Welcome to The Executive Functioning IEP Goal Resource Hub
A Comprehensive, No-Cost Resource to Inspire Teachers & Related Service Providers in Crafting IEP Goals That Prioritize Students’ Executive Functioning Needs.
Important: Please Read Before Proceeding
Our Executive Functioning IEP Goal Resource Hub 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.
Navigate This Page by Executive Functioning Skill Area or Download Our Free Goal Bank Below
Browse Our Executive Functioning IEP Goal Resource Hub by Skill Area & Area of Specially-Designed Instruction Below
From there, click on the "See All" buttons under each section for more goals, implementation tips and next steps.
Planning
The ability to identify and sequence the activities required to achieve a desired goal.
Example Planning IEP Goals:
- Adaptive: 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.
- Social/Emotional: 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.
- Reading: 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.
- Math: 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.
- Writing: 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.
Or download our free IEP Goal Bank that includes 100+ EF IEP goals + over 1,100 additional IEP goals across 30+ academic and functional skill areas.
Time Management
The ability to use time effectively and how it impacts oneself and others.
Example Time Management IEP Goals:
- Adaptive: By the end of the school year, the student will follow a timeline and checklist correctly 90% of the time to complete chores or homework tasks according to a deadline set by his/her parents or teachers.
- Social/Emotional: By the end of the IEP term, the student will arrive on time for social activities 90% of the time, as evidenced by teacher observation.
- Reading: When given a reading assignment, the student will break it into chunks with different sections to be completed each day so that it is completed by the due date, 90% of the time, as measured by teacher observation.
- Math: By the end of the school year, the student will identify and understand time concepts (minute, hour, week, month, etc).
- Writing: By the end of the school year, the student will accurately estimate how much time it will take to complete a written assignment and develop a writing plan that reflects those time limits 100% of the time, as evidenced by teacher observation.
Or download our free IEP Goal Bank that includes 100+ EF IEP goals + over 1,100 additional IEP goals across 30+ academic and functional skill areas.
Task Initiation
The ability to begin working on a task without the need for external prompting.
Example Task Initiation IEP Goals:
- Adaptive: By the end of the IEP period, when given instructions to start a familiar task along with appropriate visual supports, the student will begin the task within 15 minutes, 90% of the time, according to teacher observation.
- Social/Emotional: By the end of the school year, when given appropriate visual support or adult prompting, the student will begin a non-preferred task within 60 seconds without demonstrating problem behavior, 100% of the time, according to teacher observation.
- Reading: By the end of the school year, when given a reading assignment, the student will evaluate whether it is difficult and ask for help or other resources if necessary 100% of the time, according to teacher observation.
- Math: By the end of the school year, when solving math word problems, the student will respond to a countdown timer to begin the task, 90% of the time, according to teacher observation.
- Writing: By the end of the school year, when given a written assignment, the student will identify and gather the material necessary to complete the task 100% of the time, according to teacher observation.
Or download our free IEP Goal Bank that includes 100+ EF IEP goals + over 1,100 additional IEP goals across 30+ academic and functional skill areas.
Organization
The ability to design and maintain systems for keeping track of information.
Example Organization IEP Goals:
- Adaptive: 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.
- Social/Emotional: 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.
- Reading: 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.
- Math: 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: 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.
Or download our free IEP Goal Bank that includes 100+ EF IEP goals + over 1,100 additional IEP goals across 30+ academic and functional skill areas.
Problem Solving
The ability to find multiple solutions to difficult or complex issues.
Example Problem Solving IEP Goals:
- Adaptive: By the end of the school year, when given a written scenario in which a problem needs to be solved, the student will provide two appropriate solutions with 80% accuracy in 4 out of 5 opportunities, according to teacher observation.
- Social/Emotional: By the end of the IEP term, when given pre-taught behavioral strategies to decrease or avoid escalating behaviors, the students will complete at least one activity with positive behavioral results, according to teacher observation.
- Reading: By the end of the IEP term, when presented with text at his instructional level, the student will use context clues to determine the meaning of unknown words with 80% accuracy, as measured by written work samples.
- Math: By the end of the IEP term, when given a word problem, the student will independently determine which operation is to be used with 100% accuracy on 4 out of 5 trials, measured quarterly by teacher observation.
- Writing: By the end of the school year, when given a writing assignment, the student will independently create a keyword outline that includes the main topic and three supporting points as a basis for the essay, based on a rubric, 90% of the time.
Or download our free IEP Goal Bank that includes 100+ EF IEP goals + over 1,100 additional IEP goals across 30+ academic and functional skill areas.
Cognitive Flexibility
The ability to adapt thought processes in response to one's ever-changing environment.
Example Cognitive Flexibility IEP Goals:
- Adaptive: By the end of the school year, the student will follow directives from a teacher or other adult when classroom plans change without engaging in problem behaviors, 100% of the time in 4 out of 5 trials, based on teacher observation.
- Social/Emotional: By the end of the school year, the student will adjust his behavior to the requirements of different social situations (e.g. changes in expectations and rules), given one verbal prompt, 90% of the time, based on teacher observation.
- Reading: By the end of the school year, when given a passage at the proper grade level, the student will make inferences from information provided in the passage and identify how those inferences changed at the end of the passage, with 90% accuracy in four out of five trials, based on teacher observation.
- Math: By the end of the school year, when a word problem cannot be solved by the first technique chosen, the student will choose a second technique to try, 90% of the time, according to teacher observation.
- Writing: By the end of the school year, the student will use a thesaurus when writing 100% of the time to substitute new words for more common ones in his writing, based on teacher observation.
Or download our free IEP Goal Bank that includes 100+ EF IEP goals + over 1,100 additional IEP goals across 30+ academic and functional skill areas.
Working Memory
The ability to remember information and recall it later when needed.
Example Working Memory IEP Goals:
- Adaptive: 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.
- Social/Emotional: 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.
- Reading: 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.
- Math: 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.
- Writing: 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.
Or download our free IEP Goal Bank that includes 100+ EF IEP goals + over 1,100 additional IEP goals across 30+ academic and functional skill areas.
Emotional Control
The ability to respond to and manage positive and negative emotions and experiences in one's environment.
Example Emotional Control IEP Goals:
- Adaptive: By the end of the school year, when changes to the established routine occur, the student will maintain self-control 90% of the time, as demonstrated by teacher observation.
- Social/Emotional: By the end of the school year, when given a challenging school or social experience, the student will refrain from whining or crying 100% of the time, based on teacher observation.
- Reading: By the end of the IEP term, the students will demonstrate the ability to describe the emotion of a pictured character four out of five times, based on teacher observation.
- Math: By the end of the school year, when confronted with a challenging math problem, the student will set a timer and take a break after five minutes of working on the problem, 100% of the time, based on teacher observation.
- Writing: By the end of the IEP term, when confronted with a challenging or tedious writing assignment, the student will continue to engage in the activity 90% of the time, based on teacher observation.
Or download our free IEP Goal Bank that includes 100+ EF IEP goals + over 1,100 additional IEP goals across 30+ academic and functional skill areas.
Impulse Control
The ability to prioritize wants and needs and resist or avoid doing things that may be harmful to oneself or others.
Example Impulse Control IEP Goals:
- Adaptive: By the end of the IEP term, when given a self-monitoring checklist, the student will show good self-regulation during 90% of his weekly classes, as measured by teacher observations over a period of three months.
- Social/Emotional: By the end of this school year, the student will use positive self-talk and coping strategies to handle stressful social conflicts, demonstrated by engaging in these behaviors with one prompt successfully in four out of five trials, evidenced by teacher observation.
- Reading: By the end of the school year, when given time to read quietly, the student will ignore distractions for 20 minutes of focused reading in five out of five trials, as evidenced by teacher observation.
- Math: By the end of the school year, when presented with a challenging mathematics word problem, the student will accurately determine the size of the problem and identify the appropriate emotional response before returning to the task at hand in four out of five trials, as measured by teacher charted data.
- Writing: By the end of the school year, when given a writing assignment, the students will initiate his work as evidenced by beginning to write letters on paper within one minute of the assignment being presented with 90% accuracy in four out of five trials, as measured by teacher observation.
Or download our free IEP Goal Bank that includes 100+ EF IEP goals + over 1,100 additional IEP goals across 30+ academic and functional skill areas.
Attentional Control
The ability to choose what to pay attention to and tune out distractions.
Example Attentional Control IEP Goals:
- Adaptive: By the end of the school year, the student will attend to a non-preferred independent assignment with no task avoidance or off-task behaviors (such as going to the bathroom) for 20 minutes in 3 out of 4 trials, as measured by staff documentation.
- Social/Emotional: By the end of the IEP term, when given a distraction in the classroom, the student will mind his own business by not looking at the distraction, not responding, and reporting the distraction, if necessary, in four out of five trials with 100% accuracy, according to teacher observation.
- Reading: By the end of the IEP term, when listening to the teacher reading a story during circle time, the students will demonstrate active listening skills by remaining seated, following along in the text, and asking clarification questions as needed, demonstrating all three behaviors 100% of the time in four out of five incidents, based on teacher observation.
- Math: By the end of the school year, when given a set of math problems, the student will complete a problem before going on to the next problems with 100% accuracy on 4 out of 5 trails, according to teacher observation.
- Writing: By the end of the IEP term, when given a writing assignment, the student will read directions and explanations before asking the teacher for help 100% of the time in four out of five incidents, according to teacher observation.
Or download our free IEP Goal Bank that includes 100+ EF IEP goals + over 1,100 additional IEP goals across 30+ academic and functional skill areas.
Self-Monitoring
The ability to understand one's own actions or behaviors and adjust them to make changes for the future.
Example Self-Monitoring IEP Goals:
- Adaptive: By the end of the school year, the students will participate with teachers and other IEP team members to set instructional and behavioral goals, based on teacher and parent observation.
- Social/Emotional: By the end of the school year, the student will apologize to other students in social situations as needed and when it is appropriate, based on teacher and student observation.
- Reading: By the end of the school year, when given an unfamiliar word, the student will attempt to pronounce it and make corrections to his pronunciation as needed, 90% of the time in four out of five trials, according to teacher observation.
- Math: By the end of the IEP term, when given a set of math problems, the student will accurately predict how long it will take him to complete the set of problems 90% of the time in four out of five trials, according to teacher observation.
- Writing: By the end of the school year, when writing an essay, the student will proofread for and identify errors in his work without teacher assistance 100% of the time with 80% accuracy, based on teacher observation.
Or download our free IEP Goal Bank that includes 100+ EF IEP goals + over 1,100 additional IEP goals across 30+ academic and functional skill areas.
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