Maryland Online IEP  

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Goals and Objectives

"In order to succeed, we must first believe that we can." —Nikos Kazantzakis

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Big Ideas

The Individualized Education Program (IEP) includes measurable, ambitious and achievable annual goals and short-term objectives describing each student’s expected academic and functional learning outcomes. Measurable annual goals with accompanying short-term objectives are developed based on data from multiple sources, trend data informing multiple years of growth and other information found in the Present Levels of Academic and Functional Performance (PLAAFP).

Annual IEP goals identify outcomes a student will achieve in an academic year. Objectives describe meaningful, intermediate outcomes that inform instructional practice and are used to teach and monitor progress on annual goals. Annual goals are:

  • Aligned to the academic/content standards of the grade in which the student is enrolled;
  • Aligned to the academic/content standards of below-grade level performance in which the student is missing critical skills that are important for current and future learning; and / or
  • Developed to address age/grade appropriate functional skills impacted by the student’s disability which interfere with or prevent communication, interpersonal interactions, self-determination and self-management.

Annual IEP goals and objectives are written to include five critical components:

  • The conditions under which the skill will be demonstrated;
  • A behavioral description of the skill to be observed;
  • The criteria for measuring achievement of the skill;
  • The method of measurement; and
  • The time frame in which the goal and objectives will be achieved.

Impact

Standards-aligned goals and objectives are the cornerstone of a standards-aligned IEP. The standards-aligned goals and objectives build upon the foundation established in the PLAAFP. Anchored in the data from the PLAAFP, standards-aligned goals and objectives are essential for developing an appropriate Individualized Educational Program (IEP). A well-written PLAAFP which informs the development of ambitious and measurable goals and objectives paves the way for quality instruction that supports students with disabilities in accessing and making progress in the general education curriculum.

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