4 minute read
ADVOCATE LIKE A MOTHER
Crafting Effective IEP Goals: The Power of SMART Goals
BY MARIA GIANCOTTI, M.ED - STUDENT ADVOCACY MICHIGAN
Individualized Education Programs (IEPs) play a crucial role in ensuring your children with disabilities receive the support they need to succeed in the academic environment. A key component of an IEP is the establishment of goals, and employing the SMART criteria is essential for creating meaningful and achievable objectives.
Understanding SMART Goals:
SMART is an acronym that stands for Specific, Measurable, Achievable, Relevant, and Time-bound. This framework provides a structured approach to goal setting, enhancing the clarity and effectiveness of the objectives outlined in an IEP.
Specific:
A well written IEP goal should be clear and specific, leaving no room for ambiguity. Consider the following poorly written goal: “The student will improve reading skills.” This goal lacks specificity, making it challenging to determine the exact expectations.
Now, let’s transform this into a specific goal: “The student will accurately read and comprehend grade-level texts, including the ability to identify main ideas, supporting details, and infer meaning from context.”
Measurable:
Measurability is crucial for tracking progress and determining whether a goal has been achieved. Taking the poorly written goal mentioned earlier, it’s difficult to measure improvement in “reading skills.” A measurable goal, on the other hand, provides a clear standard for assessment.
For instance, a measurable version could be: “The student will increase their reading fluency from 80 to 120 words per minute as measured by weekly assessments over the next six months.”
Achievable:
Goals should be realistic and attainable, considering the student’s abilities and potential for growth. A poorly written goal might set unrealistic expectations: “The student will achieve grade-level proficiency in all subjects within one semester.”
An achievable goal could be: “The student will demonstrate a 20% improvement in completing
math assignments independently with teacher support over the next academic year.”
Relevant:
IEP goals must be relevant to the student’s individual needs and directly contribute to their educational progress. A poorly written goal lacking relevance might be: “The student will participate in extracurricular activities.”
A relevant goal could be: “The student will develop and utilize effective communication strategies to independently express their needs and preferences during group activities, promoting social engagement and inclusion.”
Time-bound:
A time-bound goal would be: “Within six weeks, the student will independently write legibly, forming letters consistently and improving overall handwriting skills as assessed by the occupational therapist.”
Writing IEP goals using the SMART criteria is pivotal for the success of students with disabilities. By ensuring that goals are Specific, Measurable, Achievable, Relevant, and Timebound, educators and advocates can collaborate effectively to support the unique needs of each student. It’s through thoughtful and wellstructured goals that the potential of students with disabilities can be unlocked, fostering an inclusive and supportive learning environment.
Parents are valuable partners in the IEP process, and their insights play a crucial role in developing goals that truly reflect their child’s individual needs. As advocates for their children, parents are encouraged to actively participate in IEP meetings by bringing their own goal ideas to the table. Sharing observations about their child’s strengths, challenges, and unique learning styles can contribute to a more comprehensive and tailored set of goals. Collaborative goal setting ensures that the IEP is a true reflection of the child’s holistic development, combining the expertise of educators with the intimate knowledge that parents hold about their child. By fostering open communication and teamwork, the IEP process becomes a shared journey towards empowering students with disabilities to reach their full potential. If you need guidance or help navigating your child’s IEP, contact us at Student Advocacy Michigan. We are ready to help support your IEP or 504 journey!
