This article is designed to be utilized with the utmost professional integrity and ethical consideration. It is imperative to acknowledge that directly copying and pasting example goals into student’s IEPs from any external source, including ours, undermines the individualized nature of IEP planning and does not serve the best interests of students.
This resource aims to inspire the development of IEP goals that address executive functioning needs, not a substitute for the detailed, student-centered IEP goal setting process. Educators and IEP teams are urged to use this as a tool for ideation, basing final goals on student assessments and collaborative IEP team insights.
If you’re a teacher or parent of a child that struggles with organization, then you know that writing Individualized Education Program (IEP) goals can be a daunting task. Don’t worry – we’re here to help!
In this post, we’ll give you some tips on how to write effective organization IEP goals – and some helpful resources you can use in the process.
What is Organization?
Simply put, organization is how we put information together in our brain to complete tasks quickly, effectively, and efficiently. It’s how we arrange our environment (as in, our stuff!) and the ways in which we provide order to the activities, items, and tasks around us.
As is the case with most other executive functioning skills, organization is closely tied to other skills. For example, students who struggle with organization often struggle with other areas of executive functioning, like planning, prioritization, and task initiation.
You’ll know your child struggles with organization in particular if you notice any of the following. He or she:
- Leaves required materials at home and forgets necessary items
- Is unable to maintain a clean, tidy workspace and play area
- Does not return items back to where they belong
- Has trouble telling a story with a clear beginning, middle, and end
- Is unable to label pictures or items in sequential order
- Does not keep homework and other documents in good condition
- Has difficulty creating lists and outlines
Organizational skills are vital because they can help limit distractions and stress. If you’re organized, you’re less likely to suffer from academic challenges, behavioral difficulties, and other problems. Helping your child become more organized can enable them to get more done in less time (aka, more free time!) and to complete tasks more effectively with better outcomes.
Sample IEP Goals for Organization
Most people begin to develop organizational skills earlier in life, getting better at organizing as other possibilities increase. You might need to teach your child skills like sorting and categorizing, putting things in the right place, gathering materials to complete a task, using remainder and organization systems, and how to reorganize as needed.
These IEP goals are example areas to target.
Adaptive Goals
- By the end of the school year, the student will spend 5 minutes before each class to write down and check for the notes and materials needed for that class 100% of the time, according to teacher observation.
- By the end of the school year, the student will spend 5 minutes at the end of class to write down assignments and make sure all required materials are in his backpack 100% of the time, according to teacher observation.
Social Goals
- By the end of the school year, when given scenarios of social conflicts, the student will demonstrate problem solving and organization skills by identifying the problem and generating two solutions appropriate to the situation in 4/5 trials, as measured by data collection.
- By the end of the IEP term, in a conversation with peers, the student will tell stories with clear beginnings, middles, and ends 4 out of 5 times, based on teacher observation.
Reading Goals
- By the end of the IEP term, the student will use organizational information from tables of contents, illustrations, glossaries, indexes, and other text features to assist in the comprehension of how a text is organized.
- By the end of the school year, the student will correctly identify the sequence of events, beginning, middle, and end of a story 100% of the time, according to teacher observation.
- By the end of the IEP term, the student will use pre-reading strategies like skimming for organization to get an idea of a text’s meaning, 100% of the time, according to teacher observation.
Math Goals
- By the end of the IEP term, the student will take notes in math class by using graphic organizers 90% of the time, according to teacher observation.
Writing Goals
- By the end of the school year, when given an assignment, the student will organize his writing to address the audience and purpose in chronological and logical sequences (sequence, place, importance), 90% of the time, according to teacher observation.
- By the end of the school year, the student will demonstrate organization by developing a beginning, middle, and end in a written piece and by using transition words, 100% of the time, according to rubrics.
Tips on Setting Goals for Organization
Not sure where to start as you’re writing organization IEP goals? Here are some tips.
Start With a Skills Assessment
Before you start trying to write or tackle any organization goals, it’s essential that you have your child complete a skills assessment. This will rule out whether it’s organization that’s the problem – or another executive functioning skill that needs some work.
In many cases, it’s more than one area that needs some work.
You can find a helpful resource that will allow you to weed out the problem areas by having your child take the Executive Functioning Assessment. If there’s more than one issue that needs work, focus on the one that’s causing the most difficulty first as you write your goals.
Work on Communication
Many of the skills and behaviors related to organization have to do with foundational language skills. Does your child respond well to instructions? Can he copy down information for the future? If he can’t articulate what being organized actually means, it’s going to be hard to provide him with the skills he needs to be organized in the first place.
Inspire Motivation
If your student lacks the motivation to get and stay organized, teaching him or her organizational skills will be all the more challenging. Work with your student to establish a strong “why.” It might be extrinsic motivation at first (a reward system), but over time, that motivation should shift inward.
Use Checklists and Systems
Checklists are beyond helpful when it comes to helping a child stay organized. Often, it’s not that a child doesn’t want to stay organized – he or she simply lacks the skills and resources to know-how.
Using things like weekly organization checklists and lists of what needs to be prepared the night before school can be immensely helpful in getting over these roadblocks. Using the OHIO Rule is another effective way to teach your child to be more organized (it involves only handling an item once – things like homework and email fit nicely into this system).
Find an organizational system that works well for you and your student – and stick to it. Whether it’s the Ohio Rule, reminder cards like you’ll find in the Real Life Executive Functioning Workbook (coupon code LSA20 for 20% off at checkout), or the GTD System, there’s something out there for everyone.
Use Visuals
Set your child up for success by planning ahead for organization. If you know your child has difficulty remembering necessary homework items and supplies, create an at-home workstation. Set up a dry erase board on which your child can write assignments and have a cubby where your child can pick up new supplies.
In the Real Life Executive Functioning Workbook, you can find some helpful visuals that will allow your child to set “designated places” for all the things they need to keep organized.
How to Address Each Goal
The most important thing to keep in mind when setting – and addressing – IEP goals for organization?
Don’t get too carried away.
There may be lots of different areas you want to improve upon with your child, but you won’t get anywhere by throwing everything at them at once. Pick one or two areas that need improvement and focus on them first.
The Executive Functioning Assessment will give you a solid idea of where your child is at and what can be done to improve. You’ll also be able to tap into clear strategies that will help you come with an effective solution.
It’s not just for parents and teachers but also for administrators and teven the student herself! It’s easy to integrate into your IEP writing process.
Get Organized Yourself! Start Today
You can’t write clear, effective goals if you aren’t organized yourself. So get started by writing down a list of every skill and weakness you need to target in your student. By having a clear idea of what you need to focus on, you’ll write goals that are effective and measurable.
Not sure where to start? Give your child the Executive Functioning Assessment and use the Real Life Executive Functioning Workbook as a guide. You’ll be at it in no time.
In order to create achievable IEP goals related to organization, start by considering these tips. Having a well-defined plan with measurable objectives is the key to success, so make sure you take the time to set up your goals in a way that will be effective for your child.
Looking For More Executive Functioning IEP Goal Ideas?
Visit our EF IEP Goal Resource Hub or check out our other skill-specific IEP goal articles:
- 8 Impulse Control IEP Goals
- 8 Attentional Control IEP Goals
- 8 Self-Monitoring IEP Goals
- 10 Problem Solving IEP Goals
- 10 Working Memory IEP Goals
- 9 Emotional Control IEP Goals
- 7 Cognitive Flexibility IEP Goals
- 10 Organization IEP Goals
- 12 Task Initiation IEP Goals
- 10 Time Management IEP Goals
- 15 Planning IEP Goals
Further Reading
- Amy Sippl: Executive Functioning Skills 101: All About Organization
- Amy Sippl: 7 Organization Skills To Teach Your Teen
- Rebekah Pierce: Using The GTD (Getting Things Done) System To Help Improve Executive Functioning
- Amy Sippl: Organization Skills: Long-Term Strategies And Supports For Diverse Learners