Short-term Objectives
The final piece we address in the IEP for this course is objectives. As was noted earlier, Minnesota Statues and Rules (Minn. R. 3525.2810, subp. 1(A)(2)) state the following: “Benchmarks or short-term objectives must be included for all children with disabilities.” Goals are where we want to end up; benchmarks or short-term objectives are our steps or path to meeting our goal.
Each objective within an Individualized Education Program (IEP) consists of four critical elements, crucial for crafting measurable and attainable goals. These elements include:
- Target Behavior – This specifies the desired outcome or the skill the student aims to acquire or improve.
- Conditions – This outlines the specific circumstances or settings in which the target behavior is expected to be demonstrated and assessed.
- Criterion for Acceptable Performance – This defines the level of achievement needed to consider the goal as met.
- Timeframe – This sets the period within which the student is expected to reach the criterion.
To effectively develop each element, IEP team members can utilize guiding questions that focus and refine the information required for each goal.
Guiding Questions & Tips for Writing Measurable Objectives
- Target Behavior
- Definition: The academic or functional skill the student needs to improve.
- Do:
- Use active terminology to clearly describe the target behavior.
- Example behaviors include “Read aloud,” “Calculate mathematics problems,” and “Initiate a positive peer-to-peer interaction.”
- Don’t:
- Use vague or passive terms subject to interpretation, such as “Enjoy reading” or “Understand math problems.”
- Conditions
- Definition: The context or setting in which the target behavior should occur, possibly including the measurement tool.
- Do:
- Use clear, specific language to outline the conditions, such as “Given a third-grade level reading passage…” or “During the 20-minute morning recess…”
- Don’t:
- Use overly broad language or fail to specify the condition, leading to ambiguity.
- Criterion for Acceptable Performance
- Definition: The standard indicating the goal has been achieved.
- Do:
- Establish specific, measurable, realistic, yet challenging criteria, like “At a rate of 95 words correct per minute (wpm)” or “With at least 85% accuracy on three consecutive weekly progress-monitoring probes.”
- Don’t:
- Set subjective or vague criteria that rely on personal judgment, such as “At an increased rate” or “Determined by teacher observation.”
- Timeframe
- Definition: The period within which the goal should be met.
- Do:
- Set a specific and realistic timeframe, like “By the end of the school year” or “By the end of the first nine-week grading period.”
- Don’t:
- Leave the timeframe undefined or set unrealistic expectations.
By integrating these Objective Elements with clarity and specificity, IEP teams can develop focused, effective plans. These elements ensure that goals are concrete, observable, measurable, and achievable within a designated period, facilitating the student’s academic and functional development.
Example Short-term Objectives
Christ & K
The objectives set for K and Chris are meticulously aligned with their respective IEP goals, fostering measurable advancements in key areas pivotal to their academic and behavioral growth. This strategic alignment guarantees a coherent and structured methodology in realizing their personalized educational objectives, thereby facilitating a targeted and effective approach to their development.
K
For K, a student whose current level of performance has been thoroughly evaluated, a specific objective has been crafted to enhance his reading fluency skills. This objective is directly derived from his Present Levels of Academic Achievement and Functional Performance (PLAAFP) statement and is meticulously aligned with his educational goals.
The objective for K is to elevate his reading fluency from an independent reading rate of 54 words per minute to a target of 75 words per minute. This improvement is to be demonstrated on a fourth-grade-level reading probe, achieving 80% accuracy across three out of four attempts, by the time of his next annual review.
Chris
Similarly, for Chris, objectives have been established in alignment with his goals, tailored to address distinct areas of development:
Goal 1: Reading Comprehension Improvement
Chris aims to enhance his reading comprehension skills, moving from requiring prompts to independently identifying main ideas, supporting details, summarizing, and recognizing sequences in both expository and narrative passages at his instructional level (1000-1199 Lexile). The target is to achieve 80% accuracy on three out of four attempts by his next annual review.
- Objective 1: By utilizing a graphic organizer and main idea/supporting details strategy instruction, Chris will identify the main idea and at least three supporting details in narrative and expository passages with 80% accuracy on three out of four classroom work samples.
- Objective 2: With a graphic organizer and summary strategy instruction, Chris will accurately summarize expository and narrative passages on three out of four classroom work samples.
- Objective 3: Through instruction in a sequencing strategy and the use of a graphic organizer, Chris will correctly identify the sequence of events in narrative and expository passages with the same accuracy and attempt criteria.
Goal 2: Classroom Behavior Improvement
Chris’s second goal focuses on improving classroom-appropriate behavior, specifically aiming to reduce bullying/provoking behaviors and staff redirections to an average of 1.5 or less each per class period by the end of this annual IEP.
- Objective 1: Following instruction in appropriate classroom behavior within a center-based EBD program, Chris is expected to reduce his bullying/provoking behaviors to an average of three or less per class period by December 2011, as monitored through daily point sheet data.
- Objective 2: Continuing with this instruction, the target is to further decrease these behaviors to an average of 1.5 or less per class period by the end of the IEP period.
- Objective 3: With the aid of nonverbal cues from staff, Chris will work on reducing his need for staff redirections to three or less per class period by December 2021.
- Objective 4: By the end of the IEP period, with continued nonverbal cues, Chris aims to reduce the need for redirections to an average of 1.4 or less per class period.
Goal 3: Organization Skills Improvement
The third goal for Chris is to ameliorate his organization skills, specifically to arrive to class on time, accurately document assigned work, and submit assignments with 95% accuracy by the end of this annual IEP.
- Objective 1: By adhering to an attendance contract that includes a reward system, Chris will achieve timely class arrival with 95% accuracy by the IEP’s conclusion.
- Objective 2: Utilizing a planner, Chris will document assigned work and topics covered in each of his classes with the targeted accuracy by the end of the IEP period.
- Objective 3: Through accessing Infinite Campus, Chris will self-monitor his assignment completion and submit 95% of assignments on time by the IEP’s end.
Think, Write/Record, Share
- What differences/similarities do you see between the sets of objectives?
- How might the objectives be improved?
- What questions or concerns do you have?
Practice
Annie’s Short-term Objectives
Let’s practice identifying the key components of a short -term objective using the examples from Annie’s IEP that are aligned to her goal.
Read through the goal and objectives provided. Then, identify the following information:
- Draw a circle around the target behavior.
- Draw a square around the conditions under which the target behavior will occur.
- Underline the criterion for acceptable performance.
- Put a star by the timeframe within which the student will meet the criterion.
IEP Goal: Annie will increase her reading comprehension skills from a level of recalling minimal non-sequential details to a level of identifying a main idea and relevant sequential details with 90% accuracy by her next annual review.
Objective 1: Given a fictional passage at her independent level, Annie will identify the main idea and at least three sequential details when summarizing the text, in four out of five trials, as measured through teacher conferring with the student, response notebook entries, and teacher logs.
Objective 2: Given a nonfiction passage at her independent level, Annie will identify the main idea and recall at least five relevant facts, in four out of five trials, as measured through teacher conferring with the student, response notebook entries, and teacher logs.
Objective 3: Given a passage at a third-grade level, Annie will read silently and respond to comprehension questions with at least 80% accuracy, as measured through periodic reading assessments.
Final Thoughts about Short-term Objectives
As you move through the different components of the IEP, notice how the PLAAFP, goals, and objectives build off each other. Each piece of information informs the next and starts back at the beginning when we first noted a concern with a student. Once we established a need for specialized programming, we were able to pinpoint specific areas of concern and develop a plan to support students in making progress in the general education curriculum. Remember, this is a cyclical and iterative process. Each year, we re-examine student goals and objectives; every three years, we conduct a comprehensive evaluation to ensure that we are meeting each child’s needs based on all available data.
Progress Monitoring. Once goals and objectives are established, it is essential to monitor student progress in meeting these goals. Progress monitoring allows teachers to “frequently and continuously evaluate student learning, monitor the effectiveness of their instruction, and make instructional changes to improve students’ academic progress” (IRIS Center: How Can Teachers Systematically Identify when to Adjust for Struggling Students). This information is also shared with families on a regular basis. You will learn more about the specifics of progress monitoring in a future course.
We have covered a lot in this chapter! The purpose and intent were to provide a brief overview of the IEP process and document, introduce you to the stakeholders, and then begin to practice and apply some of that content. You have started your exploration and examination into special education and have been introduced to many new terms and concepts that you will explore in future courses.