IEP Communication and Speech-Language Goals

Every example goal here is written to be measurable and observable, the way the goal-writing guides we cite define it, then worded with respect for how your child is described. Read against IDEA, 34 CFR 300.320(a)(2) on July 19, 2026. Jump to sources

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.

How to use these examples. Example goals only. These are sample IEP speech and language goals to discuss and adapt with your child's IEP team, written in person-first language. They are not prescriptions, not a script to hand the school, not legal or educational advice and not a substitute for the team's individualized decision. A speech-language pathologist writes goals from your child's own evaluation.

Bring your child's strengths too. IDEA has the team consider your child's strengths, not only areas of need, when it develops the IEP (34 CFR 300.324(a)(1)(i)). Naming what your child is good at and enjoys helps the team write goals that build on it, so the plan is not only a list of what is hard.

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.

How progress is measured: Therapist data during classroom routines, 4 of 5 opportunities across three sessions

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.

How progress is measured: Scored language sample, 8 of 10 trials across three sessions

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.

How progress is measured: Story-retell rubric, 4 of 5 retells

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.

How progress is measured: Therapist-recorded comprehension probes, 80 percent across three sessions

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.

How progress is measured: Explanation rubric, 4 of 5 opportunities across three sessions

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.

How progress is measured: Therapist-recorded probes, 80 percent across three sessions

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.

How progress is measured: Role-play rubric, 4 of 5 opportunities across three sessions

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.

How progress is measured: Therapist and teacher data, 4 of 5 opportunities across three sessions

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 preview of the free IEP Goal-Tracking Sheet, one printable page

Get the free IEP Goal-Tracking Sheet (PDF)

One page per goal to log the baseline, the target and every progress update, so you see a pattern across the year.

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Questions parents ask

What is the difference between expressive and receptive language goals?

Expressive language is how a child puts thoughts into words: naming things, using grammar, building sentences and telling a story. Receptive language is how a child understands language: following directions, answering questions and understanding vocabulary. Many children work on goals in both areas. The examples here show what a measurable goal in each area can look like before the meeting.

How many speech and language goals should an IEP have?

There is no fixed number. The speech-language pathologist writes one goal per area of need identified in the evaluation, so a child with both expressive and receptive needs may have a goal for each. The examples here help you see what a measurable goal looks like so you can ask good questions at the meeting.

Who writes the communication goals?

A speech-language pathologist usually drafts the communication goals from your child's evaluation and then the full IEP team, including you, discusses and agrees on them. Bring these examples as a way to ask what your child's goals will measure and how, not as goals to hand the school.

My child is nonspeaking or uses a communication device. Do these goals still apply?

Communication goals cover every way a child communicates, including gestures, pictures and augmentative and alternative communication (AAC) devices. A goal can measure understanding and expression through whatever communication method fits your child. Ask the team how a goal will be written and measured for your child's communication mode.

Sources

What the facts on this page come from

IDEA, 34 CFR 300.320(a)(2) (measurable annual goals) sites.ed.gov/idea/regs/b/d/300.320
IDEA, 34 CFR 300.324(a)(2)(iv) (IEP Team must consider the child's communication needs) sites.ed.gov/idea/regs/b/d/300.324
IDEA, 34 CFR 300.34(c)(15) (speech-language pathology as a related service) sites.ed.gov/idea/regs/b/a/300.34

This page is general educational information for parents, not legal or educational advice. It does not tell any family what to do. Every example here is a starting point to discuss and adapt with your child's IEP or 504 team, which decides what fits your child from the evaluation. Confirm anything time-sensitive with your school or district. For a genuinely contested situation, a special education advocate or an attorney who works in your state is the right person to ask.