IEP Communication and Speech-Language Goals
What are IEP communication and speech-language goals?
IEP communication goals usually cover two areas: expressive language (how a child puts thoughts into words, sentences and stories) and receptive language (how a child understands what is said, from following directions to answering questions). A well-written communication goal names a baseline, a measurable target and a way to measure it, so progress is something the team can see rather than guess. The examples below are starting points to shape with your child's speech-language pathologist and the rest of the team, not goals to copy. Speech-sound and articulation goals are a separate area a speech-language pathologist addresses directly, so this page focuses on the language goals parents most often prepare for.
What a measurable communication and speech-language goal looks like
A measurable annual communication goal names the skill, the condition, the criterion and how it is measured. IDEA requires annual goals to be measurable (34 CFR 300.320(a)(2)), so a goal like 'will improve communication' is not enough; a goal names a percentage, a rate, a number of steps or a rubric score the team can track. IDEA also directs the IEP team to consider a child's communication needs (34 CFR 300.324(a)(2)(iv)). When speech-language services are part of the plan they are a related service under IDEA (34 CFR 300.34(c)(15)), so a speech-language pathologist usually drafts these goals and helps the team measure them.
Example goals by grade band
Each goal below is an example to discuss and adapt with your team, never a target your child must meet. The specific rates and percentages are illustrations of what a measurable goal looks like. To see how the parts fit together, try the goal practice builder.
Lower elementary (K-2)
Example · Receptive language: following directions
Given a two-step direction with an unrelated pair of actions (for example, 'Put your book away and line up at the door'), [student] will carry out both steps in the correct order on 4 of 5 opportunities across three consecutive sessions by the annual review date, as measured by therapist data collection during structured classroom routines.
What to ask your team: Ask what the current baseline is (how many steps [student] follows now) and whether the direction should include a visual or a gesture cue at first.
Example · Expressive language: building complete sentences
Given a picture prompt and a sentence starter, [student] will produce a grammatically complete sentence of at least four words to describe the picture on 8 of 10 trials across three sessions by the annual review date, as measured by a language sample scored by the speech-language pathologist.
What to ask your team: Ask how the team will fade the sentence starter over the year and what counts as a complete sentence for scoring.
Upper elementary (3-5)
Example · Expressive language: retelling and narrative
Given a short story read aloud, [student] will retell the story including the character, the setting, the problem and the resolution in the correct sequence on 4 of 5 retells by the annual review date, as measured by a story-retell rubric scored by the speech-language pathologist.
What to ask your team: Ask whether the story length matches [student]'s instructional level and whether a story map is allowed as a support at first.
Example · Receptive language: answering comprehension questions
Given a grade-level passage read aloud, [student] will answer literal who, what, where and when questions with 80 percent accuracy across three consecutive data sessions by the annual review date, as measured by therapist-recorded comprehension probes.
What to ask your team: Ask what data the school collects between meetings and whether the passages come from the classroom curriculum.
Middle school (6-8)
Example · Expressive language: organized oral explanation
Given a curriculum topic, [student] will give a two- to three-sentence oral explanation that states a main idea and one supporting detail on 4 of 5 opportunities across three sessions by the annual review date, as measured by a rubric scored by the speech-language pathologist.
What to ask your team: Ask what supports help [student] organize the explanation and how the team plans to build toward longer summaries.
Example · Receptive language: understanding figurative language
Given a short passage containing an idiom or figurative expression, [student] will explain its intended meaning using context clues with 80 percent accuracy across three consecutive sessions by the annual review date, as measured by therapist-recorded probes.
What to ask your team: Ask whether the examples come from texts [student] reads in class and how the team will build from single sentences to longer passages.
High school (9-12)
Example · Expressive language: stating a request or question in the moment
Given a classroom or workplace scenario, [student] will state a request or ask a clarifying question in a complete, organized sentence on 4 of 5 role-play opportunities across three sessions by the annual review date, as measured by a rubric scored by the speech-language pathologist.
What to ask your team: Ask how this goal connects to [student]'s transition plan and what real settings the skill will be practiced in.
Example · Receptive language: following multi-step task directions
Given a three- to four-step set of oral directions for an academic or vocational task, [student] will complete all steps in order on 4 of 5 opportunities across three sessions by the annual review date, as measured by therapist and teacher data.
What to ask your team: Ask whether the directions match the tasks [student] meets in class or on the job and what cue is allowed if a step is missed.
What makes a goal measurable
- Names a measurable criterion (a percentage, a rate, a count of steps or a rubric score), not just 'will improve'
- States how progress is measured and how often
- Names the condition or support the skill is measured under (a picture prompt, a sentence starter, a passage read aloud)
- Is written in person-first language that describes the child, never a label
- Is a starting point for the team and the speech-language pathologist, never a fixed prescription
Common mistakes to watch for
- A goal with no baseline, so there is no way to judge progress
- A vague target like 'will communicate better' that names no criterion and no measurement method
- The same goal copied across years with no change in the target
- Deficit-first wording that describes the child by what they cannot do rather than the skill being built
A communication goals bank organized by strand
The goals bank below groups measurable language examples by strand rather than by grade band: understanding language, using language, using it socially and using whatever communication method fits your child. IDEA requires annual goals to be measurable (34 CFR 300.320(a)(2)) and asks the team to consider a child's communication needs (34 CFR 300.324(a)(2)(iv)). Speech-sound and articulation work sits outside this set, since a speech-language pathologist addresses it directly from your child's own evaluation.
A speech-language pathologist writes the real goals from your child's evaluation. These examples are here so you can recognize a measurable one and ask better questions, never so you can hand a list to the school.
Understanding language (receptive)
Receptive goals are easy to write vaguely, since understanding is invisible until something is asked. Ask what the student has to do to show it.
Example · Grade-level vocabulary
Given 10 grade-level vocabulary words presented inside a sentence, [student] will state or select the meaning of each with 80 percent accuracy across three consecutive data sessions by the annual review date, as measured by therapist-recorded vocabulary probes.
Example · Directions that use position words
Given an oral direction that uses a position word such as behind, beside or between, [student] will carry it out correctly on 8 of 10 trials across three sessions by the annual review date, as measured by therapist data collection.
Example · Questions that need an inference
Given a short passage read aloud, [student] will answer why and how questions that call for an inference with 75 percent accuracy across three consecutive sessions by the annual review date, as measured by therapist-recorded comprehension probes.
Using language (expressive)
Expressive goals should name the support the student gets, since a sentence produced with a model is a different skill from one produced without. Ask how the support fades.
Example · Describing a sequence
Given 3 pictures showing the steps of a familiar routine, [student] will describe the routine in order using sequence words such as first, next and last, on 4 of 5 opportunities across three sessions by the annual review date, as measured by a scored language sample.
Example · A target grammatical form
Given a grammatical form modeled by the speech-language pathologist, such as past tense verbs, [student] will use it correctly in a sentence with 80 percent accuracy across three consecutive sessions by the annual review date, as measured by therapist-recorded language probes.
Example · Summarizing out loud
Given a topic and 2 minutes to plan, [student] will give a spoken summary that has a beginning, a middle and an end, on 4 of 5 opportunities across three sessions by the annual review date, as measured by a summary rubric scored by the speech-language pathologist.
Using language with other people
Social language goals describe how a conversation goes, so they need a real conversation partner to be measured honestly. Ask who that partner will be.
Example · Staying on a topic
Given a structured conversation with a peer or an adult, [student] will stay on the topic for at least 3 exchanges before changing it, on 4 of 5 conversations across three sessions by the annual review date, as measured by therapist observation data.
Example · Repairing a misunderstanding
Given a conversation in which they did not follow what was said, [student] will use a repair strategy such as asking the speaker to repeat it or to say it another way, on 4 of 5 opportunities across three sessions by the annual review date, as measured by therapist-recorded tally data.
Example · Giving a listener the background
Given a role-play with a listener who does not know the topic, [student] will give the background the listener needs before the detail, on 4 of 5 role-plays across three sessions by the annual review date, as measured by a rubric scored by the speech-language pathologist.
Communication devices and other ways to be understood
Goals in this strand measure communication itself, not speech. Ask how a goal will be written for the method your child actually uses.
Example · Starting a request without a prompt
Given their communication device or picture system and a motivating activity, [student] will start a request without an adult prompt on 8 of 10 opportunities across three sessions by the annual review date, as measured by therapist and classroom staff data.
Example · Finding vocabulary on a device
Given their communication device and a question asked in class, [student] will locate the vocabulary needed to answer within 30 seconds on 4 of 5 opportunities across three sessions by the annual review date, as measured by therapist-recorded navigation data.
Example · Telling a new adult how they communicate
Given a new adult in the classroom, [student] will show or state how they communicate best, using their device, a card or their own words, on 3 of 4 opportunities by the annual review date, as measured by staff observation records.
From the team behind this library
The IEP & 504 Command Center
This page shows what a measurable goal looks like. The Command Center hands you the done pieces: the binder built, the letters written, the meeting scripts ready and a self-review that shows where your child's IEP is strong or thin before you walk in. The library stays free.
