CONSISTENCY BETWEEN GOALS AND REPORTING
CONSISTENCY BETWEEN GOALS AND REPORTING
IEP goals, measurement methods, and progress reporting must be aligned.
Embedded Files
Progress monitoring alignment.mp4This Depicts Frequent Practice
This Depicts Frequent Practice
But is a Violation!
But is a Violation!
Legal Requirement
Legal Requirement
Every Individualized Education Program must include:
A description of how the student's progress toward each annual goal will be measured.
Alignment between the goal, baseline, and progress reports using the same method of measurement to ensure accuracy and consistency.
Documentation of progress reports provided as described in the IEP.
Why?
Why?
Ensures goals and progress are clearly understood and agreed to by the team, which fosters parent participation and informed consent.
Lets progress be measured uniformly over time, enabling valid comparisons.
Helps document that services are meeting student needs.
Allows parents to be informed and involved in their child's educational progress.
When measurement is inconsistent or misaligned, it can lead to misinterpretation of the student’s performance, delayed interventions, and noncompliance with regulations.
How is Compliance Determined?
How is Compliance Determined?
Files must show:
IEPs have clear descriptions of the method used to measure progress toward each goal.
Progress is measured and reported using the same method described in the IEP.
Noncompliance occurs if:
The IEP lacks descriptions of how progress is measured.
Different measurement methods are used for the goal, baseline, and progress reports.
When Does This Apply?
When Does This Apply?
This requirement applies to all IEPs. It is necessary from the development of the IEP through the entire implementation period, particularly during progress monitoring and reporting intervals.
IEP Goals Showing Alignment and Misalignment
IEP Goals Showing Alignment and Misalignment
Academic Goal: Reading Fluency
By May 2024, given a 2nd-grade-level text, Alex will increase reading fluency to 70 words per minute with fewer than 5 errors in three out of four trials, as measured by oral reading fluency assessments.
Misaligned Progress Monitoring:
Tracking comprehension questions answered correctly after reading instead of fluency speed and accuracy.
Recording the number of minutes Alex reads per week, rather than measuring words per minute.
Using inconsistent reading passages (e.g., switching between grade-level and below-grade-level texts) without noting the difference.
Aligned Progress Monitoring:
Conducting oral reading fluency checks using 2nd-grade-level passages, documenting words read correctly per minute and errors. Data is graphed and reviewed to track progress toward 70 WPM with <5 errors.
Academic Goal: Math Problem Solving
By June 2024, given word problems with one-step addition or subtraction, Jamie will solve 8 out of 10 problems accurately in three out of four trials, as measured by teacher-created assessments.
Misaligned Progress Monitoring:
Reporting Jamie’s overall math grade (e.g., “Jamie got a B in math”) rather than focusing on one-step word problems.
Reporting overall results of teacher-created assessments that include unrelated skills, such as multiplication or place value, instead of reporting accuracy on addition/subtraction word problems.
Aligned Progress Monitoring:
Administering teacher-created assessments with 10 one-step addition/subtraction word problems. Tracking Jamie’s accuracy over four trials and reporting improvement toward solving 8/10 correctly.
Behavior Goal: Task Completion
By March 2024, Sam will complete 80% of assigned tasks during independent work time on 4 out of 5 days, as measured by daily task completion checklists.
Misaligned Progress Monitoring:
Reporting Sam’s engagement time (e.g., “worked for 20 minutes”) instead of the percentage of tasks completed.
Using teacher impressions (e.g., “Sam seemed focused today”) without the concrete data specified in the goal.
Counting tasks completed across unrelated settings (e.g., tasks at home or during group work) instead of during independent work time.
Aligned Progress Monitoring:
Using a daily checklist to track the total number of assigned tasks and the percentage completed during independent work time. Weekly data is reviewed to calculate the average percentage completed over 5 days.
Behavior Goal: Social Skills - Turn-Taking
By February 2024, during structured peer activities, Mia will take turns appropriately in 4 out of 5 opportunities, as measured by direct observation and tally sheets.
Misaligned Progress Monitoring:
Tracking general peer interaction time (e.g., “played with peers for 10 minutes”) without documenting turn-taking behavior.
Using teacher anecdotes without specific data (e.g., “Mia seemed better at sharing today”).
Reporting progress on broad social skills or on specific skills unrelated to the goal such as greeting peers, instead of turn-taking.
Aligned Progress Monitoring:
Using a tally sheet to document Mia’s turn-taking during structured peer activities (e.g., board games). Recording the number of opportunities and the percentage in which she took turns appropriately.
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