Writing compliant annual Transition goals in Episode 121 of Transition Tuesday

Annual goals are statements that identify what knowledge, skills, and/or behaviors a student is expected to be able to demonstrate within a period of time. Objectives or benchmarks are the major milestones that the student will demonstrate which will lead to achieving the annual goal.

Here are some components that an annual goal should contain:
• The goal should show a direct relationship to the present levels of educational performance
• The goal should describe only what the student can reasonably be expected to accomplish within one school year or the 12-month term of the IEP
• The goal should be written in measurable terms
• When planning for Transition, the goal should prepare the student for their desired post-school activities.
• The goal must also include the expected change in performance, area of change, and the criteria that specifies the amount of growth

In Episode 49 of Transition Tuesday, we reviewed to methods for writing annual goals. Method 1 is very specific and focuses on increasing, improving, or acquiring skills. Method 2 focuses on each post-secondary area written in a checkoff list format.

One of the most important aspects when writing annual Transition goals is to remember that everything students are taught before they graduate or leave a program) should prepare them to achieve their post-secondary goals and their annual goals should show a direct connection to helping students achieve their postsecondary goals.

We hope you enjoyed this episode and that the information we shared about writing compliant annual goals for Transition age students is helpful for you and your students.