Reading comprehension is a crucial skill for academic success and daily living. For students in special education, targeted interventions and strategies are essential to improve comprehension skills. This blog post outlines various annual goals and objectives to support students in enhancing their reading comprehension abilities.
What You Will Learn
Effective IEP goals for reading accuracy and fluency.
Strategies for decoding using consonants and vowel patterns.
Techniques for improving reading fluency and tracking progress.
Transitioning from general strategies to specific, actionable goals can make a significant difference. Here are some detailed IEP goals to help students with their reading comprehension skills.
Returning to Text and Illustrations
Case Study: Emma's Improvement
Emma, a third-grader, often forgets details from her reading. Her teacher encourages her to return to the text and illustrations to find answers and support her conclusions. This practice helps Emma improve her comprehension and retention of information.
IEP Goal: By (date), Emma will return to text and illustrations to locate information, support conclusions, and answer questions, improving comprehension skills from [current level] to [target level] as measured by [assessment method, e.g., running records, probes, anecdotal records, work samples, etc.].
Objectives:
Emma will return to text and illustrations to locate information in 8/10 trials.
Emma will support conclusions using text evidence in 8/10 trials.
Emma will answer questions using information from the text in 8/10 trials.
Responding to Readings
Case Study: Liam's Progress
Liam, a fourth-grader, finds it hard to express his understanding of readings. His teacher introduces learning logs and topic webbing activities, helping Liam organize his thoughts and express his comprehension more clearly.
IEP Goal: By (date), Liam will respond to readings in various ways (e.g., learning logs, topic webbings), improving expressive language skills from [current level] to [target level] as measured by [assessment method].
Objectives:
Liam will create learning logs in response to readings in 8/10 trials.
Liam will develop topic webbings related to reading materials in 8/10 trials.
Liam will express understanding of readings through different methods in 8/10 trials.
Identifying Reference Materials
Case Study: Sophia's Support
Sophia, a fifth-grader, struggles with research assignments. Her teacher guides her in identifying and using reference materials, which enhances Sophia's ability to locate and use nonfiction sources effectively.
IEP Goal: By (date), Sophia will identify reference materials and nonfiction sources, improving research skills from [current level] to [target level] as measured by [assessment method].
Objectives:
Sophia will identify appropriate reference materials for research in 8/10 trials.
Sophia will locate nonfiction sources in the library in 8/10 trials.
Sophia will use dictionaries to find information in 8/10 trials.
Recalling Details and Main Idea
Case Study: Aiden's Memory Boost
Aiden, a second-grader, has difficulty recalling details from readings. His teacher uses story maps and summary exercises to help Aiden improve his ability to remember and retell key details and main ideas.
IEP Goal: By (date), Aiden will recall details and the main idea after reading a selection, improving comprehension skills from [current level] to [target level] as measured by [assessment method].
Objectives:
Aiden will recall key details from a reading selection in 8/10 trials.
Aiden will summarize the main idea of a reading selection in 8/10 trials.
Aiden will retell stories including characters, settings, and main events in 8/10 trials.
Retelling Stories Independently
Case Study: Noah's Narrative Skills
Noah, a first-grader, enjoys listening to stories but struggles with retelling them. His teacher helps him practice identifying and sequencing story elements, which improves Noah's ability to retell stories accurately.
IEP Goal: By (date), Noah will retell a story independently to include character, setting, beginning, middle, and end, improving narrative skills from [current level] to [target level] as measured by [assessment method].
Objectives:
Noah will identify story elements such as characters and setting in 8/10 trials.
Noah will sequence the events of a story correctly in 8/10 trials.
Noah will retell stories including all main elements in 8/10 trials.
Developing Research Strategies
Case Study: Emma's Efficiency
Emma, a third-grader, often feels overwhelmed when using reference materials. Her teacher teaches her to use tables of contents, indexes, and glossaries, which helps Emma become more efficient in finding the information she needs.
IEP Goal: By (date), Emma will develop strategies for locating information in reference materials, improving research skills from [current level] to [target level] as measured by [assessment method].
Objectives:
Emma will use table of contents and index to locate information in 8/10 trials.
Emma will utilize glossaries and dictionaries for research in 8/10 trials.
Emma will find relevant information in reference materials in 8/10 trials.
Restating, Paraphrasing, and Summarizing
Case Study: Liam's Comprehension Boost
Liam, a fourth-grader, struggles to grasp the main points of texts. His teacher introduces restating, paraphrasing, and summarizing activities, which help Liam monitor and improve his understanding of the material.
IEP Goal: By (date), Liam will restate, paraphrase, and summarize what is read to monitor understanding, improving comprehension skills from [current level] to [target level] as measured by [assessment method].
Objectives:
Liam will restate key points from a text in 8/10 trials.
Liam will paraphrase information read in 8/10 trials.
Liam will summarize readings to ensure comprehension in 8/10 trials.
Using Paraphrasing to Monitor Understanding
Case Study: Sophia's Strategy
Sophia, a fifth-grader, often misunderstands what she reads or hears. Her teacher encourages her to paraphrase and summarize information, which helps Sophia improve her comprehension and retain key details.
IEP Goal: By (date), Sophia will use paraphrasing to monitor understanding when reading or listening to others read, improving comprehension skills from [current level] to [target level] as measured by [assessment method].
Objectives:
Sophia will paraphrase short passages to check for understanding in 8/10 trials.
Sophia will use paraphrasing as a strategy during class discussions in 8/10 trials.
Sophia will summarize read or heard information accurately in 8/10 trials.
Identifying Extraneous or Missing Information
Case Study: Aiden's Analytical Skills
Aiden, a second-grader, often overlooks important details in texts. His teacher uses exercises to help Aiden identify and address extraneous or missing information, improving his analytical skills.
IEP Goal: By (date), Aiden will identify any information that is extraneous or missing (e.g., story elements, directions, math problems), improving analytical skills from [current level] to [target level] as measured by [assessment method].
Objectives:
Aiden will identify extraneous details in a given text in 8/10 trials.
Aiden will recognize missing information in a variety of contexts in 8/10 trials.
Aiden will suggest additions to incomplete information in 8/10 trials.
Identifying Steps in Functional Documents
Case Study: Noah's Organization
Noah, a first-grader, struggles with following multi-step instructions. His teacher provides functional documents and helps Noah practice identifying and sequencing steps, which enhances his organizational skills.
IEP Goal: By (date), Noah will identify in functional documents the sequence of activities needed to carry out a procedure, improving organizational skills from [current level] to [target level] as measured by [assessment method].
Objectives:
Noah will identify steps in a given procedure in functional documents in 8/10 trials.
Noah will sequence activities correctly in 8/10 trials.
Noah will follow written procedures accurately in 8/10 trials.
Summarizing and Retelling Central Ideas
Case Study: Sophia's Connections
Sophia, a fifth-grader, finds it difficult to connect new information to her own experiences. Her teacher uses activities that encourage making connections, which helps Sophia relate new knowledge to what she already knows.
IEP Goal: By (date), Sophia will summarize or retell to demonstrate understanding of the central ideas and significant details of the material, improving comprehension skills from [current level] to [target level] as measured by [assessment method].
Objectives:
Sophia will summarize main ideas and key details in 8/10 trials.
Sophia will retell stories to demonstrate comprehension in 8/10 trials.
Sophia will convey understanding through summaries in 8/10 trials.
Making Simple Predictions
Case Study: Liam's Inferential Skills
Liam, a fourth-grader, struggles with making predictions. His teacher guides him through making and adjusting predictions during reading activities, which helps Liam improve his inferential skills.
IEP Goal: By (date), Liam will relate new information to personal experiences and previous knowledge, improving connection skills from [current level] to [target level] as measured by [assessment method].
Objectives:
Liam will make connections between text and personal experiences in 8/10 trials.
Liam will relate new information to prior knowledge in 8/10 trials.
Liam will explain the relevance of new information in 8/10 trials.
Writing or Sharing New Story Endings
Case Study: Aiden's Creativity
Aiden, a second-grader, loves creating new story ideas. His teacher encourages him to write and share new endings for familiar stories, which enhances Aiden's creative writing skills.
IEP Goal: By (date), Aiden will make simple predictions before, during, or after reading, improving inferential skills from [current level] to [target level] as measured by [assessment method].
Objectives:
Aiden will make predictions based on text clues in 8/10 trials.
Aiden will adjust predictions as new information is read in 8/10 trials.
Aiden will explain the basis of their predictions in 8/10 trials.
Identifying Cause and Effect Relationships
Case Study: Noah's Analytical Skills
Noah, a first-grader, often struggles with understanding cause and effect. His teacher uses graphic organizers and examples to help Noah identify and explain cause and effect relationships, improving his analytical skills.
IEP Goal: By (date), Noah will write or share new endings for additional events for stories read, improving creative writing skills from [current level] to [target level] as measured by [assessment method].
Objectives:
Noah will create new story endings in 8/10 trials.
Noah will share new story events orally or in writing in 8/10 trials.
Noah will use creative thinking to extend stories in 8/10 trials.
Asking Purposeful Questions
Case Study: Sophia's Engagement
Sophia, a fifth-grader, often reads passively. Her teacher encourages her to ask questions about the material, which helps Sophia engage more actively and improve her critical thinking skills.
IEP Goal: By (date), Sophia will identify cause and effect relationships, improving analytical skills from [current level] to [target level] as measured by [assessment method].
Objectives:
Sophia will identify cause and effect in texts in 8/10 trials.
Sophia will explain cause and effect relationships in 8/10 trials.
Sophia will provide examples of cause and effect from readings in 8/10 trials.
Drawing Conclusions
Case Study: Liam's Inferential Skills
Liam, a fourth-grader, struggles with drawing conclusions. His teacher guides him through exercises that focus on using text evidence to draw and explain conclusions, which helps Liam improve his inferential skills.
IEP Goal: By (date), Liam will draw conclusions when reading literary and informational text, improving inferential skills from [current level] to [target level] as measured by [assessment method].
Objectives:
Liam will draw conclusions based on text evidence in 8/10 trials.
Liam will explain their conclusions clearly in 8/10 trials.
Liam will support conclusions with text evidence in 8/10 trials.
Analyzing and Evaluating Information
Case Study: Emma's Insight
Emma, a third-grader, often misses subtle details in texts. Her teacher introduces activities that focus on analyzing information and making inferences, which helps Emma improve her analytical skills.
IEP Goal: By (date), Emma will analyze the information and ideas presented in the text to make predictions and infer cause and effect, improving analytical skills from [current level] to [target level] as measured by [assessment method].
Objectives:
Emma will analyze text to make predictions in 8/10 trials.
Emma will infer cause and effect relationships from text in 8/10 trials.
Emma will justify their inferences using text evidence in 8/10 trials.
Identifying Relationships, Patterns, and Symbols
Case Study: Sophia's Literary Analysis
Sophia, a fifth-grader, finds it challenging to identify and interpret literary elements. Her teacher uses guided reading sessions to help Sophia recognize and analyze patterns, symbols, and relationships in texts, enhancing her analytical skills.
IEP Goal: By (date), Sophia will identify relationships, images, repeated actions, patterns, or symbols, and draw conclusions about their meaning in the text, improving analytical skills from [current level] to [target level] as measured by [assessment method].
Objectives:
Sophia will identify patterns and symbols in texts in 8/10 trials.
Sophia will analyze the meaning of identified elements in 8/10 trials.
Sophia will draw conclusions based on their analysis in 8/10 trials.
Forming and Supporting Opinions
Case Study: Aiden's Critical Thinking
Aiden, a second-grader, often finds it difficult to form and express his opinions. His teacher encourages him to use text evidence to support his ideas, which helps Aiden improve his critical thinking and communication skills.
IEP Goal: By (date), Aiden will form and support opinions and conclusions with specific evidence from the text, improving critical thinking skills from [current level] to [target level] as measured by [assessment method].
Objectives:
Aiden will form opinions based on reading in 8/10 trials.
Aiden will support their opinions with text evidence in 8/10 trials.
Aiden will present well-supported conclusions in 8/10 trials.
Recognizing and Analyzing Emotionally Laden Words
Case Study: Emma's Interpretive Skills
Emma, a third-grader, often misses the emotional undertones in texts. Her teacher uses reading activities that focus on identifying and analyzing emotionally laden words and imagery, helping Emma improve her interpretive skills.
IEP Goal: By (date), Emma will recognize and analyze the use of emotionally laden words and imagery, improving interpretive skills from [current level] to [target level] as measured by [assessment method].
Objectives:
Emma will identify emotionally laden words in texts in 8/10 trials.
Emma will analyze the impact of imagery in texts in 8/10 trials.
Emma will discuss the effects of emotional language on readers in 8/10 trials.
Using Information from Multiple Sources
Case Study: Liam's Research Skills
Liam, a fourth-grader, often relies on a single source for his research. His teacher encourages him to use multiple sources and synthesize the information, which helps Liam improve his research skills and understanding of topics.
IEP Goal: By (date), Liam will use information from one source or two sources to answer a question or discuss a topic, improving research skills from [current level] to [target level] as measured by [assessment method].
Objectives:
Liam will gather information from a single source to answer questions in 8/10 trials.
Liam will use multiple sources to discuss a topic in 8/10 trials.
Liam will synthesize information from various sources in 8/10 trials.
Extending Ideas Presented in Text
Case Study: Sophia's Critical Thinking
Sophia, a fifth-grader, struggles with extending ideas from her readings. Her teacher introduces discussions and writing activities that encourage Sophia to form opinions and conclusions, improving her critical thinking skills.
IEP Goal: By (date), Sophia will extend ideas presented in text with opinion, conclusions, and judgments, improving critical thinking skills from [current level] to [target level] as measured by [assessment method].
Objectives:
Sophia will extend text ideas with personal opinions in 8/10 trials.
Sophia will draw conclusions from text discussions in 8/10 trials.
Sophia will make judgments based on text analysis in 8/10 trials.
Identifying Persuasive Language
Case Study: Aiden's Analytical Skills
Aiden, a second-grader, often overlooks persuasive elements in texts. His teacher uses advertisements and opinion pieces to help Aiden identify and analyze persuasive language, improving his analytical skills.
IEP Goal: By (date), Aiden will identify persuasive language within texts, improving analytical skills from [current level] to [target level] as measured by [assessment method].
Objectives:
Aiden will identify examples of persuasive language in 8/10 trials.
Aiden will explain the impact of persuasive language in 8/10 trials.
Aiden will discuss how persuasive techniques influence readers in 8/10 trials.
Identifying Author's Writing Style and Story Elements
Case Study: Noah's Literary Analysis
Noah, a first-grader, enjoys reading stories but struggles with literary analysis. His teacher guides him through activities that focus on identifying and discussing an author's writing style, plot, and word choice, enhancing Noah's analytical skills.
IEP Goal: By (date), Noah will identify author's writing style, plot, conclusion, storyline, point of view, and word choice, improving literary analysis skills from [current level] to [target level] as measured by [assessment method].
Objectives:
Noah will identify an author's writing style in 8/10 trials.
Noah will analyze plot and storyline elements in 8/10 trials.
Noah will discuss author's word choice and its effects in 8/10 trials.
Evaluating Author's Writing Style and Story Elements
Case Study: Emma's Critical Analysis
Emma, a third-grader, often struggles with evaluating texts critically. Her teacher uses guided reading sessions to help Emma evaluate and critique different elements of a story, improving her critical analysis skills.
IEP Goal: By (date), Emma will evaluate author's writing style, plot, conclusion, storyline, and point of view, improving critical analysis skills from [current level] to [target level] as measured by [assessment method].
Objectives:
Emma will evaluate an author's writing style in 8/10 trials.
Emma will critique plot and storyline effectiveness in 8/10 trials.
Emma will assess point of view and its impact on the narrative in 8/10 trials.
Analyzing and Evaluating Information to Form Conclusions
Case Study: Sophia's Critical Thinking
Sophia, a fifth-grader, finds it difficult to analyze texts critically. Her teacher introduces exercises that focus on analyzing and evaluating information to form well-supported conclusions and opinions, improving Sophia's critical thinking skills.
IEP Goal: By (date), Sophia will analyze and evaluate information and form conclusions, opinions, and judgments reasonably about the text, improving critical thinking skills from [current level] to [target level] as measured by [assessment method].
Objectives:
Sophia will form reasonable conclusions based on text analysis in 8/10 trials.
Sophia will develop informed opinions on text content in 8/10 trials.
Sophia will make sound judgments based on text evaluation in 8/10 trials.
Analyzing Information from Multiple Sources
Case Study: Jake's Research Skills
Jake, a fourth-grader, often struggles with synthesizing information from different sources. His teacher encourages him to use multiple sources and evaluate their reliability, which helps Jake improve his research and synthesis skills.
IEP Goal: By (date), Jake will analyze and evaluate from two sources or several sources to answer a question or express knowledge on a subject, improving research and synthesis skills from [current level] to [target level] as measured by [assessment method].
Objectives:
Jake will analyze information from multiple sources to answer questions in 8/10 trials.
Jake will synthesize data from various texts to express knowledge in 8/10 trials.
Jake will evaluate the reliability of sources in 8/10 trials.
Evaluating Stylistic Devices and Story Elements
Case Study: Aiden's Literary Skills
Aiden, a second-grader, enjoys reading but struggles with deeper literary analysis. His teacher guides him through identifying and evaluating stylistic devices and story elements, helping Aiden improve his literary analysis skills.
IEP Goal: By (date), Aiden will evaluate stylistic devices and story elements chosen by the author (e.g., plot, resolutions, word choice, foreshadowing, and flashbacks), improving literary analysis skills from [current level] to [target level] as measured by [assessment method].
Objectives:
Aiden will identify stylistic devices used by authors in 8/10 trials.
Aiden will analyze the effectiveness of story elements in 8/10 trials.
Aiden will evaluate the impact of foreshadowing and flashbacks in 8/10 trials.
Setting specific, measurable IEP goals for reading comprehension can help special education students make significant progress. By focusing on these targeted objectives, teachers can support their students' growth in reading comprehension, leading to greater academic success and confidence.
For more resources and tools to support your teaching, explore our IEP Goal Bank, Lesson Plan Templates, and TeachTastic Store.
