Vague IEP Goals, Progress Data, and a Request for a 1:1 Aide
Devon is a 12-year-old seventh grader with a specific learning disability in written expression and ADHD. At his annual IEP review, present levels show reading comprehension at the 45th percentile and math at the 50th, but written expression at the 5th percentile. He attends general education for all classes except 40 minutes daily of resource room for writing. His IEP goals read: 'Devon will improve writing skills by 80% as measured by teacher observation' and 'Devon will stay on task 90% of the time.' Quarterly progress reports say 'making progress' but include no scores. His general education teacher reports that he avoids multi-paragraph essays; the resource teacher says he can write a complete sentence but struggles to organize a paragraph. The parent requests a 1:1 aide and full-time resource placement, citing anxiety. The school has no systematic on-task data and no evidence that the aide is needed. The IEP meeting is in three days.
1. Critique the current goals and progress monitoring, and rewrite one goal to be measurable and standards-aligned.
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The current goals are not measurable. 'Improve writing skills by 80%' has no baseline, no target skill, no criterion for quality, and no reliable measure. 'Stay on task 90% of the time' is not tied to writing, lacks a defined observation procedure, and may not address the actual academic deficit. Quarterly reports saying 'making progress' without scores do not satisfy progress monitoring.
A better goal: By the end of the IEP year, given a grade-level informative prompt, a graphic organizer, and 30 minutes of extended time, Devon will write a five-paragraph essay that includes an introduction, three body paragraphs with at least two supporting details each, and a conclusion, scoring at least 4 out of 6 on the district writing rubric in four of five consecutive trials. Progress will be monitored every two weeks with a timed curriculum-based writing sample scored for total words, correct word sequences, and rubric organization.
This goal is measurable, tied to grade-level writing demands, and includes the supports Devon needs. The team should also collect baseline data on avoidance and on-task behavior so that any attention goal is functional, not arbitrary.
2. How should the team evaluate the parent's request for a 1:1 aide and full-time resource placement?
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LRE requires the team to start with general education and remove Devon only as far as necessary. The data show he is at the 45th percentile in reading and 50th in math, so full-time resource placement for all academics is not supported. His written expression deficit is severe, but the team has not tried or documented a full range of supplementary aids and services in general education.
The parent's anxiety concern should be taken seriously, but a 1:1 aide is a restrictive and intrusive support. Before agreeing, the team should ask what the aide would do, what data show the need, and whether less restrictive options would work: chunked assignments, teacher-provided outlines, speech-to-text, check-ins, a writing checklist, self-monitoring, co-teaching, and counseling as a related service if anxiety interferes with learning. The team should collect two to four weeks of data on avoidance, work completion, and on-task behavior.
The team must not predetermine the answer. It should review the data at the meeting, document why each support was accepted or rejected, and revisit the aide decision if data show the less restrictive supports are insufficient.