Individualized IEP Mastery Criteria with Quality Goals

The Individuals with Disabilities Education Act (IDEA) requires that all students have access to a free and appropriate public education. This includes children with special needs who are attending an integrated school for students without disabilities.

If you are the parent of a child with special needs, your role includes ensuring their Individualized Educational Plan (IEP) meets their unique needs in order for them to be successful at school (and home).

This blog post will review how to identify quality individualized IEP goals, which can help ensure your child's educational plan meets their learning needs!

The information contained in the IEP must reflect the Present Level of Academic Achievement and Functional Performance (PLAAFP aka present levels)and evaluations of your child. 

Table of Content

What are Individualized IEP Mastery Criteria?

How can Quality IEP Goals be set and monitored?

Why we don’t subscribe to standard IEP Goal Mastery Criteria

What supports and interventions are available to help students reach mastery level on their IEP goals

What happens if a student does not meet the mastery criteria for their IEP goal ?

What are Individualized IEP Mastery Criteria?

These objectives are based on the student's unique strengths and weaknesses and are designed to ensure that each student receives a quality education that meets their individual needs.

IEP Mastery Criteria can also help to improve communication between educators and parents by providing a clear roadmap of what is expected from the student.

While state standards and curriculum objectives are good data points, It is also important to remember that mastery criteria should be based on the student's current level of ability, not their grade level or age. This will allow for a more accurate measurement of progress and ensure that the mastery criteria are achievable.

How can Quality IEP Goals be set and monitored?

Creating quality IEP goals can be difficult, but there are a few steps that can make the process easier.

First, it is crucial to involve educators, parents, and other stakeholders in developing the goals.

IEP goals should meet the SMART Criteria:

• Specific: The goal should be clear and concise, stating what the student will accomplish

• Measurable: There needs to be some metric for progress. For example, suppose one of your child's learning targets is reading at grade level. In that case, there has to be an easily identifiable way for teachers and parents alike to recognize when this objective has been reached (mastery criteria).

• Achievable: The goal must be challenging yet achievable. Setting goals that are too difficult will only lead to frustration and discouragement on the part of the student.

• Relevant: The goal should align with the student's educational needs and goals

• Time-bound: Giving a target date for when students should accomplish a goal helps create a sense of urgency and keeps everyone focused on reaching it.

When creating quality IEP goals, it is best to involve as many people as possible in the process, including educators, therapists, parents, and most importantly, the student themselves!

Once you have created some high-quality goals, it's time to start monitoring progress!

Why we don't subscribe to a standard IEP Mastery Criteria

There are a number of reasons why we don't subscribe to a standard IEP Mastery Criteria. First, each student is unique and has different strengths and weaknesses. A one-size-fits-all approach to education does not work for everyone.

Look at both baseline and mastery goal criteria while reviewing your child's IEP objectives. There is a little bit of confusion about IEP goal criteria: 80% is not acceptable for every goal, as people believe (and practice). The mastery criteria should also be based on the student's baseline and goal.

Note: If all of your child's IEP goals have "baseline: 0%" and "mastery criteria: 80%," I recommend asking the team about baseline data (remember: an IEP is a team effort. Ask the question in a courteous tone: Thank you for sharing the objectives. I'd wanted to inquire more about the baseline data and mastery criteria for each goal...). 

Your child should be able to reach their IEP goals and demonstrate progress. That implies they may take longer to go from 0% to 80%, or perhaps 80% is too low for the objective (for example, street crossing or following directions while cooking supper). Both of these situations might be terminal if rules are not followed correctly. For example, consider a goal that requires the ability to decipher words... Is 80% satisfactory? The answer is no.

What supports and interventions are available to help students reach mastery level on their IEP goals

There are a variety of supports and interventions that can be used, depending on the goal and the student's needs. Some common interventions include tutoring, extra time on tests or assignments, modifications to instruction or curriculum, assistive technology, and accommodations such as extended testing time or preferential seating.

It is important to note that not all students require the same type of intervention in order to meet mastery criteria. Therefore, educators should work closely with parents and other stakeholders to determine what support is best for each student.

Note: Accommodations and Modifications should be outlined in the student's IEP.

What happens if a student does not meet the mastery criteria for their IEP goal ?

If a student does not meet the mastery criteria for their IEP goal, there are a few possible options. One option is to create a new goal that is more aligned with the student's current level of ability. Another option is to provide more support and assistance to help the student reach the goal. Finally, if the student continues to have difficulty meeting the mastery criteria, the goal may need to be revised or removed from the IEP.

Creating quality IEP goals is essential to ensuring that all students receive a quality education. Individualized IEP Mastery Criteria help educators, parents, and other stakeholders to collaboratively create achievable, measurable, and relevant goals that align with the student's strengths and weaknesses.

Monitoring progress towards these mastery criteria helps ensure that everyone remains focused on reaching the goal. If a student does not meet the mastery criteria, there are a variety of supports and interventions available to help them reach their goal.

All students can achieve success with careful planning and collaboration between educators and parents!

Have additional questions? Schedule an IEP General Consult or an IEP Audit.

Action item: Review your child’s IEP goals. Pay close attention to their baseline, current level (progress), and mastery criteria. 

If you could use one word to describe your child’s last IEP, what would that word be? 

Until next time,

EI 

Want blogs delivered to your inbox? Sign up here