed assessments
– Frequent breaks

• Response
– Scribe
– Typed responses rather than
written
– Oral response

Specially Designed Instruction
a.k.a. MODIFICATIONS
• MUST BE IDENTIFIED ON AN IEP! (PLEP A&B)
• Specially Designed Instruction IS Special
Education.
• It is:

– Modifying the content, the methodology or the
performance criteria as appropriate to the needs of
the student
•
•
•
•

Address unique needs of student
Address child’s needs RELATED TO THE DISABILITY
Ensure access to general curriculum
Meet educational standards

Specially Designed Instruction
• 1) What type(s) of specially designed
instruction is necessary for the student to
make effective progress?

• One, two, or all three of the following areas
must be indentified for students determine
eligible for special education services:
– Content
– Methodology/Delivery of Instruction
– Performance Criteria

Specially Designed Instruction
• Content
– Identifies what the student MUST be taught
– IMPORTANT!
• When no content modifications are identified then the
assumption is that the student is working at grade level
responsibility for those curriculum areas NOT listed

– Curriculum modified for the provision of key facts and/or
concepts of grade level standards for the following
curriculum area (s)_________________
– Curriculum modified to focus on entry points of gradelevel standards for the following curriculum area
(s)_________________________________

Specially Designed Instruction
• Methodology/Delivery of Instruction
– Identifies how the student will be taught
(specialized, research-proven teaching
methods, groupings, therapies, or other
methods of instruction that the district needs
to provide to the student)
– EX: small group instruction, reduced
student/teacher ratio, instruction, specific
interventions, therapies, specialized reading
programs, DIRECT INSTRUCTION BY SPECIAL
EDUCATOR TO STUDENT ON HOW TO USE
AND IMPLEMENT ACCOMMODATIONS, hands
on activities

Specially Designed Instruction
• Performance Criteria
– How we know that that the student
learned it!
– Identifies how performance will be
evaluated differently than for other
students, based upon objective, not
subjective, criteria

Specially Designed Instruction
• Performance Criteria
– Examples
• Samples of student work will serve as the basis
for the determination of student performance
• Data collection based on (rubrics, checklists,
observations, etc)
• Weighted grading system (if grading will not be
modified, it is assumed that the student will be
graded the same as non-disabled peers
• Tests for Alternate subject material (based upon
content modifications identified earlier)

Current Levels of Performance
• Focus should be on what the student CAN
DO!
• This area will provide the blueprint for your
goal!
• Should provide quantifiable detail that
describes the student’s abilities/challenges

Current Performance:
Example
• When writing, Suzie writes sentences
approximately 3-8 words in length. She
often makes 4-5 errors with the spacing of
words, letter formation and spelling in a
single writing assignment. She has the
greatest success spelling sight words and
words that are part of her experiences. She
has difficulty with punctuation, either
omitting punctuation or inserting
punctuation out of place. The length of her
writings are generally about 4-5 sentences.

Current Performance:
Non-Example
• Johnny cannot remember or retrieve
what he has read or seen. After
reading grade level passages, he
cannot remember more than 3
elements from the reading. He is
unable to state the main idea of the
passage or sequence more than two
events.

Welcome to Day 2!
You made it!
GOALS & OBJECTIVES
• Should be DIRECTLY RELATED to the students CPL
(Current Performance Level)
• The goal MUST meet the following:
– It must be measurable
– It must tell what the student can reasonable
accomplish in this IEP year
– It must relate to helping the student be
successful in the general curriculum and/or
address other educational needs resulting from
the disability

Goal Focus
• The sources of potential goal focus
areas could be:
–
–
–
–
–
–

Parent/student concerns
Student strengths/challenges
Vision statement
Skills related to general curriculum
Other educational needs
Impact of the disability

Goals & Objectives :
A Fun Writing Activity!
• First choose your TOPIC (Goal Focus)

• Then, organize your thoughts into a
PARAGRAPH (CPL)
• Your paragraph should always contain a MAIN
IDEA (GOAL) and SUPPORTING DETAILS
(OBJECTIVES)

Goal Focus Areas
• Many IEP goal focus areas could be identified
from the following skill areas list:
–
–
–
–
–
–
–
–
–

Oral Expression
Listening Comprehension
Written Expression
Basic Reading Skills
Reading Comprehension
Mathematics Calculation
Mathematics Reasoning
Behavior
Social Skills

Goals & Objectives
• They need to be OBSERVABLE & MEASURABLE
– Question: How can I observe and measure how
Johnny “learned”?
Think about how you ALREADY observe and measure
your students, and use this information when
writing your goals/objectives!

Goals & Objectives
• If a student meets their goal,
CHANGE IT!
• If a student is still not making
progress or meeting their goal,
CHANGE IT!

A Measureable Annual Goal
Includes:
• an observable behavior,
• a criterion clearly stating how well, how
much or at what level the behavior is to be
performed
• The given or condition necessary.

Measurable Annual Goal
Target Behavior Condition Criteria
• When given a topic in History, Social Science,
ELA or Science and Technology, Jose will be
able to independently write a threeparagraph essay containing the required
elements: introduction, supporting details,
and conclusion.

• Nadia will identify types of sentences
(simple, compound, complex) when editing
scoring ¾ on the MCAS Scoring Guide for
Standard English Conventions.

Objectives/Benchmarks
• The focus of benchmark/objectives comes from the
details identified in the current performance level.
• Objectives must be measurable; describes a tangible
outcome. It must be visible or audible.
• They describe what you intend the student to
achieve.
• Benchmarks/objectives are made up of four parts:
– Condition- what an adult will do to have the skill occur
– Learner’s name- do not write “the student”
– Skill/performance or behavior- what the learner is
expected to do
– Criteria- how the skill will be measured, or when we know
that the learner has achieved or surpassed the expectation

Objectives/Benchmarks
• Avoid using percentages as the only way of
measuring success.
– “Suzie will cross the street with 80% accuracy”
– “Suzie will use a treadmill with 95% accuracy””
– “Given a list of sight words, Suzie will state them with 75%
accuracy.”
– “Suzie will make eye contact with 85% accuracy.”

• With objectives and with goals there should be no
room for error. The above examples can ONLY be
done correctly or incorrectly, not as a percentage of
accuracy.
• Therefore, does the writer actually mean
percentage of occasions that it will be done 100%
accurately.

Benchmarks/Objectives:
Be Sure to Identify what is Intended
• Often we write accuracy in a benchmark or objective but we
really mean the number of occasions that the student performs
a skill accurately.
• Criteria-Benchmarks/objectives can be measured in a variety
of ways:
– time/speed
– Accuracy
– Specific statements of measure
– And yes, sometimes percentages- but NOT ALWAYS!

Thank you for joining us!


Slide 17

From Gobbledygook
to
Clearly Written Annual IEP Goals

Nov./Dec. 2010

Accommodations –
Too Much of a Good Thing!
•

•

Only what the student needs on a daily basis
to access the general curriculum
Individualized to each student
– Re-evaluated each year!
– Not cookie-cutter!

•

Should pass “The Stranger Test”!

•

*sample accommodations

Accommodations vs. Modifications
• Accommodations
– Access general curriculum
– Do not take students off grade level
– Usually available in general ed. setting, and
could be available to any students

Accommodations vs. Modifications
• Modifications
– ACTUAL CHANGE to the curriculum (content,
delivery of instruction, methodology, and
performance criteria…Hint Hint, what does that
sound like?
– May take student off grade level
– Could take place in general ed. setting, but
could also take place in separate setting

Standard Accommodations:
Samples & Categories
• Setting
– Seating student near
teacher
– Seating student near
positive role model
– Avoid distracting stimuli
– Small groups

• Presentation
– Providing (reference sheets,
graphic organizers, copies
of notes, visual aids)
– Providing a written outline
– Simplifying directions
– Repeat verbal and written
directions to student
– Vary the format of the test

• Timing
– Giving extra time to complete
tasks
– Untimed assessments
– Frequent breaks

• Response
– Scribe
– Typed responses rather than
written
– Oral response

Specially Designed Instruction
a.k.a. MODIFICATIONS
• MUST BE IDENTIFIED ON AN IEP! (PLEP A&B)
• Specially Designed Instruction IS Special
Education.
• It is:

– Modifying the content, the methodology or the
performance criteria as appropriate to the needs of
the student
•
•
•
•

Address unique needs of student
Address child’s needs RELATED TO THE DISABILITY
Ensure access to general curriculum
Meet educational standards

Specially Designed Instruction
• 1) What type(s) of specially designed
instruction is necessary for the student to
make effective progress?

• One, two, or all three of the following areas
must be indentified for students determine
eligible for special education services:
– Content
– Methodology/Delivery of Instruction
– Performance Criteria

Specially Designed Instruction
• Content
– Identifies what the student MUST be taught
– IMPORTANT!
• When no content modifications are identified then the
assumption is that the student is working at grade level
responsibility for those curriculum areas NOT listed

– Curriculum modified for the provision of key facts and/or
concepts of grade level standards for the following
curriculum area (s)_________________
– Curriculum modified to focus on entry points of gradelevel standards for the following curriculum area
(s)_________________________________

Specially Designed Instruction
• Methodology/Delivery of Instruction
– Identifies how the student will be taught
(specialized, research-proven teaching
methods, groupings, therapies, or other
methods of instruction that the district needs
to provide to the student)
– EX: small group instruction, reduced
student/teacher ratio, instruction, specific
interventions, therapies, specialized reading
programs, DIRECT INSTRUCTION BY SPECIAL
EDUCATOR TO STUDENT ON HOW TO USE
AND IMPLEMENT ACCOMMODATIONS, hands
on activities

Specially Designed Instruction
• Performance Criteria
– How we know that that the student
learned it!
– Identifies how performance will be
evaluated differently than for other
students, based upon objective, not
subjective, criteria

Specially Designed Instruction
• Performance Criteria
– Examples
• Samples of student work will serve as the basis
for the determination of student performance
• Data collection based on (rubrics, checklists,
observations, etc)
• Weighted grading system (if grading will not be
modified, it is assumed that the student will be
graded the same as non-disabled peers
• Tests for Alternate subject material (based upon
content modifications identified earlier)

Current Levels of Performance
• Focus should be on what the student CAN
DO!
• This area will provide the blueprint for your
goal!
• Should provide quantifiable detail that
describes the student’s abilities/challenges

Current Performance:
Example
• When writing, Suzie writes sentences
approximately 3-8 words in length. She
often makes 4-5 errors with the spacing of
words, letter formation and spelling in a
single writing assignment. She has the
greatest success spelling sight words and
words that are part of her experiences. She
has difficulty with punctuation, either
omitting punctuation or inserting
punctuation out of place. The length of her
writings are generally about 4-5 sentences.

Current Performance:
Non-Example
• Johnny cannot remember or retrieve
what he has read or seen. After
reading grade level passages, he
cannot remember more than 3
elements from the reading. He is
unable to state the main idea of the
passage or sequence more than two
events.

Welcome to Day 2!
You made it!
GOALS & OBJECTIVES
• Should be DIRECTLY RELATED to the students CPL
(Current Performance Level)
• The goal MUST meet the following:
– It must be measurable
– It must tell what the student can reasonable
accomplish in this IEP year
– It must relate to helping the student be
successful in the general curriculum and/or
address other educational needs resulting from
the disability

Goal Focus
• The sources of potential goal focus
areas could be:
–
–
–
–
–
–

Parent/student concerns
Student strengths/challenges
Vision statement
Skills related to general curriculum
Other educational needs
Impact of the disability

Goals & Objectives :
A Fun Writing Activity!
• First choose your TOPIC (Goal Focus)

• Then, organize your thoughts into a
PARAGRAPH (CPL)
• Your paragraph should always contain a MAIN
IDEA (GOAL) and SUPPORTING DETAILS
(OBJECTIVES)

Goal Focus Areas
• Many IEP goal focus areas could be identified
from the following skill areas list:
–
–
–
–
–
–
–
–
–

Oral Expression
Listening Comprehension
Written Expression
Basic Reading Skills
Reading Comprehension
Mathematics Calculation
Mathematics Reasoning
Behavior
Social Skills

Goals & Objectives
• They need to be OBSERVABLE & MEASURABLE
– Question: How can I observe and measure how
Johnny “learned”?
Think about how you ALREADY observe and measure
your students, and use this information when
writing your goals/objectives!

Goals & Objectives
• If a student meets their goal,
CHANGE IT!
• If a student is still not making
progress or meeting their goal,
CHANGE IT!

A Measureable Annual Goal
Includes:
• an observable behavior,
• a criterion clearly stating how well, how
much or at what level the behavior is to be
performed
• The given or condition necessary.

Measurable Annual Goal
Target Behavior Condition Criteria
• When given a topic in History, Social Science,
ELA or Science and Technology, Jose will be
able to independently write a threeparagraph essay containing the required
elements: introduction, supporting details,
and conclusion.

• Nadia will identify types of sentences
(simple, compound, complex) when editing
scoring ¾ on the MCAS Scoring Guide for
Standard English Conventions.

Objectives/Benchmarks
• The focus of benchmark/objectives comes from the
details identified in the current performance level.
• Objectives must be measurable; describes a tangible
outcome. It must be visible or audible.
• They describe what you intend the student to
achieve.
• Benchmarks/objectives are made up of four parts:
– Condition- what an adult will do to have the skill occur
– Learner’s name- do not write “the student”
– Skill/performance or behavior- what the learner is
expected to do
– Criteria- how the skill will be measured, or when we know
that the learner has achieved or surpassed the expectation

Objectives/Benchmarks
• Avoid using percentages as the only way of
measuring success.
– “Suzie will cross the street with 80% accuracy”
– “Suzie will use a treadmill with 95% accuracy””
– “Given a list of sight words, Suzie will state them with 75%
accuracy.”
– “Suzie will make eye contact with 85% accuracy.”

• With objectives and with goals there should be no
room for error. The above examples can ONLY be
done correctly or incorrectly, not as a percentage of
accuracy.
• Therefore, does the writer actually mean
percentage of occasions that it will be done 100%
accurately.

Benchmarks/Objectives:
Be Sure to Identify what is Intended
• Often we write accuracy in a benchmark or objective but we
really mean the number of occasions that the student performs
a skill accurately.
• Criteria-Benchmarks/objectives can be measured in a variety
of ways:
– time/speed
– Accuracy
– Specific statements of measure
– And yes, sometimes percentages- but NOT ALWAYS!

Thank you for joining us!


Slide 18

From Gobbledygook
to
Clearly Written Annual IEP Goals

Nov./Dec. 2010

Accommodations –
Too Much of a Good Thing!
•

•

Only what the student needs on a daily basis
to access the general curriculum
Individualized to each student
– Re-evaluated each year!
– Not cookie-cutter!

•

Should pass “The Stranger Test”!

•

*sample accommodations

Accommodations vs. Modifications
• Accommodations
– Access general curriculum
– Do not take students off grade level
– Usually available in general ed. setting, and
could be available to any students

Accommodations vs. Modifications
• Modifications
– ACTUAL CHANGE to the curriculum (content,
delivery of instruction, methodology, and
performance criteria…Hint Hint, what does that
sound like?
– May take student off grade level
– Could take place in general ed. setting, but
could also take place in separate setting

Standard Accommodations:
Samples & Categories
• Setting
– Seating student near
teacher
– Seating student near
positive role model
– Avoid distracting stimuli
– Small groups

• Presentation
– Providing (reference sheets,
graphic organizers, copies
of notes, visual aids)
– Providing a written outline
– Simplifying directions
– Repeat verbal and written
directions to student
– Vary the format of the test

• Timing
– Giving extra time to complete
tasks
– Untimed assessments
– Frequent breaks

• Response
– Scribe
– Typed responses rather than
written
– Oral response

Specially Designed Instruction
a.k.a. MODIFICATIONS
• MUST BE IDENTIFIED ON AN IEP! (PLEP A&B)
• Specially Designed Instruction IS Special
Education.
• It is:

– Modifying the content, the methodology or the
performance criteria as appropriate to the needs of
the student
•
•
•
•

Address unique needs of student
Address child’s needs RELATED TO THE DISABILITY
Ensure access to general curriculum
Meet educational standards

Specially Designed Instruction
• 1) What type(s) of specially designed
instruction is necessary for the student to
make effective progress?

• One, two, or all three of the following areas
must be indentified for students determine
eligible for special education services:
– Content
– Methodology/Delivery of Instruction
– Performance Criteria

Specially Designed Instruction
• Content
– Identifies what the student MUST be taught
– IMPORTANT!
• When no content modifications are identified then the
assumption is that the student is working at grade level
responsibility for those curriculum areas NOT listed

– Curriculum modified for the provision of key facts and/or
concepts of grade level standards for the following
curriculum area (s)_________________
– Curriculum modified to focus on entry points of gradelevel standards for the following curriculum area
(s)_________________________________

Specially Designed Instruction
• Methodology/Delivery of Instruction
– Identifies how the student will be taught
(specialized, research-proven teaching
methods, groupings, therapies, or other
methods of instruction that the district needs
to provide to the student)
– EX: small group instruction, reduced
student/teacher ratio, instruction, specific
interventions, therapies, specialized reading
programs, DIRECT INSTRUCTION BY SPECIAL
EDUCATOR TO STUDENT ON HOW TO USE
AND IMPLEMENT ACCOMMODATIONS, hands
on activities

Specially Designed Instruction
• Performance Criteria
– How we know that that the student
learned it!
– Identifies how performance will be
evaluated differently than for other
students, based upon objective, not
subjective, criteria

Specially Designed Instruction
• Performance Criteria
– Examples
• Samples of student work will serve as the basis
for the determination of student performance
• Data collection based on (rubrics, checklists,
observations, etc)
• Weighted grading system (if grading will not be
modified, it is assumed that the student will be
graded the same as non-disabled peers
• Tests for Alternate subject material (based upon
content modifications identified earlier)

Current Levels of Performance
• Focus should be on what the student CAN
DO!
• This area will provide the blueprint for your
goal!
• Should provide quantifiable detail that
describes the student’s abilities/challenges

Current Performance:
Example
• When writing, Suzie writes sentences
approximately 3-8 words in length. She
often makes 4-5 errors with the spacing of
words, letter formation and spelling in a
single writing assignment. She has the
greatest success spelling sight words and
words that are part of her experiences. She
has difficulty with punctuation, either
omitting punctuation or inserting
punctuation out of place. The length of her
writings are generally about 4-5 sentences.

Current Performance:
Non-Example
• Johnny cannot remember or retrieve
what he has read or seen. After
reading grade level passages, he
cannot remember more than 3
elements from the reading. He is
unable to state the main idea of the
passage or sequence more than two
events.

Welcome to Day 2!
You made it!
GOALS & OBJECTIVES
• Should be DIRECTLY RELATED to the students CPL
(Current Performance Level)
• The goal MUST meet the following:
– It must be measurable
– It must tell what the student can reasonable
accomplish in this IEP year
– It must relate to helping the student be
successful in the general curriculum and/or
address other educational needs resulting from
the disability

Goal Focus
• The sources of potential goal focus
areas could be:
–
–
–
–
–
–

Parent/student concerns
Student strengths/challenges
Vision statement
Skills related to general curriculum
Other educational needs
Impact of the disability

Goals & Objectives :
A Fun Writing Activity!
• First choose your TOPIC (Goal Focus)

• Then, organize your thoughts into a
PARAGRAPH (CPL)
• Your paragraph should always contain a MAIN
IDEA (GOAL) and SUPPORTING DETAILS
(OBJECTIVES)

Goal Focus Areas
• Many IEP goal focus areas could be identified
from the following skill areas list:
–
–
–
–
–
–
–
–
–

Oral Expression
Listening Comprehension
Written Expression
Basic Reading Skills
Reading Comprehension
Mathematics Calculation
Mathematics Reasoning
Behavior
Social Skills

Goals & Objectives
• They need to be OBSERVABLE & MEASURABLE
– Question: How can I observe and measure how
Johnny “learned”?
Think about how you ALREADY observe and measure
your students, and use this information when
writing your goals/objectives!

Goals & Objectives
• If a student meets their goal,
CHANGE IT!
• If a student is still not making
progress or meeting their goal,
CHANGE IT!

A Measureable Annual Goal
Includes:
• an observable behavior,
• a criterion clearly stating how well, how
much or at what level the behavior is to be
performed
• The given or condition necessary.

Measurable Annual Goal
Target Behavior Condition Criteria
• When given a topic in History, Social Science,
ELA or Science and Technology, Jose will be
able to independently write a threeparagraph essay containing the required
elements: introduction, supporting details,
and conclusion.

• Nadia will identify types of sentences
(simple, compound, complex) when editing
scoring ¾ on the MCAS Scoring Guide for
Standard English Conventions.

Objectives/Benchmarks
• The focus of benchmark/objectives comes from the
details identified in the current performance level.
• Objectives must be measurable; describes a tangible
outcome. It must be visible or audible.
• They describe what you intend the student to
achieve.
• Benchmarks/objectives are made up of four parts:
– Condition- what an adult will do to have the skill occur
– Learner’s name- do not write “the student”
– Skill/performance or behavior- what the learner is
expected to do
– Criteria- how the skill will be measured, or when we know
that the learner has achieved or surpassed the expectation

Objectives/Benchmarks
• Avoid using percentages as the only way of
measuring success.
– “Suzie will cross the street with 80% accuracy”
– “Suzie will use a treadmill with 95% accuracy””
– “Given a list of sight words, Suzie will state them with 75%
accuracy.”
– “Suzie will make eye contact with 85% accuracy.”

• With objectives and with goals there should be no
room for error. The above examples can ONLY be
done correctly or incorrectly, not as a percentage of
accuracy.
• Therefore, does the writer actually mean
percentage of occasions that it will be done 100%
accurately.

Benchmarks/Objectives:
Be Sure to Identify what is Intended
• Often we write accuracy in a benchmark or objective but we
really mean the number of occasions that the student performs
a skill accurately.
• Criteria-Benchmarks/objectives can be measured in a variety
of ways:
– time/speed
– Accuracy
– Specific statements of measure
– And yes, sometimes percentages- but NOT ALWAYS!

Thank you for joining us!


Slide 19

From Gobbledygook
to
Clearly Written Annual IEP Goals

Nov./Dec. 2010

Accommodations –
Too Much of a Good Thing!
•

•

Only what the student needs on a daily basis
to access the general curriculum
Individualized to each student
– Re-evaluated each year!
– Not cookie-cutter!

•

Should pass “The Stranger Test”!

•

*sample accommodations

Accommodations vs. Modifications
• Accommodations
– Access general curriculum
– Do not take students off grade level
– Usually available in general ed. setting, and
could be available to any students

Accommodations vs. Modifications
• Modifications
– ACTUAL CHANGE to the curriculum (content,
delivery of instruction, methodology, and
performance criteria…Hint Hint, what does that
sound like?
– May take student off grade level
– Could take place in general ed. setting, but
could also take place in separate setting

Standard Accommodations:
Samples & Categories
• Setting
– Seating student near
teacher
– Seating student near
positive role model
– Avoid distracting stimuli
– Small groups

• Presentation
– Providing (reference sheets,
graphic organizers, copies
of notes, visual aids)
– Providing a written outline
– Simplifying directions
– Repeat verbal and written
directions to student
– Vary the format of the test

• Timing
– Giving extra time to complete
tasks
– Untimed assessments
– Frequent breaks

• Response
– Scribe
– Typed responses rather than
written
– Oral response

Specially Designed Instruction
a.k.a. MODIFICATIONS
• MUST BE IDENTIFIED ON AN IEP! (PLEP A&B)
• Specially Designed Instruction IS Special
Education.
• It is:

– Modifying the content, the methodology or the
performance criteria as appropriate to the needs of
the student
•
•
•
•

Address unique needs of student
Address child’s needs RELATED TO THE DISABILITY
Ensure access to general curriculum
Meet educational standards

Specially Designed Instruction
• 1) What type(s) of specially designed
instruction is necessary for the student to
make effective progress?

• One, two, or all three of the following areas
must be indentified for students determine
eligible for special education services:
– Content
– Methodology/Delivery of Instruction
– Performance Criteria

Specially Designed Instruction
• Content
– Identifies what the student MUST be taught
– IMPORTANT!
• When no content modifications are identified then the
assumption is that the student is working at grade level
responsibility for those curriculum areas NOT listed

– Curriculum modified for the provision of key facts and/or
concepts of grade level standards for the following
curriculum area (s)_________________
– Curriculum modified to focus on entry points of gradelevel standards for the following curriculum area
(s)_________________________________

Specially Designed Instruction
• Methodology/Delivery of Instruction
– Identifies how the student will be taught
(specialized, research-proven teaching
methods, groupings, therapies, or other
methods of instruction that the district needs
to provide to the student)
– EX: small group instruction, reduced
student/teacher ratio, instruction, specific
interventions, therapies, specialized reading
programs, DIRECT INSTRUCTION BY SPECIAL
EDUCATOR TO STUDENT ON HOW TO USE
AND IMPLEMENT ACCOMMODATIONS, hands
on activities

Specially Designed Instruction
• Performance Criteria
– How we know that that the student
learned it!
– Identifies how performance will be
evaluated differently than for other
students, based upon objective, not
subjective, criteria

Specially Designed Instruction
• Performance Criteria
– Examples
• Samples of student work will serve as the basis
for the determination of student performance
• Data collection based on (rubrics, checklists,
observations, etc)
• Weighted grading system (if grading will not be
modified, it is assumed that the student will be
graded the same as non-disabled peers
• Tests for Alternate subject material (based upon
content modifications identified earlier)

Current Levels of Performance
• Focus should be on what the student CAN
DO!
• This area will provide the blueprint for your
goal!
• Should provide quantifiable detail that
describes the student’s abilities/challenges

Current Performance:
Example
• When writing, Suzie writes sentences
approximately 3-8 words in length. She
often makes 4-5 errors with the spacing of
words, letter formation and spelling in a
single writing assignment. She has the
greatest success spelling sight words and
words that are part of her experiences. She
has difficulty with punctuation, either
omitting punctuation or inserting
punctuation out of place. The length of her
writings are generally about 4-5 sentences.

Current Performance:
Non-Example
• Johnny cannot remember or retrieve
what he has read or seen. After
reading grade level passages, he
cannot remember more than 3
elements from the reading. He is
unable to state the main idea of the
passage or sequence more than two
events.

Welcome to Day 2!
You made it!
GOALS & OBJECTIVES
• Should be DIRECTLY RELATED to the students CPL
(Current Performance Level)
• The goal MUST meet the following:
– It must be measurable
– It must tell what the student can reasonable
accomplish in this IEP year
– It must relate to helping the student be
successful in the general curriculum and/or
address other educational needs resulting from
the disability

Goal Focus
• The sources of potential goal focus
areas could be:
–
–
–
–
–
–

Parent/student concerns
Student strengths/challenges
Vision statement
Skills related to general curriculum
Other educational needs
Impact of the disability

Goals & Objectives :
A Fun Writing Activity!
• First choose your TOPIC (Goal Focus)

• Then, organize your thoughts into a
PARAGRAPH (CPL)
• Your paragraph should always contain a MAIN
IDEA (GOAL) and SUPPORTING DETAILS
(OBJECTIVES)

Goal Focus Areas
• Many IEP goal focus areas could be identified
from the following skill areas list:
–
–
–
–
–
–
–
–
–

Oral Expression
Listening Comprehension
Written Expression
Basic Reading Skills
Reading Comprehension
Mathematics Calculation
Mathematics Reasoning
Behavior
Social Skills

Goals & Objectives
• They need to be OBSERVABLE & MEASURABLE
– Question: How can I observe and measure how
Johnny “learned”?
Think about how you ALREADY observe and measure
your students, and use this information when
writing your goals/objectives!

Goals & Objectives
• If a student meets their goal,
CHANGE IT!
• If a student is still not making
progress or meeting their goal,
CHANGE IT!

A Measureable Annual Goal
Includes:
• an observable behavior,
• a criterion clearly stating how well, how
much or at what level the behavior is to be
performed
• The given or condition necessary.

Measurable Annual Goal
Target Behavior Condition Criteria
• When given a topic in History, Social Science,
ELA or Science and Technology, Jose will be
able to independently write a threeparagraph essay containing the required
elements: introduction, supporting details,
and conclusion.

• Nadia will identify types of sentences
(simple, compound, complex) when editing
scoring ¾ on the MCAS Scoring Guide for
Standard English Conventions.

Objectives/Benchmarks
• The focus of benchmark/objectives comes from the
details identified in the current performance level.
• Objectives must be measurable; describes a tangible
outcome. It must be visible or audible.
• They describe what you intend the student to
achieve.
• Benchmarks/objectives are made up of four parts:
– Condition- what an adult will do to have the skill occur
– Learner’s name- do not write “the student”
– Skill/performance or behavior- what the learner is
expected to do
– Criteria- how the skill will be measured, or when we know
that the learner has achieved or surpassed the expectation

Objectives/Benchmarks
• Avoid using percentages as the only way of
measuring success.
– “Suzie will cross the street with 80% accuracy”
– “Suzie will use a treadmill with 95% accuracy””
– “Given a list of sight words, Suzie will state them with 75%
accuracy.”
– “Suzie will make eye contact with 85% accuracy.”

• With objectives and with goals there should be no
room for error. The above examples can ONLY be
done correctly or incorrectly, not as a percentage of
accuracy.
• Therefore, does the writer actually mean
percentage of occasions that it will be done 100%
accurately.

Benchmarks/Objectives:
Be Sure to Identify what is Intended
• Often we write accuracy in a benchmark or objective but we
really mean the number of occasions that the student performs
a skill accurately.
• Criteria-Benchmarks/objectives can be measured in a variety
of ways:
– time/speed
– Accuracy
– Specific statements of measure
– And yes, sometimes percentages- but NOT ALWAYS!

Thank you for joining us!


Slide 20

From Gobbledygook
to
Clearly Written Annual IEP Goals

Nov./Dec. 2010

Accommodations –
Too Much of a Good Thing!
•

•

Only what the student needs on a daily basis
to access the general curriculum
Individualized to each student
– Re-evaluated each year!
– Not cookie-cutter!

•

Should pass “The Stranger Test”!

•

*sample accommodations

Accommodations vs. Modifications
• Accommodations
– Access general curriculum
– Do not take students off grade level
– Usually available in general ed. setting, and
could be available to any students

Accommodations vs. Modifications
• Modifications
– ACTUAL CHANGE to the curriculum (content,
delivery of instruction, methodology, and
performance criteria…Hint Hint, what does that
sound like?
– May take student off grade level
– Could take place in general ed. setting, but
could also take place in separate setting

Standard Accommodations:
Samples & Categories
• Setting
– Seating student near
teacher
– Seating student near
positive role model
– Avoid distracting stimuli
– Small groups

• Presentation
– Providing (reference sheets,
graphic organizers, copies
of notes, visual aids)
– Providing a written outline
– Simplifying directions
– Repeat verbal and written
directions to student
– Vary the format of the test

• Timing
– Giving extra time to complete
tasks
– Untimed assessments
– Frequent breaks

• Response
– Scribe
– Typed responses rather than
written
– Oral response

Specially Designed Instruction
a.k.a. MODIFICATIONS
• MUST BE IDENTIFIED ON AN IEP! (PLEP A&B)
• Specially Designed Instruction IS Special
Education.
• It is:

– Modifying the content, the methodology or the
performance criteria as appropriate to the needs of
the student
•
•
•
•

Address unique needs of student
Address child’s needs RELATED TO THE DISABILITY
Ensure access to general curriculum
Meet educational standards

Specially Designed Instruction
• 1) What type(s) of specially designed
instruction is necessary for the student to
make effective progress?

• One, two, or all three of the following areas
must be indentified for students determine
eligible for special education services:
– Content
– Methodology/Delivery of Instruction
– Performance Criteria

Specially Designed Instruction
• Content
– Identifies what the student MUST be taught
– IMPORTANT!
• When no content modifications are identified then the
assumption is that the student is working at grade level
responsibility for those curriculum areas NOT listed

– Curriculum modified for the provision of key facts and/or
concepts of grade level standards for the following
curriculum area (s)_________________
– Curriculum modified to focus on entry points of gradelevel standards for the following curriculum area
(s)_________________________________

Specially Designed Instruction
• Methodology/Delivery of Instruction
– Identifies how the student will be taught
(specialized, research-proven teaching
methods, groupings, therapies, or other
methods of instruction that the district needs
to provide to the student)
– EX: small group instruction, reduced
student/teacher ratio, instruction, specific
interventions, therapies, specialized reading
programs, DIRECT INSTRUCTION BY SPECIAL
EDUCATOR TO STUDENT ON HOW TO USE
AND IMPLEMENT ACCOMMODATIONS, hands
on activities

Specially Designed Instruction
• Performance Criteria
– How we know that that the student
learned it!
– Identifies how performance will be
evaluated differently than for other
students, based upon objective, not
subjective, criteria

Specially Designed Instruction
• Performance Criteria
– Examples
• Samples of student work will serve as the basis
for the determination of student performance
• Data collection based on (rubrics, checklists,
observations, etc)
• Weighted grading system (if grading will not be
modified, it is assumed that the student will be
graded the same as non-disabled peers
• Tests for Alternate subject material (based upon
content modifications identified earlier)

Current Levels of Performance
• Focus should be on what the student CAN
DO!
• This area will provide the blueprint for your
goal!
• Should provide quantifiable detail that
describes the student’s abilities/challenges

Current Performance:
Example
• When writing, Suzie writes sentences
approximately 3-8 words in length. She
often makes 4-5 errors with the spacing of
words, letter formation and spelling in a
single writing assignment. She has the
greatest success spelling sight words and
words that are part of her experiences. She
has difficulty with punctuation, either
omitting punctuation or inserting
punctuation out of place. The length of her
writings are generally about 4-5 sentences.

Current Performance:
Non-Example
• Johnny cannot remember or retrieve
what he has read or seen. After
reading grade level passages, he
cannot remember more than 3
elements from the reading. He is
unable to state the main idea of the
passage or sequence more than two
events.

Welcome to Day 2!
You made it!
GOALS & OBJECTIVES
• Should be DIRECTLY RELATED to the students CPL
(Current Performance Level)
• The goal MUST meet the following:
– It must be measurable
– It must tell what the student can reasonable
accomplish in this IEP year
– It must relate to helping the student be
successful in the general curriculum and/or
address other educational needs resulting from
the disability

Goal Focus
• The sources of potential goal focus
areas could be:
–
–
–
–
–
–

Parent/student concerns
Student strengths/challenges
Vision statement
Skills related to general curriculum
Other educational needs
Impact of the disability

Goals & Objectives :
A Fun Writing Activity!
• First choose your TOPIC (Goal Focus)

• Then, organize your thoughts into a
PARAGRAPH (CPL)
• Your paragraph should always contain a MAIN
IDEA (GOAL) and SUPPORTING DETAILS
(OBJECTIVES)

Goal Focus Areas
• Many IEP goal focus areas could be identified
from the following skill areas list:
–
–
–
–
–
–
–
–
–

Oral Expression
Listening Comprehension
Written Expression
Basic Reading Skills
Reading Comprehension
Mathematics Calculation
Mathematics Reasoning
Behavior
Social Skills

Goals & Objectives
• They need to be OBSERVABLE & MEASURABLE
– Question: How can I observe and measure how
Johnny “learned”?
Think about how you ALREADY observe and measure
your students, and use this information when
writing your goals/objectives!

Goals & Objectives
• If a student meets their goal,
CHANGE IT!
• If a student is still not making
progress or meeting their goal,
CHANGE IT!

A Measureable Annual Goal
Includes:
• an observable behavior,
• a criterion clearly stating how well, how
much or at what level the behavior is to be
performed
• The given or condition necessary.

Measurable Annual Goal
Target Behavior Condition Criteria
• When given a topic in History, Social Science,
ELA or Science and Technology, Jose will be
able to independently write a threeparagraph essay containing the required
elements: introduction, supporting details,
and conclusion.

• Nadia will identify types of sentences
(simple, compound, complex) when editing
scoring ¾ on the MCAS Scoring Guide for
Standard English Conventions.

Objectives/Benchmarks
• The focus of benchmark/objectives comes from the
details identified in the current performance level.
• Objectives must be measurable; describes a tangible
outcome. It must be visible or audible.
• They describe what you intend the student to
achieve.
• Benchmarks/objectives are made up of four parts:
– Condition- what an adult will do to have the skill occur
– Learner’s name- do not write “the student”
– Skill/performance or behavior- what the learner is
expected to do
– Criteria- how the skill will be measured, or when we know
that the learner has achieved or surpassed the expectation

Objectives/Benchmarks
• Avoid using percentages as the only way of
measuring success.
– “Suzie will cross the street with 80% accuracy”
– “Suzie will use a treadmill with 95% accuracy””
– “Given a list of sight words, Suzie will state them with 75%
accuracy.”
– “Suzie will make eye contact with 85% accuracy.”

• With objectives and with goals there should be no
room for error. The above examples can ONLY be
done correctly or incorrectly, not as a percentage of
accuracy.
• Therefore, does the writer actually mean
percentage of occasions that it will be done 100%
accurately.

Benchmarks/Objectives:
Be Sure to Identify what is Intended
• Often we write accuracy in a benchmark or objective but we
really mean the number of occasions that the student performs
a skill accurately.
• Criteria-Benchmarks/objectives can be measured in a variety
of ways:
– time/speed
– Accuracy
– Specific statements of measure
– And yes, sometimes percentages- but NOT ALWAYS!

Thank you for joining us!


Slide 21

From Gobbledygook
to
Clearly Written Annual IEP Goals

Nov./Dec. 2010

Accommodations –
Too Much of a Good Thing!
•

•

Only what the student needs on a daily basis
to access the general curriculum
Individualized to each student
– Re-evaluated each year!
– Not cookie-cutter!

•

Should pass “The Stranger Test”!

•

*sample accommodations

Accommodations vs. Modifications
• Accommodations
– Access general curriculum
– Do not take students off grade level
– Usually available in general ed. setting, and
could be available to any students

Accommodations vs. Modifications
• Modifications
– ACTUAL CHANGE to the curriculum (content,
delivery of instruction, methodology, and
performance criteria…Hint Hint, what does that
sound like?
– May take student off grade level
– Could take place in general ed. setting, but
could also take place in separate setting

Standard Accommodations:
Samples & Categories
• Setting
– Seating student near
teacher
– Seating student near
positive role model
– Avoid distracting stimuli
– Small groups

• Presentation
– Providing (reference sheets,
graphic organizers, copies
of notes, visual aids)
– Providing a written outline
– Simplifying directions
– Repeat verbal and written
directions to student
– Vary the format of the test

• Timing
– Giving extra time to complete
tasks
– Untimed assessments
– Frequent breaks

• Response
– Scribe
– Typed responses rather than
written
– Oral response

Specially Designed Instruction
a.k.a. MODIFICATIONS
• MUST BE IDENTIFIED ON AN IEP! (PLEP A&B)
• Specially Designed Instruction IS Special
Education.
• It is:

– Modifying the content, the methodology or the
performance criteria as appropriate to the needs of
the student
•
•
•
•

Address unique needs of student
Address child’s needs RELATED TO THE DISABILITY
Ensure access to general curriculum
Meet educational standards

Specially Designed Instruction
• 1) What type(s) of specially designed
instruction is necessary for the student to
make effective progress?

• One, two, or all three of the following areas
must be indentified for students determine
eligible for special education services:
– Content
– Methodology/Delivery of Instruction
– Performance Criteria

Specially Designed Instruction
• Content
– Identifies what the student MUST be taught
– IMPORTANT!
• When no content modifications are identified then the
assumption is that the student is working at grade level
responsibility for those curriculum areas NOT listed

– Curriculum modified for the provision of key facts and/or
concepts of grade level standards for the following
curriculum area (s)_________________
– Curriculum modified to focus on entry points of gradelevel standards for the following curriculum area
(s)_________________________________

Specially Designed Instruction
• Methodology/Delivery of Instruction
– Identifies how the student will be taught
(specialized, research-proven teaching
methods, groupings, therapies, or other
methods of instruction that the district needs
to provide to the student)
– EX: small group instruction, reduced
student/teacher ratio, instruction, specific
interventions, therapies, specialized reading
programs, DIRECT INSTRUCTION BY SPECIAL
EDUCATOR TO STUDENT ON HOW TO USE
AND IMPLEMENT ACCOMMODATIONS, hands
on activities

Specially Designed Instruction
• Performance Criteria
– How we know that that the student
learned it!
– Identifies how performance will be
evaluated differently than for other
students, based upon objective, not
subjective, criteria

Specially Designed Instruction
• Performance Criteria
– Examples
• Samples of student work will serve as the basis
for the determination of student performance
• Data collection based on (rubrics, checklists,
observations, etc)
• Weighted grading system (if grading will not be
modified, it is assumed that the student will be
graded the same as non-disabled peers
• Tests for Alternate subject material (based upon
content modifications identified earlier)

Current Levels of Performance
• Focus should be on what the student CAN
DO!
• This area will provide the blueprint for your
goal!
• Should provide quantifiable detail that
describes the student’s abilities/challenges

Current Performance:
Example
• When writing, Suzie writes sentences
approximately 3-8 words in length. She
often makes 4-5 errors with the spacing of
words, letter formation and spelling in a
single writing assignment. She has the
greatest success spelling sight words and
words that are part of her experiences. She
has difficulty with punctuation, either
omitting punctuation or inserting
punctuation out of place. The length of her
writings are generally about 4-5 sentences.

Current Performance:
Non-Example
• Johnny cannot remember or retrieve
what he has read or seen. After
reading grade level passages, he
cannot remember more than 3
elements from the reading. He is
unable to state the main idea of the
passage or sequence more than two
events.

Welcome to Day 2!
You made it!
GOALS & OBJECTIVES
• Should be DIRECTLY RELATED to the students CPL
(Current Performance Level)
• The goal MUST meet the following:
– It must be measurable
– It must tell what the student can reasonable
accomplish in this IEP year
– It must relate to helping the student be
successful in the general curriculum and/or
address other educational needs resulting from
the disability

Goal Focus
• The sources of potential goal focus
areas could be:
–
–
–
–
–
–

Parent/student concerns
Student strengths/challenges
Vision statement
Skills related to general curriculum
Other educational needs
Impact of the disability

Goals & Objectives :
A Fun Writing Activity!
• First choose your TOPIC (Goal Focus)

• Then, organize your thoughts into a
PARAGRAPH (CPL)
• Your paragraph should always contain a MAIN
IDEA (GOAL) and SUPPORTING DETAILS
(OBJECTIVES)

Goal Focus Areas
• Many IEP goal focus areas could be identified
from the following skill areas list:
–
–
–
–
–
–
–
–
–

Oral Expression
Listening Comprehension
Written Expression
Basic Reading Skills
Reading Comprehension
Mathematics Calculation
Mathematics Reasoning
Behavior
Social Skills

Goals & Objectives
• They need to be OBSERVABLE & MEASURABLE
– Question: How can I observe and measure how
Johnny “learned”?
Think about how you ALREADY observe and measure
your students, and use this information when
writing your goals/objectives!

Goals & Objectives
• If a student meets their goal,
CHANGE IT!
• If a student is still not making
progress or meeting their goal,
CHANGE IT!

A Measureable Annual Goal
Includes:
• an observable behavior,
• a criterion clearly stating how well, how
much or at what level the behavior is to be
performed
• The given or condition necessary.

Measurable Annual Goal
Target Behavior Condition Criteria
• When given a topic in History, Social Science,
ELA or Science and Technology, Jose will be
able to independently write a threeparagraph essay containing the required
elements: introduction, supporting details,
and conclusion.

• Nadia will identify types of sentences
(simple, compound, complex) when editing
scoring ¾ on the MCAS Scoring Guide for
Standard English Conventions.

Objectives/Benchmarks
• The focus of benchmark/objectives comes from the
details identified in the current performance level.
• Objectives must be measurable; describes a tangible
outcome. It must be visible or audible.
• They describe what you intend the student to
achieve.
• Benchmarks/objectives are made up of four parts:
– Condition- what an adult will do to have the skill occur
– Learner’s name- do not write “the student”
– Skill/performance or behavior- what the learner is
expected to do
– Criteria- how the skill will be measured, or when we know
that the learner has achieved or surpassed the expectation

Objectives/Benchmarks
• Avoid using percentages as the only way of
measuring success.
– “Suzie will cross the street with 80% accuracy”
– “Suzie will use a treadmill with 95% accuracy””
– “Given a list of sight words, Suzie will state them with 75%
accuracy.”
– “Suzie will make eye contact with 85% accuracy.”

• With objectives and with goals there should be no
room for error. The above examples can ONLY be
done correctly or incorrectly, not as a percentage of
accuracy.
• Therefore, does the writer actually mean
percentage of occasions that it will be done 100%
accurately.

Benchmarks/Objectives:
Be Sure to Identify what is Intended
• Often we write accuracy in a benchmark or objective but we
really mean the number of occasions that the student performs
a skill accurately.
• Criteria-Benchmarks/objectives can be measured in a variety
of ways:
– time/speed
– Accuracy
– Specific statements of measure
– And yes, sometimes percentages- but NOT ALWAYS!

Thank you for joining us!


Slide 22

From Gobbledygook
to
Clearly Written Annual IEP Goals

Nov./Dec. 2010

Accommodations –
Too Much of a Good Thing!
•

•

Only what the student needs on a daily basis
to access the general curriculum
Individualized to each student
– Re-evaluated each year!
– Not cookie-cutter!

•

Should pass “The Stranger Test”!

•

*sample accommodations

Accommodations vs. Modifications
• Accommodations
– Access general curriculum
– Do not take students off grade level
– Usually available in general ed. setting, and
could be available to any students

Accommodations vs. Modifications
• Modifications
– ACTUAL CHANGE to the curriculum (content,
delivery of instruction, methodology, and
performance criteria…Hint Hint, what does that
sound like?
– May take student off grade level
– Could take place in general ed. setting, but
could also take place in separate setting

Standard Accommodations:
Samples & Categories
• Setting
– Seating student near
teacher
– Seating student near
positive role model
– Avoid distracting stimuli
– Small groups

• Presentation
– Providing (reference sheets,
graphic organizers, copies
of notes, visual aids)
– Providing a written outline
– Simplifying directions
– Repeat verbal and written
directions to student
– Vary the format of the test

• Timing
– Giving extra time to complete
tasks
– Untimed assessments
– Frequent breaks

• Response
– Scribe
– Typed responses rather than
written
– Oral response

Specially Designed Instruction
a.k.a. MODIFICATIONS
• MUST BE IDENTIFIED ON AN IEP! (PLEP A&B)
• Specially Designed Instruction IS Special
Education.
• It is:

– Modifying the content, the methodology or the
performance criteria as appropriate to the needs of
the student
•
•
•
•

Address unique needs of student
Address child’s needs RELATED TO THE DISABILITY
Ensure access to general curriculum
Meet educational standards

Specially Designed Instruction
• 1) What type(s) of specially designed
instruction is necessary for the student to
make effective progress?

• One, two, or all three of the following areas
must be indentified for students determine
eligible for special education services:
– Content
– Methodology/Delivery of Instruction
– Performance Criteria

Specially Designed Instruction
• Content
– Identifies what the student MUST be taught
– IMPORTANT!
• When no content modifications are identified then the
assumption is that the student is working at grade level
responsibility for those curriculum areas NOT listed

– Curriculum modified for the provision of key facts and/or
concepts of grade level standards for the following
curriculum area (s)_________________
– Curriculum modified to focus on entry points of gradelevel standards for the following curriculum area
(s)_________________________________

Specially Designed Instruction
• Methodology/Delivery of Instruction
– Identifies how the student will be taught
(specialized, research-proven teaching
methods, groupings, therapies, or other
methods of instruction that the district needs
to provide to the student)
– EX: small group instruction, reduced
student/teacher ratio, instruction, specific
interventions, therapies, specialized reading
programs, DIRECT INSTRUCTION BY SPECIAL
EDUCATOR TO STUDENT ON HOW TO USE
AND IMPLEMENT ACCOMMODATIONS, hands
on activities

Specially Designed Instruction
• Performance Criteria
– How we know that that the student
learned it!
– Identifies how performance will be
evaluated differently than for other
students, based upon objective, not
subjective, criteria

Specially Designed Instruction
• Performance Criteria
– Examples
• Samples of student work will serve as the basis
for the determination of student performance
• Data collection based on (rubrics, checklists,
observations, etc)
• Weighted grading system (if grading will not be
modified, it is assumed that the student will be
graded the same as non-disabled peers
• Tests for Alternate subject material (based upon
content modifications identified earlier)

Current Levels of Performance
• Focus should be on what the student CAN
DO!
• This area will provide the blueprint for your
goal!
• Should provide quantifiable detail that
describes the student’s abilities/challenges

Current Performance:
Example
• When writing, Suzie writes sentences
approximately 3-8 words in length. She
often makes 4-5 errors with the spacing of
words, letter formation and spelling in a
single writing assignment. She has the
greatest success spelling sight words and
words that are part of her experiences. She
has difficulty with punctuation, either
omitting punctuation or inserting
punctuation out of place. The length of her
writings are generally about 4-5 sentences.

Current Performance:
Non-Example
• Johnny cannot remember or retrieve
what he has read or seen. After
reading grade level passages, he
cannot remember more than 3
elements from the reading. He is
unable to state the main idea of the
passage or sequence more than two
events.

Welcome to Day 2!
You made it!
GOALS & OBJECTIVES
• Should be DIRECTLY RELATED to the students CPL
(Current Performance Level)
• The goal MUST meet the following:
– It must be measurable
– It must tell what the student can reasonable
accomplish in this IEP year
– It must relate to helping the student be
successful in the general curriculum and/or
address other educational needs resulting from
the disability

Goal Focus
• The sources of potential goal focus
areas could be:
–
–
–
–
–
–

Parent/student concerns
Student strengths/challenges
Vision statement
Skills related to general curriculum
Other educational needs
Impact of the disability

Goals & Objectives :
A Fun Writing Activity!
• First choose your TOPIC (Goal Focus)

• Then, organize your thoughts into a
PARAGRAPH (CPL)
• Your paragraph should always contain a MAIN
IDEA (GOAL) and SUPPORTING DETAILS
(OBJECTIVES)

Goal Focus Areas
• Many IEP goal focus areas could be identified
from the following skill areas list:
–
–
–
–
–
–
–
–
–

Oral Expression
Listening Comprehension
Written Expression
Basic Reading Skills
Reading Comprehension
Mathematics Calculation
Mathematics Reasoning
Behavior
Social Skills

Goals & Objectives
• They need to be OBSERVABLE & MEASURABLE
– Question: How can I observe and measure how
Johnny “learned”?
Think about how you ALREADY observe and measure
your students, and use this information when
writing your goals/objectives!

Goals & Objectives
• If a student meets their goal,
CHANGE IT!
• If a student is still not making
progress or meeting their goal,
CHANGE IT!

A Measureable Annual Goal
Includes:
• an observable behavior,
• a criterion clearly stating how well, how
much or at what level the behavior is to be
performed
• The given or condition necessary.

Measurable Annual Goal
Target Behavior Condition Criteria
• When given a topic in History, Social Science,
ELA or Science and Technology, Jose will be
able to independently write a threeparagraph essay containing the required
elements: introduction, supporting details,
and conclusion.

• Nadia will identify types of sentences
(simple, compound, complex) when editing
scoring ¾ on the MCAS Scoring Guide for
Standard English Conventions.

Objectives/Benchmarks
• The focus of benchmark/objectives comes from the
details identified in the current performance level.
• Objectives must be measurable; describes a tangible
outcome. It must be visible or audible.
• They describe what you intend the student to
achieve.
• Benchmarks/objectives are made up of four parts:
– Condition- what an adult will do to have the skill occur
– Learner’s name- do not write “the student”
– Skill/performance or behavior- what the learner is
expected to do
– Criteria- how the skill will be measured, or when we know
that the learner has achieved or surpassed the expectation

Objectives/Benchmarks
• Avoid using percentages as the only way of
measuring success.
– “Suzie will cross the street with 80% accuracy”
– “Suzie will use a treadmill with 95% accuracy””
– “Given a list of sight words, Suzie will state them with 75%
accuracy.”
– “Suzie will make eye contact with 85% accuracy.”

• With objectives and with goals there should be no
room for error. The above examples can ONLY be
done correctly or incorrectly, not as a percentage of
accuracy.
• Therefore, does the writer actually mean
percentage of occasions that it will be done 100%
accurately.

Benchmarks/Objectives:
Be Sure to Identify what is Intended
• Often we write accuracy in a benchmark or objective but we
really mean the number of occasions that the student performs
a skill accurately.
• Criteria-Benchmarks/objectives can be measured in a variety
of ways:
– time/speed
– Accuracy
– Specific statements of measure
– And yes, sometimes percentages- but NOT ALWAYS!

Thank you for joining us!


Slide 23

From Gobbledygook
to
Clearly Written Annual IEP Goals

Nov./Dec. 2010

Accommodations –
Too Much of a Good Thing!
•

•

Only what the student needs on a daily basis
to access the general curriculum
Individualized to each student
– Re-evaluated each year!
– Not cookie-cutter!

•

Should pass “The Stranger Test”!

•

*sample accommodations

Accommodations vs. Modifications
• Accommodations
– Access general curriculum
– Do not take students off grade level
– Usually available in general ed. setting, and
could be available to any students

Accommodations vs. Modifications
• Modifications
– ACTUAL CHANGE to the curriculum (content,
delivery of instruction, methodology, and
performance criteria…Hint Hint, what does that
sound like?
– May take student off grade level
– Could take place in general ed. setting, but
could also take place in separate setting

Standard Accommodations:
Samples & Categories
• Setting
– Seating student near
teacher
– Seating student near
positive role model
– Avoid distracting stimuli
– Small groups

• Presentation
– Providing (reference sheets,
graphic organizers, copies
of notes, visual aids)
– Providing a written outline
– Simplifying directions
– Repeat verbal and written
directions to student
– Vary the format of the test

• Timing
– Giving extra time to complete
tasks
– Untimed assessments
– Frequent breaks

• Response
– Scribe
– Typed responses rather than
written
– Oral response

Specially Designed Instruction
a.k.a. MODIFICATIONS
• MUST BE IDENTIFIED ON AN IEP! (PLEP A&B)
• Specially Designed Instruction IS Special
Education.
• It is:

– Modifying the content, the methodology or the
performance criteria as appropriate to the needs of
the student
•
•
•
•

Address unique needs of student
Address child’s needs RELATED TO THE DISABILITY
Ensure access to general curriculum
Meet educational standards

Specially Designed Instruction
• 1) What type(s) of specially designed
instruction is necessary for the student to
make effective progress?

• One, two, or all three of the following areas
must be indentified for students determine
eligible for special education services:
– Content
– Methodology/Delivery of Instruction
– Performance Criteria

Specially Designed Instruction
• Content
– Identifies what the student MUST be taught
– IMPORTANT!
• When no content modifications are identified then the
assumption is that the student is working at grade level
responsibility for those curriculum areas NOT listed

– Curriculum modified for the provision of key facts and/or
concepts of grade level standards for the following
curriculum area (s)_________________
– Curriculum modified to focus on entry points of gradelevel standards for the following curriculum area
(s)_________________________________

Specially Designed Instruction
• Methodology/Delivery of Instruction
– Identifies how the student will be taught
(specialized, research-proven teaching
methods, groupings, therapies, or other
methods of instruction that the district needs
to provide to the student)
– EX: small group instruction, reduced
student/teacher ratio, instruction, specific
interventions, therapies, specialized reading
programs, DIRECT INSTRUCTION BY SPECIAL
EDUCATOR TO STUDENT ON HOW TO USE
AND IMPLEMENT ACCOMMODATIONS, hands
on activities

Specially Designed Instruction
• Performance Criteria
– How we know that that the student
learned it!
– Identifies how performance will be
evaluated differently than for other
students, based upon objective, not
subjective, criteria

Specially Designed Instruction
• Performance Criteria
– Examples
• Samples of student work will serve as the basis
for the determination of student performance
• Data collection based on (rubrics, checklists,
observations, etc)
• Weighted grading system (if grading will not be
modified, it is assumed that the student will be
graded the same as non-disabled peers
• Tests for Alternate subject material (based upon
content modifications identified earlier)

Current Levels of Performance
• Focus should be on what the student CAN
DO!
• This area will provide the blueprint for your
goal!
• Should provide quantifiable detail that
describes the student’s abilities/challenges

Current Performance:
Example
• When writing, Suzie writes sentences
approximately 3-8 words in length. She
often makes 4-5 errors with the spacing of
words, letter formation and spelling in a
single writing assignment. She has the
greatest success spelling sight words and
words that are part of her experiences. She
has difficulty with punctuation, either
omitting punctuation or inserting
punctuation out of place. The length of her
writings are generally about 4-5 sentences.

Current Performance:
Non-Example
• Johnny cannot remember or retrieve
what he has read or seen. After
reading grade level passages, he
cannot remember more than 3
elements from the reading. He is
unable to state the main idea of the
passage or sequence more than two
events.

Welcome to Day 2!
You made it!
GOALS & OBJECTIVES
• Should be DIRECTLY RELATED to the students CPL
(Current Performance Level)
• The goal MUST meet the following:
– It must be measurable
– It must tell what the student can reasonable
accomplish in this IEP year
– It must relate to helping the student be
successful in the general curriculum and/or
address other educational needs resulting from
the disability

Goal Focus
• The sources of potential goal focus
areas could be:
–
–
–
–
–
–

Parent/student concerns
Student strengths/challenges
Vision statement
Skills related to general curriculum
Other educational needs
Impact of the disability

Goals & Objectives :
A Fun Writing Activity!
• First choose your TOPIC (Goal Focus)

• Then, organize your thoughts into a
PARAGRAPH (CPL)
• Your paragraph should always contain a MAIN
IDEA (GOAL) and SUPPORTING DETAILS
(OBJECTIVES)

Goal Focus Areas
• Many IEP goal focus areas could be identified
from the following skill areas list:
–
–
–
–
–
–
–
–
–

Oral Expression
Listening Comprehension
Written Expression
Basic Reading Skills
Reading Comprehension
Mathematics Calculation
Mathematics Reasoning
Behavior
Social Skills

Goals & Objectives
• They need to be OBSERVABLE & MEASURABLE
– Question: How can I observe and measure how
Johnny “learned”?
Think about how you ALREADY observe and measure
your students, and use this information when
writing your goals/objectives!

Goals & Objectives
• If a student meets their goal,
CHANGE IT!
• If a student is still not making
progress or meeting their goal,
CHANGE IT!

A Measureable Annual Goal
Includes:
• an observable behavior,
• a criterion clearly stating how well, how
much or at what level the behavior is to be
performed
• The given or condition necessary.

Measurable Annual Goal
Target Behavior Condition Criteria
• When given a topic in History, Social Science,
ELA or Science and Technology, Jose will be
able to independently write a threeparagraph essay containing the required
elements: introduction, supporting details,
and conclusion.

• Nadia will identify types of sentences
(simple, compound, complex) when editing
scoring ¾ on the MCAS Scoring Guide for
Standard English Conventions.

Objectives/Benchmarks
• The focus of benchmark/objectives comes from the
details identified in the current performance level.
• Objectives must be measurable; describes a tangible
outcome. It must be visible or audible.
• They describe what you intend the student to
achieve.
• Benchmarks/objectives are made up of four parts:
– Condition- what an adult will do to have the skill occur
– Learner’s name- do not write “the student”
– Skill/performance or behavior- what the learner is
expected to do
– Criteria- how the skill will be measured, or when we know
that the learner has achieved or surpassed the expectation

Objectives/Benchmarks
• Avoid using percentages as the only way of
measuring success.
– “Suzie will cross the street with 80% accuracy”
– “Suzie will use a treadmill with 95% accuracy””
– “Given a list of sight words, Suzie will state them with 75%
accuracy.”
– “Suzie will make eye contact with 85% accuracy.”

• With objectives and with goals there should be no
room for error. The above examples can ONLY be
done correctly or incorrectly, not as a percentage of
accuracy.
• Therefore, does the writer actually mean
percentage of occasions that it will be done 100%
accurately.

Benchmarks/Objectives:
Be Sure to Identify what is Intended
• Often we write accuracy in a benchmark or objective but we
really mean the number of occasions that the student performs
a skill accurately.
• Criteria-Benchmarks/objectives can be measured in a variety
of ways:
– time/speed
– Accuracy
– Specific statements of measure
– And yes, sometimes percentages- but NOT ALWAYS!

Thank you for joining us!


Slide 24

From Gobbledygook
to
Clearly Written Annual IEP Goals

Nov./Dec. 2010

Accommodations –
Too Much of a Good Thing!
•

•

Only what the student needs on a daily basis
to access the general curriculum
Individualized to each student
– Re-evaluated each year!
– Not cookie-cutter!

•

Should pass “The Stranger Test”!

•

*sample accommodations

Accommodations vs. Modifications
• Accommodations
– Access general curriculum
– Do not take students off grade level
– Usually available in general ed. setting, and
could be available to any students

Accommodations vs. Modifications
• Modifications
– ACTUAL CHANGE to the curriculum (content,
delivery of instruction, methodology, and
performance criteria…Hint Hint, what does that
sound like?
– May take student off grade level
– Could take place in general ed. setting, but
could also take place in separate setting

Standard Accommodations:
Samples & Categories
• Setting
– Seating student near
teacher
– Seating student near
positive role model
– Avoid distracting stimuli
– Small groups

• Presentation
– Providing (reference sheets,
graphic organizers, copies
of notes, visual aids)
– Providing a written outline
– Simplifying directions
– Repeat verbal and written
directions to student
– Vary the format of the test

• Timing
– Giving extra time to complete
tasks
– Untimed assessments
– Frequent breaks

• Response
– Scribe
– Typed responses rather than
written
– Oral response

Specially Designed Instruction
a.k.a. MODIFICATIONS
• MUST BE IDENTIFIED ON AN IEP! (PLEP A&B)
• Specially Designed Instruction IS Special
Education.
• It is:

– Modifying the content, the methodology or the
performance criteria as appropriate to the needs of
the student
•
•
•
•

Address unique needs of student
Address child’s needs RELATED TO THE DISABILITY
Ensure access to general curriculum
Meet educational standards

Specially Designed Instruction
• 1) What type(s) of specially designed
instruction is necessary for the student to
make effective progress?

• One, two, or all three of the following areas
must be indentified for students determine
eligible for special education services:
– Content
– Methodology/Delivery of Instruction
– Performance Criteria

Specially Designed Instruction
• Content
– Identifies what the student MUST be taught
– IMPORTANT!
• When no content modifications are identified then the
assumption is that the student is working at grade level
responsibility for those curriculum areas NOT listed

– Curriculum modified for the provision of key facts and/or
concepts of grade level standards for the following
curriculum area (s)_________________
– Curriculum modified to focus on entry points of gradelevel standards for the following curriculum area
(s)_________________________________

Specially Designed Instruction
• Methodology/Delivery of Instruction
– Identifies how the student will be taught
(specialized, research-proven teaching
methods, groupings, therapies, or other
methods of instruction that the district needs
to provide to the student)
– EX: small group instruction, reduced
student/teacher ratio, instruction, specific
interventions, therapies, specialized reading
programs, DIRECT INSTRUCTION BY SPECIAL
EDUCATOR TO STUDENT ON HOW TO USE
AND IMPLEMENT ACCOMMODATIONS, hands
on activities

Specially Designed Instruction
• Performance Criteria
– How we know that that the student
learned it!
– Identifies how performance will be
evaluated differently than for other
students, based upon objective, not
subjective, criteria

Specially Designed Instruction
• Performance Criteria
– Examples
• Samples of student work will serve as the basis
for the determination of student performance
• Data collection based on (rubrics, checklists,
observations, etc)
• Weighted grading system (if grading will not be
modified, it is assumed that the student will be
graded the same as non-disabled peers
• Tests for Alternate subject material (based upon
content modifications identified earlier)

Current Levels of Performance
• Focus should be on what the student CAN
DO!
• This area will provide the blueprint for your
goal!
• Should provide quantifiable detail that
describes the student’s abilities/challenges

Current Performance:
Example
• When writing, Suzie writes sentences
approximately 3-8 words in length. She
often makes 4-5 errors with the spacing of
words, letter formation and spelling in a
single writing assignment. She has the
greatest success spelling sight words and
words that are part of her experiences. She
has difficulty with punctuation, either
omitting punctuation or inserting
punctuation out of place. The length of her
writings are generally about 4-5 sentences.

Current Performance:
Non-Example
• Johnny cannot remember or retrieve
what he has read or seen. After
reading grade level passages, he
cannot remember more than 3
elements from the reading. He is
unable to state the main idea of the
passage or sequence more than two
events.

Welcome to Day 2!
You made it!
GOALS & OBJECTIVES
• Should be DIRECTLY RELATED to the students CPL
(Current Performance Level)
• The goal MUST meet the following:
– It must be measurable
– It must tell what the student can reasonable
accomplish in this IEP year
– It must relate to helping the student be
successful in the general curriculum and/or
address other educational needs resulting from
the disability

Goal Focus
• The sources of potential goal focus
areas could be:
–
–
–
–
–
–

Parent/student concerns
Student strengths/challenges
Vision statement
Skills related to general curriculum
Other educational needs
Impact of the disability

Goals & Objectives :
A Fun Writing Activity!
• First choose your TOPIC (Goal Focus)

• Then, organize your thoughts into a
PARAGRAPH (CPL)
• Your paragraph should always contain a MAIN
IDEA (GOAL) and SUPPORTING DETAILS
(OBJECTIVES)

Goal Focus Areas
• Many IEP goal focus areas could be identified
from the following skill areas list:
–
–
–
–
–
–
–
–
–

Oral Expression
Listening Comprehension
Written Expression
Basic Reading Skills
Reading Comprehension
Mathematics Calculation
Mathematics Reasoning
Behavior
Social Skills

Goals & Objectives
• They need to be OBSERVABLE & MEASURABLE
– Question: How can I observe and measure how
Johnny “learned”?
Think about how you ALREADY observe and measure
your students, and use this information when
writing your goals/objectives!

Goals & Objectives
• If a student meets their goal,
CHANGE IT!
• If a student is still not making
progress or meeting their goal,
CHANGE IT!

A Measureable Annual Goal
Includes:
• an observable behavior,
• a criterion clearly stating how well, how
much or at what level the behavior is to be
performed
• The given or condition necessary.

Measurable Annual Goal
Target Behavior Condition Criteria
• When given a topic in History, Social Science,
ELA or Science and Technology, Jose will be
able to independently write a threeparagraph essay containing the required
elements: introduction, supporting details,
and conclusion.

• Nadia will identify types of sentences
(simple, compound, complex) when editing
scoring ¾ on the MCAS Scoring Guide for
Standard English Conventions.

Objectives/Benchmarks
• The focus of benchmark/objectives comes from the
details identified in the current performance level.
• Objectives must be measurable; describes a tangible
outcome. It must be visible or audible.
• They describe what you intend the student to
achieve.
• Benchmarks/objectives are made up of four parts:
– Condition- what an adult will do to have the skill occur
– Learner’s name- do not write “the student”
– Skill/performance or behavior- what the learner is
expected to do
– Criteria- how the skill will be measured, or when we know
that the learner has achieved or surpassed the expectation

Objectives/Benchmarks
• Avoid using percentages as the only way of
measuring success.
– “Suzie will cross the street with 80% accuracy”
– “Suzie will use a treadmill with 95% accuracy””
– “Given a list of sight words, Suzie will state them with 75%
accuracy.”
– “Suzie will make eye contact with 85% accuracy.”

• With objectives and with goals there should be no
room for error. The above examples can ONLY be
done correctly or incorrectly, not as a percentage of
accuracy.
• Therefore, does the writer actually mean
percentage of occasions that it will be done 100%
accurately.

Benchmarks/Objectives:
Be Sure to Identify what is Intended
• Often we write accuracy in a benchmark or objective but we
really mean the number of occasions that the student performs
a skill accurately.
• Criteria-Benchmarks/objectives can be measured in a variety
of ways:
– time/speed
– Accuracy
– Specific statements of measure
– And yes, sometimes percentages- but NOT ALWAYS!

Thank you for joining us!


Slide 25

From Gobbledygook
to
Clearly Written Annual IEP Goals

Nov./Dec. 2010

Accommodations –
Too Much of a Good Thing!
•

•

Only what the student needs on a daily basis
to access the general curriculum
Individualized to each student
– Re-evaluated each year!
– Not cookie-cutter!

•

Should pass “The Stranger Test”!

•

*sample accommodations

Accommodations vs. Modifications
• Accommodations
– Access general curriculum
– Do not take students off grade level
– Usually available in general ed. setting, and
could be available to any students

Accommodations vs. Modifications
• Modifications
– ACTUAL CHANGE to the curriculum (content,
delivery of instruction, methodology, and
performance criteria…Hint Hint, what does that
sound like?
– May take student off grade level
– Could take place in general ed. setting, but
could also take place in separate setting

Standard Accommodations:
Samples & Categories
• Setting
– Seating student near
teacher
– Seating student near
positive role model
– Avoid distracting stimuli
– Small groups

• Presentation
– Providing (reference sheets,
graphic organizers, copies
of notes, visual aids)
– Providing a written outline
– Simplifying directions
– Repeat verbal and written
directions to student
– Vary the format of the test

• Timing
– Giving extra time to complete
tasks
– Untimed assessments
– Frequent breaks

• Response
– Scribe
– Typed responses rather than
written
– Oral response

Specially Designed Instruction
a.k.a. MODIFICATIONS
• MUST BE IDENTIFIED ON AN IEP! (PLEP A&B)
• Specially Designed Instruction IS Special
Education.
• It is:

– Modifying the content, the methodology or the
performance criteria as appropriate to the needs of
the student
•
•
•
•

Address unique needs of student
Address child’s needs RELATED TO THE DISABILITY
Ensure access to general curriculum
Meet educational standards

Specially Designed Instruction
• 1) What type(s) of specially designed
instruction is necessary for the student to
make effective progress?

• One, two, or all three of the following areas
must be indentified for students determine
eligible for special education services:
– Content
– Methodology/Delivery of Instruction
– Performance Criteria

Specially Designed Instruction
• Content
– Identifies what the student MUST be taught
– IMPORTANT!
• When no content modifications are identified then the
assumption is that the student is working at grade level
responsibility for those curriculum areas NOT listed

– Curriculum modified for the provision of key facts and/or
concepts of grade level standards for the following
curriculum area (s)_________________
– Curriculum modified to focus on entry points of gradelevel standards for the following curriculum area
(s)_________________________________

Specially Designed Instruction
• Methodology/Delivery of Instruction
– Identifies how the student will be taught
(specialized, research-proven teaching
methods, groupings, therapies, or other
methods of instruction that the district needs
to provide to the student)
– EX: small group instruction, reduced
student/teacher ratio, instruction, specific
interventions, therapies, specialized reading
programs, DIRECT INSTRUCTION BY SPECIAL
EDUCATOR TO STUDENT ON HOW TO USE
AND IMPLEMENT ACCOMMODATIONS, hands
on activities

Specially Designed Instruction
• Performance Criteria
– How we know that that the student
learned it!
– Identifies how performance will be
evaluated differently than for other
students, based upon objective, not
subjective, criteria

Specially Designed Instruction
• Performance Criteria
– Examples
• Samples of student work will serve as the basis
for the determination of student performance
• Data collection based on (rubrics, checklists,
observations, etc)
• Weighted grading system (if grading will not be
modified, it is assumed that the student will be
graded the same as non-disabled peers
• Tests for Alternate subject material (based upon
content modifications identified earlier)

Current Levels of Performance
• Focus should be on what the student CAN
DO!
• This area will provide the blueprint for your
goal!
• Should provide quantifiable detail that
describes the student’s abilities/challenges

Current Performance:
Example
• When writing, Suzie writes sentences
approximately 3-8 words in length. She
often makes 4-5 errors with the spacing of
words, letter formation and spelling in a
single writing assignment. She has the
greatest success spelling sight words and
words that are part of her experiences. She
has difficulty with punctuation, either
omitting punctuation or inserting
punctuation out of place. The length of her
writings are generally about 4-5 sentences.

Current Performance:
Non-Example
• Johnny cannot remember or retrieve
what he has read or seen. After
reading grade level passages, he
cannot remember more than 3
elements from the reading. He is
unable to state the main idea of the
passage or sequence more than two
events.

Welcome to Day 2!
You made it!
GOALS & OBJECTIVES
• Should be DIRECTLY RELATED to the students CPL
(Current Performance Level)
• The goal MUST meet the following:
– It must be measurable
– It must tell what the student can reasonable
accomplish in this IEP year
– It must relate to helping the student be
successful in the general curriculum and/or
address other educational needs resulting from
the disability

Goal Focus
• The sources of potential goal focus
areas could be:
–
–
–
–
–
–

Parent/student concerns
Student strengths/challenges
Vision statement
Skills related to general curriculum
Other educational needs
Impact of the disability

Goals & Objectives :
A Fun Writing Activity!
• First choose your TOPIC (Goal Focus)

• Then, organize your thoughts into a
PARAGRAPH (CPL)
• Your paragraph should always contain a MAIN
IDEA (GOAL) and SUPPORTING DETAILS
(OBJECTIVES)

Goal Focus Areas
• Many IEP goal focus areas could be identified
from the following skill areas list:
–
–
–
–
–
–
–
–
–

Oral Expression
Listening Comprehension
Written Expression
Basic Reading Skills
Reading Comprehension
Mathematics Calculation
Mathematics Reasoning
Behavior
Social Skills

Goals & Objectives
• They need to be OBSERVABLE & MEASURABLE
– Question: How can I observe and measure how
Johnny “learned”?
Think about how you ALREADY observe and measure
your students, and use this information when
writing your goals/objectives!

Goals & Objectives
• If a student meets their goal,
CHANGE IT!
• If a student is still not making
progress or meeting their goal,
CHANGE IT!

A Measureable Annual Goal
Includes:
• an observable behavior,
• a criterion clearly stating how well, how
much or at what level the behavior is to be
performed
• The given or condition necessary.

Measurable Annual Goal
Target Behavior Condition Criteria
• When given a topic in History, Social Science,
ELA or Science and Technology, Jose will be
able to independently write a threeparagraph essay containing the required
elements: introduction, supporting details,
and conclusion.

• Nadia will identify types of sentences
(simple, compound, complex) when editing
scoring ¾ on the MCAS Scoring Guide for
Standard English Conventions.

Objectives/Benchmarks
• The focus of benchmark/objectives comes from the
details identified in the current performance level.
• Objectives must be measurable; describes a tangible
outcome. It must be visible or audible.
• They describe what you intend the student to
achieve.
• Benchmarks/objectives are made up of four parts:
– Condition- what an adult will do to have the skill occur
– Learner’s name- do not write “the student”
– Skill/performance or behavior- what the learner is
expected to do
– Criteria- how the skill will be measured, or when we know
that the learner has achieved or surpassed the expectation

Objectives/Benchmarks
• Avoid using percentages as the only way of
measuring success.
– “Suzie will cross the street with 80% accuracy”
– “Suzie will use a treadmill with 95% accuracy””
– “Given a list of sight words, Suzie will state them with 75%
accuracy.”
– “Suzie will make eye contact with 85% accuracy.”

• With objectives and with goals there should be no
room for error. The above examples can ONLY be
done correctly or incorrectly, not as a percentage of
accuracy.
• Therefore, does the writer actually mean
percentage of occasions that it will be done 100%
accurately.

Benchmarks/Objectives:
Be Sure to Identify what is Intended
• Often we write accuracy in a benchmark or objective but we
really mean the number of occasions that the student performs
a skill accurately.
• Criteria-Benchmarks/objectives can be measured in a variety
of ways:
– time/speed
– Accuracy
– Specific statements of measure
– And yes, sometimes percentages- but NOT ALWAYS!

Thank you for joining us!


Slide 26

From Gobbledygook
to
Clearly Written Annual IEP Goals

Nov./Dec. 2010

Accommodations –
Too Much of a Good Thing!
•

•

Only what the student needs on a daily basis
to access the general curriculum
Individualized to each student
– Re-evaluated each year!
– Not cookie-cutter!

•

Should pass “The Stranger Test”!

•

*sample accommodations

Accommodations vs. Modifications
• Accommodations
– Access general curriculum
– Do not take students off grade level
– Usually available in general ed. setting, and
could be available to any students

Accommodations vs. Modifications
• Modifications
– ACTUAL CHANGE to the curriculum (content,
delivery of instruction, methodology, and
performance criteria…Hint Hint, what does that
sound like?
– May take student off grade level
– Could take place in general ed. setting, but
could also take place in separate setting

Standard Accommodations:
Samples & Categories
• Setting
– Seating student near
teacher
– Seating student near
positive role model
– Avoid distracting stimuli
– Small groups

• Presentation
– Providing (reference sheets,
graphic organizers, copies
of notes, visual aids)
– Providing a written outline
– Simplifying directions
– Repeat verbal and written
directions to student
– Vary the format of the test

• Timing
– Giving extra time to complete
tasks
– Untimed assessments
– Frequent breaks

• Response
– Scribe
– Typed responses rather than
written
– Oral response

Specially Designed Instruction
a.k.a. MODIFICATIONS
• MUST BE IDENTIFIED ON AN IEP! (PLEP A&B)
• Specially Designed Instruction IS Special
Education.
• It is:

– Modifying the content, the methodology or the
performance criteria as appropriate to the needs of
the student
•
•
•
•

Address unique needs of student
Address child’s needs RELATED TO THE DISABILITY
Ensure access to general curriculum
Meet educational standards

Specially Designed Instruction
• 1) What type(s) of specially designed
instruction is necessary for the student to
make effective progress?

• One, two, or all three of the following areas
must be indentified for students determine
eligible for special education services:
– Content
– Methodology/Delivery of Instruction
– Performance Criteria

Specially Designed Instruction
• Content
– Identifies what the student MUST be taught
– IMPORTANT!
• When no content modifications are identified then the
assumption is that the student is working at grade level
responsibility for those curriculum areas NOT listed

– Curriculum modified for the provision of key facts and/or
concepts of grade level standards for the following
curriculum area (s)_________________
– Curriculum modified to focus on entry points of gradelevel standards for the following curriculum area
(s)_________________________________

Specially Designed Instruction
• Methodology/Delivery of Instruction
– Identifies how the student will be taught
(specialized, research-proven teaching
methods, groupings, therapies, or other
methods of instruction that the district needs
to provide to the student)
– EX: small group instruction, reduced
student/teacher ratio, instruction, specific
interventions, therapies, specialized reading
programs, DIRECT INSTRUCTION BY SPECIAL
EDUCATOR TO STUDENT ON HOW TO USE
AND IMPLEMENT ACCOMMODATIONS, hands
on activities

Specially Designed Instruction
• Performance Criteria
– How we know that that the student
learned it!
– Identifies how performance will be
evaluated differently than for other
students, based upon objective, not
subjective, criteria

Specially Designed Instruction
• Performance Criteria
– Examples
• Samples of student work will serve as the basis
for the determination of student performance
• Data collection based on (rubrics, checklists,
observations, etc)
• Weighted grading system (if grading will not be
modified, it is assumed that the student will be
graded the same as non-disabled peers
• Tests for Alternate subject material (based upon
content modifications identified earlier)

Current Levels of Performance
• Focus should be on what the student CAN
DO!
• This area will provide the blueprint for your
goal!
• Should provide quantifiable detail that
describes the student’s abilities/challenges

Current Performance:
Example
• When writing, Suzie writes sentences
approximately 3-8 words in length. She
often makes 4-5 errors with the spacing of
words, letter formation and spelling in a
single writing assignment. She has the
greatest success spelling sight words and
words that are part of her experiences. She
has difficulty with punctuation, either
omitting punctuation or inserting
punctuation out of place. The length of her
writings are generally about 4-5 sentences.

Current Performance:
Non-Example
• Johnny cannot remember or retrieve
what he has read or seen. After
reading grade level passages, he
cannot remember more than 3
elements from the reading. He is
unable to state the main idea of the
passage or sequence more than two
events.

Welcome to Day 2!
You made it!
GOALS & OBJECTIVES
• Should be DIRECTLY RELATED to the students CPL
(Current Performance Level)
• The goal MUST meet the following:
– It must be measurable
– It must tell what the student can reasonable
accomplish in this IEP year
– It must relate to helping the student be
successful in the general curriculum and/or
address other educational needs resulting from
the disability

Goal Focus
• The sources of potential goal focus
areas could be:
–
–
–
–
–
–

Parent/student concerns
Student strengths/challenges
Vision statement
Skills related to general curriculum
Other educational needs
Impact of the disability

Goals & Objectives :
A Fun Writing Activity!
• First choose your TOPIC (Goal Focus)

• Then, organize your thoughts into a
PARAGRAPH (CPL)
• Your paragraph should always contain a MAIN
IDEA (GOAL) and SUPPORTING DETAILS
(OBJECTIVES)

Goal Focus Areas
• Many IEP goal focus areas could be identified
from the following skill areas list:
–
–
–
–
–
–
–
–
–

Oral Expression
Listening Comprehension
Written Expression
Basic Reading Skills
Reading Comprehension
Mathematics Calculation
Mathematics Reasoning
Behavior
Social Skills

Goals & Objectives
• They need to be OBSERVABLE & MEASURABLE
– Question: How can I observe and measure how
Johnny “learned”?
Think about how you ALREADY observe and measure
your students, and use this information when
writing your goals/objectives!

Goals & Objectives
• If a student meets their goal,
CHANGE IT!
• If a student is still not making
progress or meeting their goal,
CHANGE IT!

A Measureable Annual Goal
Includes:
• an observable behavior,
• a criterion clearly stating how well, how
much or at what level the behavior is to be
performed
• The given or condition necessary.

Measurable Annual Goal
Target Behavior Condition Criteria
• When given a topic in History, Social Science,
ELA or Science and Technology, Jose will be
able to independently write a threeparagraph essay containing the required
elements: introduction, supporting details,
and conclusion.

• Nadia will identify types of sentences
(simple, compound, complex) when editing
scoring ¾ on the MCAS Scoring Guide for
Standard English Conventions.

Objectives/Benchmarks
• The focus of benchmark/objectives comes from the
details identified in the current performance level.
• Objectives must be measurable; describes a tangible
outcome. It must be visible or audible.
• They describe what you intend the student to
achieve.
• Benchmarks/objectives are made up of four parts:
– Condition- what an adult will do to have the skill occur
– Learner’s name- do not write “the student”
– Skill/performance or behavior- what the learner is
expected to do
– Criteria- how the skill will be measured, or when we know
that the learner has achieved or surpassed the expectation

Objectives/Benchmarks
• Avoid using percentages as the only way of
measuring success.
– “Suzie will cross the street with 80% accuracy”
– “Suzie will use a treadmill with 95% accuracy””
– “Given a list of sight words, Suzie will state them with 75%
accuracy.”
– “Suzie will make eye contact with 85% accuracy.”

• With objectives and with goals there should be no
room for error. The above examples can ONLY be
done correctly or incorrectly, not as a percentage of
accuracy.
• Therefore, does the writer actually mean
percentage of occasions that it will be done 100%
accurately.

Benchmarks/Objectives:
Be Sure to Identify what is Intended
• Often we write accuracy in a benchmark or objective but we
really mean the number of occasions that the student performs
a skill accurately.
• Criteria-Benchmarks/objectives can be measured in a variety
of ways:
– time/speed
– Accuracy
– Specific statements of measure
– And yes, sometimes percentages- but NOT ALWAYS!

Thank you for joining us!