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.
Most people think of memory as a single entity, but it is actually multiple processes that work together to create our memories.
One of the most important of these processes is working memory. Working memory is what enables us to keep information in our minds for brief periods of time so that we can use it to complete tasks or make decisions.
In order to help students learn and remember material, teachers need to understand how working memory works and what they can do to help students develop their working memory skills.
In this post, we will discuss the basics of working memory and give you some helpful tips to write working memory IEP goals that actually stick!
What is Working Memory?
Have you ever walked into a room…and then instantly forgotten why you walked into it? If so, you might be struggling (even temporarily) with working memory.
Working memory refers to our ability to remember and recall information when it is needed. Although it’s often associated with academic skills like math and reading – that’s because both of those skill areas require us to recall information like sight words, math facts, and letter sounds – working memory is also essential in other walks of life.
You need it to remember parts of a task or to connect existing ideas with new information. You need working memory to pay attention and to demonstrate flexibility and impulse control.
You’ll know your child struggles with working memory if he:
- Can’t remember multiple instructions for tasks
- Has a limited attention span
- Does not see homework assignments or chores through to the end
- Often forgets what he’s doing in the middle of a task
- Is unable to keep track of lots of information and recall them when needed
- Cannot pay close attention to detail to avoid mistakes
Sample IEP Goals for Working Memory
Fortunately, there are ways to address working memory. Here are a few sample IEP goals that you can use to boost your student’s working memory capacity.
Adaptive Goals
- By the end of this school year, the student will keep track of personal belongings and recall where items are placed 90% of the time, based on teacher observation.
- By the end of the IEP term, the student will use a written planner to keep track of assignments 100% of the time, based on teacher observation.
Social Goals
- By the end of the school year, in a social situation, the student will accurately represent information and report details to others 90% of the time, based on teacher observation.
- By the end of the IEP term, the student will correctly deliver a message to another person with 90% accuracy in four out of five trials, based on teacher observation.
Reading Goals
- By the end of the school year, the student will correctly recall and sequence events in a story with 90% accuracy in four out of five trials, based on teacher observation.
- By the end of the IEP term, the student will understand and answer comprehension questions about a reading passage with 90% accuracy in four out of five trials, based on teacher observation.
Math Goals
- By the end of the IEP term, the student will complete two- and three-step math word problems without requiring additional instructions with 90% accuracy in four out of five trials, based on teacher observation.
- By the end of the IEP term, the student will complete math facts worksheets with 85% accuracy in five out of six trials, based on teacher observation.
Writing Goals
- By the end of the school year, the student will gather information from one or more sources and apply it to a written assignment with 90% accuracy, based on a rubric.
- By the end of the IEP term, when given a passage, the student will correctly summarize the passage in his own writing with 90% accuracy in four out of five trials, based on teacher observation.
Tips on Setting Goals for Working Memory
Here are a few tips to help you set clear, actionable goals to address working memory goals.
Combine Strategy and Core Training
Strategy training involves teaching specific ways to store, maintain, and retrieve information from your working memory. Thes tips and tricks can be applied to many different working memory tasks. An example would be a mnemonic device.
Core training is a bit different – it involves repeating working memory tasks at a high intensity in rapid succession. This will help you identify how well your child remembers information in the face of a challenge or distraction.
Combine both of these methods to make sure your child’s working memory skills are not only functional – but functional in the face of crisis.
Identify Learning Styles
One of the best ways to start improving working memory is to begin by identifying your child’s unique learning style. We all have different learning styles – some of us are visual learners while others are kinesthetic
Figuring out the way your child learns best is the ideal way to target working memory goals. Once you know the style, you can tailor instruction to that style and increase the likelihood that this new information will stick. You can find a helpful learning styles inventory in the Real Life Executive Functioning Workbook (coupon code LSA20 for 20% off at checkout).
Break Complex Instructions Down
If you can, break down complex instructions to help your child better understand what is expected of them. Individuals with working memory challenges often struggle with remembering complex instructions or large batches of information.
Although it seems counterproductive to make things simpler, you’ll find that your child’s working memory – and his capacity to handle larger groups of information – improves over time.
Reduce Distractions
While you’ll eventually want to work toward the goal of having a solid working memory even in the event of distractions that get in the way, it’s a good idea to start focusing on working memory goals while tuning out irrelevant information.
Put some white noise on to help drown out surrounding conversations. By giving your child less to focus on, you’ll increase the likelihood that they’ll stay focused on the task at hand.
Use Checklists
As an adult, there’s a good chance that you’ve relied on a grocery list, planner, or calendar a time or two (or ten!) to help you stay organized. None of us can be expected to remember absolutely everything!
Checklists and other visuals can help your learner stay on task with what they need to do. It’s okay to rely on reminder lists – as long as your child knows how to create those reminders for himself in a way that works! You can find some examples that you can use in the Real Life Executive Functioning Workbook.
Take It One Step at a Time
Rome wasn’t built in a day – don’t expect your child to have the memory of an elephant in just one day, either. Start small and break things down into smaller, more manageable chunks.
Offer frequent breaks. As you’re working on a task with your child, provide them with frequent opportunities to get up, walk around, stretch – whatever it takes to help them feel refreshed.
How to Address Each Goal
In order to properly address working memory skills, it’s best to identify which activities might be of the most help to your learner. No two students are the same – so you should have your learner take an assessment to figure out what their unique working memory needs are and which activities might be the most effective.
Without doing this sort of assessment, it will be hard for you to tell whether it’s working memory that’s causing your child’s issues or something else. For example, working memory problems are closely connected to deficits in reading and math – but of course, problems with reading and math can be linked to dozens of other underlying factors, too.
Not sure how to pinpoint working memory problems as the source of your child’s frustrations? The Real Life Executive Functioning Skills Assessment is a great place to start. It will give you detailed information on your child’s learning styles as well as information on how you can help your student follow complex instructions with ease.
Remember These Tips to Write the Best Goals
Creating meaningful IEP goals to address working memory issues can be a daunting task. You need to make sure the goals you write are specific and measurable – and that they’ll actually help your student achieve success.
Follow the tips above – and take advantage of these samples we gave you – to write memorable IEP goals that are sure to make an impact. Don’t be afraid to rely on tools like the Real Life Executive Functioning Workbook, either – even the smallest bit of help can make a huge difference.
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