IDEA requires IDEA Progress Monitoring IEP Goals

With proper IEP Measures of Progress you can know for certain if your child is making educational progress.

Let’s look at what IDEA says about Progress Monitoring IEP Goals:

IDEA §300.347(a) “Content of IEP” states that IEPs must contain: (7) A statement of –

(i) How the child’s progress toward the annual goals described in paragraph (a)(2) of this section will be measured; and

(ii) How the child’s parents will be regularly informed (through such means as periodic report cards), at least as often as parents are informed of their non-disabled children’s progress, of –

(A) Their child’s progress toward the annual goals; and

(B) The extent to which that progress is sufficient to enable the child to achieve the goals by the end of the year.

“§300.347(a)(1)(2) requires that each child’s IEP include: A statement of measurable annual goals, including benchmarks or short-term objectives related to—(i) Meeting the child’s needs that result from the child’s disability to enable the child to be involved in and progress in the general curriculum; and (ii) meeting each of the child’s other educational needs that result from the child’s disability.”

Any measure of progress should be measurable by someone other than the teacher who is teaching your child. If a teacher is responsible for measuring her own success in teaching your child, there is no accountability when evidence to the contrary surfaces.

Additionally, sometimes teacher have to leave partway through the year. Then your child’s progress may need to be measured by someone else. If his teacher moves, you move, your child transfers to a private school, or obtain private services, then someone else needs to be able to determine if your child has made educational progress.

Therefore, your child’s IEP goals should not be based upon subjective data. For proper progress monitoring IEP Goals, the measures must be data-driven.

Quiz Question (think back to writing goals):

For well-written, objective goals, which of these ways are objective measures of progress?

Data collection and analysis.

Teacher observation.

Standardized testing.

A percentage of improvement.

Options A and C are objective measures for progress monitoring IEP goals.

Move Forward through this FREE IEP training to learn more about writing measureable goals.