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.
Are you the teacher of a child who needs to work on his skills in planning? Perhaps you’re a parent of such a student. Whatever the case may be, you may find yourself struggling to come up with IEP goals that will not only address any weaknesses your child might have, but target those weaknesses specifically to turn them into strengths.
In this post, we’ll show you how to set IEP goals for planning – and give you a few more resources you can turn to if you’re feeling stuck.
What is Planning?
Out of all of the executive functioning skills that you might want to improve and hone in a student, planning is one of the most important. That’s because planning (along with the more general “time management”) is necessary for every aspect of life, from applying for a job to saving for long-term purchases.
Whether it’s planning what to eat for dinner or planning how to get your homework done, a child needs to be able to plan in order to be successful as an independent adult.
Planning and basic organizational skills require a person to be able to manage both current and future-oriented demands. They’ll not only need the skills to initiate those activities or tasks, but also be able to come up with responses, solutions, ideas, or problem-solving strategies to help them get things done.
Of course, being able to prioritize tasks is an element of planning, too.
Sample IEP Goals for Planning
Because planning is such a broad category of executive functioning skills, setting IEP goals for this area can be a bit challenging. It requires more individualization than practically any other skill, and you’ll need to think carefully about your child’s (or your student’s) individual skills and weaknesses to help you identify the right kind of goals.
Being generic won’t work here – you’ve got to be specific.
However, if you’re feeling stuck, you may want to consider the sample IEP goals below to give you an idea of what sorts of skills you might want to target while writing your goals.
Adaptive Goals
- By the end of the IEP term, the student will use her planner to accurately and legibly record homework assignments for every class, every day of the week.
- By the end of the school year, the student will spend 10 minutes before each class to write down the notes and materials needed for that class.
- By the end of the school year, the student will spend 10 minutes each day writing down a list of tasks they want to accomplish and then prioritize them, ranking each from 1 to 10, with 1 being the task they want to accomplish first.
- By the end of the school year, the student will use a weekly calendar to write upcoming due dates and tests with 90% accuracy, as evidenced by weekly teacher checks.
- By the end of the school year, the student will use a checklist of requirements prior to turning in a project with 80% accuracy, as evidenced by teacher feedback or a self-graded rubric.
Social Goals
- By the end of the school year, the student will make appropriate decisions on a daily basis four out of five times as measured by teacher observation and a behavior checklist.
- By the end of the IEP period, the student will remain on task and work independently 90% of the time, as measured by teacher observation.
- By the end of the school year, the student will reduce instances of non-compliance (becoming distracted and ignoring tasks, staff directives, and demands) to an average of 20% of intervals or less across all educational environments, as measured by self-monitoring checklists and teacher feedback.
Reading Goals
- By the end of the school year, the student will create a graphic organizer with relevant content information while reading a grade-level passage, 4 out of 5 times, as evidenced by teacher observations and data.
- By the end of the IEP period, when given a grade-level reading passage, the student will identify the main idea and provide at least three details related to the main idea with 90% accuracy in three out of four trials.
- By the end of the school year, the student will use context clues and other strategies to determine the meaning of unfamiliar words, then identify terms to record on flashcards, with 80% accuracy in four out of five opportunities.
Math Goals
- By the end of the IEP term, the student will write out steps prior to beginning a word problem with 80% accuracy, as measured by teacher observation.
- By the end of the school year, the student will independently read a two-step word problem, identify which operation is to be used, and solve it with 100% accuracy on four out of five trials, as measured quarterly.
Writing Goals
- By the end of the school year, the student, when given a writing assignment, will independently create an outline 100% of the time, with the main topic and supporting points as a basis, as measured by teacher feedback.
- By the end of the IEP period, the student will independently develop his ideas fully and will write passages that contain (x number) of paragraphs and at least (x number) details per paragraph, as evidenced by a teacher-provided rubric.
Tips on Setting Goals for Planning
Now that you’ve identified some possible goals in the area of planning, it’s time to incorporate them. So how exactly do you do that?
Here are some tips.
Make Them Relevant
Executive functioning skills are some of the most relevant and real-world-based skills you can work on. Therefore, you should incorporate exercises that are easy to implement in the real world and can be transferred across different curricular areas and settings.
Though your child might not always enjoy working on these skills, do your best to make things as “non-clinical” as possible. Use real-world applications, fun graphics, and other activities that help engage a student and encourage them to buy in to their own progress.
Ensure That They are Skills- and Evidence-Based
All strategies you include in the IEP should be evidence-based. Use strategies and exercises that are based on the top research and are proven to be successful with that specific executive functioning deficit.
It’s fine to do some experimenting, but you should be as targeted as possible in your approach.
They also should focus on specific skills. Although planning is admittedly a broad category, you’ve got to make sure the IEP goals you write target one specific skill (such as writing things down in a planner rather than just completing assignments by a due date).
Strategies that are evidence-based and proven to be successful in improving planning skills include:
- Using Google Calendar to record appointments and due dates
- Setting a timer to work for five minutes on a given task
- Creating a written schedule and looking at it several times per day
- Relying on visual aids and graphic organizers to plan out projects and plan ahead
Differentiate
No two students are exactly alike – so it’s important to not take a cookie-cutter approach when writing and implementing IEP goals. Make sure the goals you write are customized to the individual student. While it’s very common for two students to have similar deficits in the area of planning, it’s unlikely that both students will have the exact same skills that need to be improved upon.
For example, in the Exam Study Plan Worksheet found in our Executive Functioning Workbook (coupon code LSA20 for 20% off at checkout), you’ll see a variety of activities to help your child plan for an upcoming exam. It includes graphs where your child can block out time spent studying and even a graphic organizer where they can list priority areas to study, ranked from high to low.
It’s incredibly hands-on, incredibly visual, and incredibly relevant – making it a great option for students who are struggling with planning.
Make Sure They’re Feedback-Based and Feedback-Driven
Again, all goals should be based on feedback and driven by feedback. Make sure you’re tailoring each one to the specific deficits you’ve seen in your student and that you regularly measure your student’s progress by using actual feedback. It’s okay to rely on observational data in some cases, but you should aim to provide hard, recordable data whenever you can.
Fit The Goals Into Daily Life
Again, real-world applications are key. Whenever possible, invest in tools that help you integrate skill-building across every setting. As you probably already know, repetition is key when it comes to improving a skill – and executive functioning skills like planning are no different.
Tools like the Executive Functioning Workbook not only check off all the boxes from above, but are also portable and convenient.
This first-edition workbook can be printed or downloaded as a PDF. It includes all kinds of fun, interactive, and differentiated activities to help you identify and target all sorts of executive functioning goals – planning is one of them. Consider downloading it today!
How to Address Each Goal
There’s no maximum or minimum number of goals for an IEP – you should write as many goals as your child needs in order to be successful.
If you’re having trouble figuring out how to address or assess each goal, you may want to consider downloading our Executive Functioning Assessment. This assessment will give you a better idea of where your learner is struggling and what you can do to improve it. That way, you’ll be able to be more targeted in your approach and not feel like you’re fumbling around in the dark.
This resource isn’t just for teachers, either. It’s also a free tool that parents can use, even when they’re dealing with schedules that are already jam-packed. The assessment will give you a clear picture of what you need to work on next, with activities that can easily be integrated into your daily routine.
Your Next Steps
So what’s next?
Writing IEP goals or even working on executive functioning skills like planning in a less formal setting, as a parent, can be a challenge. You want to make sure you’re targeting your child’s specific needs and strengths, yet you also don’t want anything to fall through the gaps.
You’ll have an easier time both identifying and addressing goals related to planning when you have the right tools on your side. Check out the Real-Life Executive Functioning Workbook today – and plan for a better future tomorrow.
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
- Rebekah Pierce: Teaching Unique Learners About Saving For Long-Term Purchases
- Amy Sippl: Planning Skills: Long-Term Supports & Strategies For Diverse Learners
- Amy Sippl: 10 Planning Skills Every Child Should Learn
- Amy Sippl: Executive Functioning Skills 101: The Basics Of Planning
- Rebekah Pierce: Why Two Skills Are Better Than One In The Context Of Transition Planning
- Rebekah Pierce: 9 Job Skills Your Teen Can Improve From Home