Where to Start When Measuring Progress

Now that your child has an IEP, how do you know if your child is making progress? How do you chart if your child is meeting the goals and objectives in the IEP?  The first place to start when looking for progress is the goals.

Ensure the Goals Are individualized to your Child:

There is a lot of software that has made IEPs easier for school districts to do. Technology can certainly be a blessing but it can also cause school districts to use the same exact format and information in everyone’s IEPs and goals. The result has been that many children have very similar goals and some may not even apply to your child.  When you look at your IEP, one of the first things to do is review the goals and objectives. Determine if they apply to your child and make sure they have been individualized to their unique needs.  If not, begin to get rid of the unnecessary “cookie cutter” goals.

Finalize and Prioritize the Goals:

The IEP tends to have so many goals that it is confusing, hard to track, and downright overwhelming. Too many goals often result in everyone being unfocused and distracted. After getting rid of goals that don’t apply to your child, start to prioritize the remaining ones.

Begin to filter through the goals to determine which ones should take precedence. For example, identify which goals will be the focus of the first marking period, the second, and so on. Make sure you have a balanced approach to selecting these goals. Academics are critical but so are social, language and functional goals. Looking at the whole child and identifying what is most important and relevant to them is vital.

Determine How Goals and Accountability Will be Delegated:

From your final list of goals, determine what goal will be delegated to who. Will it be a teacher or related professional? Who will be in charge of measuring the goal? For example, an occupational therapist (OT) might be leading and engineering a hand writing goal. The OT may see the child for 20 minutes – twice a week. In order for the child to make progress, others must be charged with the daily implementation of the goal. Is the OT making sure that the goal is intertwined into daily activities both in the classroom and at home?

As the parent how can you get communication on how to carry out the goal at home and to ensure it is generalized into the community and other settings? A goal left on paper tends to get stuck in a drawer somewhere until the next annual review. Don’t let that happen to you. As the parent keep the IEP goals in front of you and expect regular progress reports and accountability from whomever that goal has been delegated to.  Ask the therapist or teacher how they are incorporating it into the school day and for suggestions on how to implement the goal at home.  

Finally, keep in touch with the teachers and therapists.  Keep reminding people about the goals in the IEP and do not be afraid to hold them accountable. What is the child learning and where are the snags in school and at home?  Brainstorm ideas on how to work through any challenges. Share your ideas with the district, also.  With everyone working together, there is a better chance that the child can learn and make progress toward their goals!