“They Say, You Say,” IEP Goals Edition: 6 Ways to Respond in an IEP Meeting

1. They say: “We can't include that in the IEP because your child can't do that. It's above their skill level.”

You say: “Are we missing a need in their IEP? Are there enough services in this IEP? What goals are we missing?”

If they say someone has worked on that skill with your child already, you can say, “That's great. Can I see the data?”

An assessment won’t say a child can never do something, only what they can do now and can't do now. Together, as an IEP team, you can add supports to the IEP so that your child can accomplish it in the future.

2. They say: “Your child met their goals. They don't need an IEP.”

You say: “Let's do an assessment to show that they no longer need an IEP. Please provide the assessment plan.” The school shouldn't exit or end the IEP without an assessment if you don't agree.

3. They say: “That's not unique to your child. I think all kids have difficulty with that.”

You say: “That may be true, but my child's disability is going to make it harder for them to do this, or it will take longer for them to learn this skill.”

4. They say: “Your child isn't at grade level. They can't have standards-based goals.”

You say: “Are you familiar with the Core Content Connectors? They are essentially a way to take the Common Core standard and break it down into component parts that make it easier to attain.” All kids can work on a standards-based education. Learn more about Core Content Connectors in our article here, which you can share with your IEP team.

5. They say: “Your child is in seventh grade and reading at a second grade level. So they need second grade goals.”

You say: “They're reading at a second grade level, but that doesn't extend to other areas of their education. Let's provide the materials in a form so that they can still access whatever the seventh grade curriculum is.”

For example, your child may not be able to read the seventh grade textbook, but can they listen to it? Can they get it in ebook form where the word is highlighted as it's read to them to help with the reading skill? Or if it's a child who needs modified books, then you can ask the school to provide a modified book for this topic. Check out our series on reading for more ideas on accommodations and modifications.

6. They say: “Your child will have to repeat last year's goal because they didn't meet it this year. They need to master skills before moving on.”

You say: “Something from last year didn't work. What do you suggest we do differently?”

Even if your child is still working on that skill, something about the goal needs to be changed if it wasn’t met. Talk with your IEP team about additional supports that will help your child make progress. You should also check out our article about how to workshop ineffective IEP goals.