Bad, Okay, Good & Best Examples of Measurable Goals

If you’ve been involved with special-needs services for any length of time, you’ve probably encountered a few different plans.

There might be an IFSP when your child is little.

Then comes the IEP once they enter special education.

And eventually, depending on the person’s needs and services, there may be an adult service plan or person-centered plan.

Different plans.

Different agencies.

Different acronyms.

And sometimes a completely different group of people sitting around the table.

But there is one thing they all have in common:

The goals matter.

A goal should tell the team what they’re working toward and give everyone a way to determine whether the person is actually making progress.

And this is where I want parents and caregivers to become a little annoying.

Not mean annoying.

Just…

“Can you explain exactly how we’re going to measure that?” annoying.

Because a goal that says:

“John will improve his independence.”

sounds wonderful.

But what does it actually mean?

What is John going to DO?

How will we measure it?

How much improvement are we looking for?

How many opportunities?

How much assistance?

And when will we know that he’s met the goal?

That’s what we’re going to talk about.

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IFSP, IEP, Adult Plan — Different Documents, Same Basic Goal Question

Let’s start here.

An IFSP is generally used for eligible infants and toddlers and their families.

An IEP is used for eligible students receiving special education services.

Adults may have different types of service plans depending on the agency and services they’re receiving, such as a person-centered plan or individual plan of service.

These aren’t interchangeable documents. They have different purposes and requirements.

But when you’re looking at a goal, the basic parent question is remarkably similar:

What exactly are we trying to accomplish, and how will we know if we’re getting there?

Whether we’re talking about a toddler learning to communicate, a student learning to read, or an adult learning to navigate a community independently, we want the goal to be meaningful and measurable.

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BAD: “Improve”

Let’s start with our favorite vague word:

Improve.

BAD IFSP Goal

“Emma will improve her communication skills.”

Okay.

What communication skills?

Using words?

Gestures?

Signs?

AAC?

Requesting?

Following directions?

We don’t know.

BAD IEP Goal

“Emma will improve her reading skills.”

Improve how much?

Which reading skill?

Decoding?

Fluency?

Comprehension?

Again, we don’t know.

BAD Adult Plan Goal

“Emma will improve her independence.”

Independence with what?

Cooking?

Transportation?

Money?

Medication management?

Shopping?

Making appointments?

We have no idea.

The goal sounds positive.

It just isn’t specific enough to tell us what we’re actually working on.

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OKAY: Now We Know the Skill

Let’s improve those goals.

OKAY IFSP Goal

“Emma will use words or gestures to request desired items.”

Much better.

We know the general skill.

OKAY IEP Goal

“Emma will answer reading comprehension questions with 80% accuracy.”

Now we have an observable skill and a measurement.

OKAY Adult Plan Goal

“Emma will prepare a simple meal independently.”

Now we know what independence means in this particular goal.

But we’re still missing some information.

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GOOD: Observable + Objective + Measurable

Now let’s make them stronger.

GOOD IFSP Goal

“During daily routines, Emma will use a word, sign, gesture, or communication device to request a desired item or activity in 80% of opportunities.”

Now we have:

• A condition
• An observable behavior
• Different acceptable communication methods
• A measurement
• A percentage

GOOD IEP Goal

“Given a grade-level reading passage, Emma will answer comprehension questions with at least 80% accuracy across 10 questions.”

Now we know exactly what we’re measuring.

GOOD Adult Plan Goal

“Given a written recipe and access to needed kitchen supplies, Emma will prepare a three-step meal with no more than one verbal prompt in 80% of opportunities.”

Now we’re getting somewhere.

We’re not just saying:

“Be more independent.”

We’re defining what independence actually looks like.

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BEST: Let’s Add Consistency

Now let’s take those goals one more step.

BEST IFSP Goal

“During familiar daily routines, Emma will independently use a word, sign, gesture, or communication device to request a desired item or activity in at least 80% of observed opportunities across three consecutive visits.”

Now the team has something concrete to observe.

BEST IEP Goal

“Given a grade-level reading passage and no more than one verbal prompt, Emma will answer literal and inferential comprehension questions with at least 80% accuracy across 10 questions for three consecutive data-collection sessions.”

We know:

What she’s given.

What she’s expected to do.

What support is allowed.

How many opportunities she has.

What percentage counts as success.

How consistently she needs to demonstrate the skill.

BEST Adult Plan Goal

“Given a written recipe and access to needed kitchen supplies, Emma will independently prepare a three-step meal, completing each step in the correct sequence with no more than one verbal prompt, in at least 80% of opportunities across three consecutive training sessions.”

Now we’re measuring a functional skill.

And that’s especially important for adult services.

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“INDEPENDENCE” Is Not a Goal by Itself

This one comes up a lot.

You might see:

“John will increase independence.”

Great.

We all want that.

But independence is a big category, not necessarily a measurable skill.

What does independence look like for John?

Maybe it’s:

• Making a doctor’s appointment
• Ordering food
• Using public transportation
• Preparing breakfast
• Managing a shopping list
• Asking for assistance
• Following a daily schedule
• Using a debit card
• Completing a work task
• Taking part in a community activity

Now we can write a meaningful goal.

Instead of:

“John will improve independence.”

Try:

“John will independently follow a five-step morning routine using a visual schedule with no more than one verbal prompt in 80% of opportunities across three consecutive sessions.”

Now independence has a definition.

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OBSERVABLE BEHAVIOR MATTERS

This applies at every age.

A goal should describe something we can observe, hear, count, or otherwise measure.

Words that can be too vague by themselves include:

• Understand
• Know
• Learn
• Improve
• Appreciate
• Become aware
• Increase independence
• Improve social skills

Instead of:

“Maria will understand how to ask for help.”

Try:

“Maria will verbally or electronically request assistance when she is unable to complete a task.”

Instead of:

“Maria will improve social skills.”

Try:

“Maria will initiate an interaction with a peer during a structured activity.”

Instead of:

“Maria will learn to use transportation.”

Try:

“Maria will identify the correct bus route and board the scheduled bus using her route card.”

The question is:

What will I actually see Maria DO?

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PERCENTAGE CORRECT

You’ll often see goals written with percentages.

For example:

80% accuracy

But parents should ask:

80% of what?

If there are 10 opportunities:

8 out of 10 = 80%.

That’s easy to understand.

But if there are only two opportunities:

2 out of 2 = 100%.

That doesn’t necessarily tell us that the skill is reliable.

That’s why the goal may specify:

“80% accuracy across 10 trials.”

Or:

“80% of opportunities.”

The appropriate number depends on the skill.

Ten reading questions might make sense.

Ten opportunities to request help might make sense.

But not every skill needs exactly ten trials.

The important thing is knowing what is being counted.

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WHAT ABOUT “3 CONSECUTIVE SESSIONS”?

This is another way to make a goal more meaningful.

Let’s say the goal is 80%.

The data look like this:

Session	Performance
1	80%
2	50%
3	60%

The person isn’t consistently demonstrating the skill at the target level.

Now imagine:

Session	Performance
1	80%
2	90%
3	90%

That’s much stronger evidence of consistent performance.

Again, the exact mastery criteria should be appropriate for the person and skill.

The point is:

One good day doesn’t necessarily equal mastery.

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PROMPTS MATTER TOO

Here’s something I want parents to watch for.

Consider:

“Sam will complete the task with 80% accuracy.”

versus:

“Sam will independently complete the task with 80% accuracy.”

Those are different expectations.

A person might complete something correctly because a staff member gave repeated prompts.

If the actual goal is independence, the level of assistance needs to be part of the conversation.

You might see:

• Independently
• With one verbal prompt
• With a visual prompt
• With a model
• With a gesture
• Using AAC
• Using a visual schedule
• Using assistive technology

And here’s an important distinction:

Using a support doesn’t mean someone isn’t independent.

If someone uses AAC to communicate, AAC is their communication tool.

If someone uses a visual schedule, that may be the support that allows them to complete the task independently.

The goal should measure the skill with the supports the person actually needs.

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FUNCTIONAL GOALS MATTER

As children get older, goals should increasingly connect to the skills they will actually need in life.

A goal isn’t automatically better because it sounds academic.

For one student, an important goal may be reading comprehension.

For another, it might be communicating pain.

For another, it might be managing money.

For another, it might be navigating a workplace.

For another, it might be asking for help when something is wrong.

The question should be:

What skill will make a meaningful difference in this person’s life?

And then:

How can we measure progress toward that skill?

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THE GOAL FORMULA

Here’s the formula I want parents to remember:

CONDITION + PERSON + OBSERVABLE BEHAVIOR + SUPPORTS + MEASUREMENT + MASTERY

For example:

Given a visual schedule, Jordan will complete a five-step morning routine with no more than one verbal prompt in 80% of opportunities across three consecutive sessions.

You can break it down:

Condition: Given a visual schedule

Person: Jordan

Observable behavior: Complete a five-step morning routine

Support: No more than one verbal prompt

Measurement: Percentage of opportunities

Mastery: 80% across three consecutive sessions

That’s a goal we can actually work with.

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QUESTIONS TO ASK ABOUT ANY GOAL

Whether you’re looking at an IFSP, IEP, or adult service plan, try these questions:

1. What exactly is the person supposed to DO?

If the answer is “improve,” ask:

“What observable behavior are we expecting to see?”

2. What is the baseline?

Where is the person starting?

3. How will progress be measured?

Is it:

• Percentage correct?
• Frequency?
• Duration?
• Number of opportunities?
• Level of assistance?
• Work samples?
• Another measurement?

4. What counts as mastery?

Is it 80%?

90%?

A certain number of successful opportunities?

A specific level of independence?

5. How many trials or opportunities?

Ask:

“80% of what?”

6. How much assistance is allowed?

Is the person expected to do it independently?

Can they have one prompt?

A visual?

A device?

7. Does the person need to demonstrate the skill consistently?

For example:

“Across three consecutive sessions.”

8. Why does this goal matter?

This might be the most important question.

How does this skill improve the person’s ability to participate in home, school, work, or community life?

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BAD → OKAY → GOOD → BEST

Here’s the quick version to save for your next meeting:

BAD

“John will improve his independence.”

OKAY

“John will prepare a simple meal independently.”

GOOD

“Given a written recipe and kitchen supplies, John will prepare a three-step meal with no more than one verbal prompt in 80% of opportunities.”

BEST

“Given a written recipe and access to needed kitchen supplies, John will independently prepare a three-step meal, completing each step in the correct sequence with no more than one verbal prompt, in at least 80% of opportunities across three consecutive training sessions.”

And that’s the progression we’re looking for.

Not necessarily more words.

More information.

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ONE LAST THING

The “best” goal isn’t necessarily the longest goal.

It isn’t the goal with the fanciest words.

It isn’t the goal that sounds the most impressive.

It’s the goal that tells everyone:

This is the skill.

This is what we’re going to teach.

This is what success looks like.

This is how we’re going to measure it.

And:

This is how we’ll know whether we’re making progress.

Whether you’re sitting at an IFSP meeting for a two-year-old, an IEP meeting for a teenager, or an adult service-planning meeting years later, don’t be afraid to ask:

“How are we going to measure this?”

That isn’t being difficult.

That’s being involved.

Because these plans shouldn’t just contain goals that sound good on paper.

They should contain goals that actually help the person move forward.

And sometimes the most important question you can ask is simply:

“What will I actually see my child — or my adult loved one — doing when they’ve met this goal?”

If nobody can answer that…

we probably need to keep working on the goal.