The importance of writing reasonable but challenging goals for students cannot be underestimated. Evidence has shown that goals serve as the foundation for providing effective supports to students; when reasonable and challenging goals are set and progress toward them is used to drive changes to educational programs, students' outcomes are improved. In this webinar, Dr. Danielle Damico will discuss best practices in writing goals and measuring progress toward goals from both research and policy perspectives. Research-based methods and examples will be presented for various providers, and common pitfalls will be discussed.

1. SPEDCHAT WEBINAR SERIES
Better Goals for Better Outcomes
Best Practices for Writing Measurable, Effective Goals
that Improve Outcomes for Students

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3. Danielle Parisi Damico
Customer Training and Support Manager, Accelify
Danielle Damico is a Customer Support and Training Manager with Accelify. She
has an M.S. in Special Education and a Ph.D. in School Psychology from the
University of Oregon and is a Nationally Certified School Psychologist. Dr.
Damico's work emphasizes prevention and early intervention for improving
academic and social outcomes for students. She has conducted research and
provided professional development in the areas of Response to
Intervention/Multi-tiered Systems of Support, evidence-based instructional
practices, screening and progress monitoring assessment, and data-based
decision making.
Dr. Damico has worked as a research scientist, school psychologist, and an
assistant professor in Special Education which included directing an
assessment/intervention center where she trained and supervised Learning
Consultants and Special Education teachers in training to conduct educational
evaluations and provide interventions to PK-12 students. She is also an author
of Strong Start, a social and emotional learning curriculum.

4. Agenda
• Importance of setting goals
• Purpose of setting goals
• Process for setting goals
• Common pitfalls
• Monitoring progress toward goals

5. SPEDCHAT WEBINAR SERIES
Importance and Purpose of Setting Goals

6. ACHIEVEMENT OF STUDENTS WITH DISABILITIES

7. WHY ARE GOALS SO IMPORTANT?
• Goals serve as the foundation for a student’s educational program
• Goals serve as the basis for determining the effectiveness of educational programs
"Our concern with the quality of our goals should be proportional to the quality of our
instructional efforts" (Popham and Baker, 1970)

8. GOALS IN LAW AND POLICY
The Individuals with Disabilities Education Act, 2004
• Sec. 300.320 Individualized education program must include:
• (1) A statement of the child's present levels of academic achievement and
functional performance
• (2) (i) A statement of measurable annual goals, including academic and
functional goals designed to—
• (A) Meet the child's needs that result from the child's disability to enable
the child to be involved in and make progress in the general education
curriculum; and
• (B) Meet each of the child's other educational needs that result from the
child's disability;
• (ii) For children with disabilities who take alternate assessments aligned to
alternate achievement standards, a description of benchmarks or short-term
objectives;

9. GOALS IN LAW AND POLICY
The Individuals with Disabilities Education Act, 2004
• Sec. 300.320 Individualized education program must include:
• (3) A description of--
• (i) How the child's progress toward meeting the annual goals described in
paragraph (2) of this section will be measured; and
• (ii) When periodic reports on the progress the child is making toward
meeting the annual goals

10. GOALS IN LAW AND POLICY
The Individuals with Disabilities Education Act, 2004
• Sec. 300.324 Development, review, and revision of IEP
• (b) Review and revision of IEPs.
• (1) General. Each public agency must ensure that the IEP Team---
• (i) reviews the child's IEP periodically, but not less than annually, to
determine whether the annual goals for the child are being
achieved; and
• (ii) revises the IEP as appropriate to address--
• (A) any lack of expected progress toward the annual goals and
in the general education curriculum, where appropriate

11. GOALS IN LAW AND POLICY
U.S. Department of Education Office of Special Education and Related Services
(OSERS) “Dear Colleague” letter (November, 2015)
• IEP must be aligned with the State’s academic content standards for the grade in
which the child is enrolled
• IEP must take into account a child’s present levels of academic achievement and
functional performance, and impact of that child’s disability on involvement and
progress in the general education curriculum
• IEP goals must be aligned with grade-level content standards
• To make FAPE available, the IEP must be designed to enable the child to be
involved in and make progress in the general education curriculum
• The Department’s regulations implementing Part B of the IDEA state that
the general education curriculum is “the same curriculum as for
nondisabled children.”

12. GOALS IN LAW AND POLICY
U.S. Department of Education Office of Special Education and Related Services
(OSERS) “Dear Colleague” letter (November, 2015)
• Alignment with grade level standards must guide and not replace the individual
decision making required in the development of an IEP
• IEP Team may consider the instruction that has been provided, the child’s
previous rate of academic growth, and whether the child is on track to
achieve grade-level proficiency within the year
• The standards must be clearly related to grade-level content, although they may
be restricted in scope or complexity or take the form of introductory or pre-
requisite skills
• Annual goals need not necessarily result in the child’s reaching grade-level
within the year covered by the IEP, but the goals should be sufficiently
ambitious to help close the gap

13. GOALS IN LAW AND POLICY
Summary
• IEP must include measurable academic and functional annual goals and how
progress will be measured and reported
• Goals must meet each of a child’s educational needs
• Goals must enable progress in the general education curriculum
• Goals should consider present level of achievement AND previous growth
• Goals should be written to enable closing the gap between current levels of
performance and grade-level expectations
• IEP Team must review progress at least annually and revise IEP accordingly

14. RESEARCH ON GOALS AND GOAL SETTING
Goals are how we:
• Set expectations for individual students
• Determine whether our educational programs are effectively meeting students’
needs
• Determine whether adjustments to programs are needed
• "The selection of long-term goals is based on the aspirations and prognosis for a
student's postschool outcomes" (Salvia, Ysseldyke, & Bolt, 2010)
• Goals provide a “framework within which potential solutions to problems are
evaluated" (Shapiro, 2008)
To accomplish this, goals must be used within a process of formative evaluation

15. RESEARCH ON GOALS AND GOAL SETTING
John Hattie's synthesis of over
800 meta-studies is the result of
15 years' research about what
works best for learning in
schools.
visible-learning.org

16. RESEARCH ON GOALS AND GOAL SETTING
Overall Effects of Formative Assessment
• Teachers’ use of formative evaluation (progress monitoring) resulted in an effect
size of +0.70 for student reading outcomes compared to the reading outcomes
of students whose teachers did not use formative evaluation
• 29 studies using formative evaluation Formative evaluation with data-
utilization rules resulted in an effect size of +0.91 over just formative
evaluation
Fuchs & Fuchs, 1986

17. RESEARCH ON GOALS AND GOAL SETTING
Effects of Formative Assessment Using Curriculum-Based Measurement Approach
• Regular progress monitoring helps teachers respond to student data
• Educators who measure skills often and use results to make instructional
changes, have students who score higher on other assessments
• Teachers who receive instructional recommendations tied to data have more
variety in what they teach and how they teach it
Fuchs et al., 1984; Fuchs et al., 1989; Fuchs et al., 1994

18. RESEARCH ON GOALS AND GOAL SETTING
Effects of Student Understanding of Goals
• Students who see their ongoing progress toward goals have increased
motivation and achieve better outcomes
• Goals direct attention toward the solution
• Goals increase effort
• Goals increase the effort and time spent on–task
• Goals lead to action
Locke & Latham, 2002; Fuchs, Butterworth, & Fuchs, 1989; Whinnery & Fuchs, 1993; Glor-Scheib& Zigmond, 1993

19. RESEARCH ON GOALS AND GOAL SETTING
http://visible-learning.org/

20. RESEARCH ON GOALS AND GOAL SETTING
Keys to Success: Goals must be…
• Difficult but attainable
• Explicit and precise
• Observable and measurable
• Written in consideration of a student’s self-efficacy or beliefs about their ability
to achieve the goal
Locke, 1996 as cited in Curran & Reivich, 2011

21. SPEDCHAT WEBINAR SERIES
Process for Setting Goals

22. SMART GOALS
S = Specific
M = Measurable
A = Attainable
R = Relevant, Rigorous, Realistic, and Results Focused
T = Timely and Trackable

23. Components of a high quality goal:
• Condition
• Observable behavior
• Mastery criterion
Goal Setting Steps
1. Determine the present level of performance
2. Know the time frame for the goal
3. Determine the conditions under which the desired behavior should be
displayed
4. Define the criterion for acceptable performance (CAP)
GOAL SETTING PROCESS

24. • Present levels of performance: What sources of objective data are available?
• Desired outcomes: What is realistic but ambitious?
• Continued academic integration (mastery of same content as nondisabled
peers)
• Reintegration (depends on where regular class peers will be in 1 year)
• Alternative programming (educated guess about where the student should be
after 1 year of instruction)
• Criteria for acceptable performance: What sources of data can inform the criteria?
What method should you use?
• Benchmarks (research-based criteria for minimal expectations)
• Norms
• Student Growth Percentiles (Bettebenner, 2008; Good, Powell-Smith, & Dewey, 2013)
Salvia, Ysseldyke, & Bolt, 2010; Hosp, Hosp, & Howell, 2007
GOAL SETTING CONSIDERATIONS

25. Components of a high quality goal:
• Timeframe
• Condition
• Observable behavior
• Mastery criterion
GOAL SETTING EXAMPLES

26. Components of a high quality goal:
• Timeframe
• Condition
• Observable behavior
• Mastery criterion
GOAL SETTING EXAMPLES:
By June 15, 2017, Jim will complete 90% of his math work
with no more than 2 incidences of problem behavior (getting
out of seat, throwing materials) for one month.
By September 19, 2017, during a retell of grade-level text,
Debbie will retell the key events of a story in complete
sentences in 4 out of 5 trials.
By September 19, 2017, during lunch when given food on her
tray, Alisha will feed herself using a spoon without spilling on
4 out of 5 consecutive days.
By June 20, 2017, during cutting and drawing activities, Kathy
will use scissors to cut out shapes independently 100% of the
time requested for 2 weeks.

27. SPEDCHAT WEBINAR SERIES
Common Goal Setting Pitfalls

28. GOAL SETTING EXAMPLES: ARE THESE HIGH QUALITY
GOALS?
• By September 19, 2017, Michael will increase reading skills
• By September 19, 2017, Laura will alphabetize words with 80% accuracy
• By June 15, 2017, Marie will master basic multiplication facts with 80%
accuracy
• By June 15, 2017, Jake will demonstrate social skills at the 5th grade level
• By September 19, 2017, Tess will complete assignments and turn them in 80%
of time
• By June 20, 2017, Joseph will improve eating skills for 2 of 3 days

29. GOAL SETTING PITFALLS
•Compliance-driven
•Goals are broad and vague
•Goals are not measurable
•Goals are too specific
•Goals are not individualized
Curran & Reivich, 2011; Fuchs & Shinn, 1989

30. SPEDCHAT WEBINAR SERIES
Monitoring Progress Toward Goals

31. FORMATIVE EVALUATION PROCESS
Setting a high quality goal is not enough; student progress
toward the goal must be monitored on a frequent basis
1. Determine the present level of performance
2. Set the time frame for the goal
3. Determine the conditions under which the desired behavior should be displayed
4. Define the criterion for acceptable performance (CAP)
5. Create a graph
6. Plot data
7. Evaluate data according to predetermined decision rules
8. Make adjustments to educational programs based on the data

32. GRAPHING FORMATIVE DATA
• Progress monitoring data are graphed to aid in making timely instructional
decisions
• X-axis contains the date of monitoring
• Y-axis contains the scores
• Graph the baseline data and the goal
• Draw an aimline and/or goal line
• Document any changes to instruction/programming

33. GRAPHING FORMATIVE DATA

34. GRAPHING FORMATIVE DATA

35. EVALUATING DATA
Example Decision Rule
• 5 Data-point decision rule
• If 5 consecutive data-points are below the aim line, you may need to change
the intervention
• If 5 consecutive data points are above the goal line, you may need a change

36. PROGRESS DECISIONS
• Set a more challenging goal
• Continue the program as is
• Address next prioritized concern
• Discontinue program
• Modify support
• Change the intervention
• Increase/Decrease the intensity of the program

37. INCREASING PROGRAM INTENSITY
• Intensity
• Time
• Frequency
• Practice, feedback
• Group size
• Explicitness
• Preciseness

38. FORMATIVE EVALUATION PROCESS: A CASE STUDY
Setting a high quality goal is not enough; student progress
toward the goal must be monitored on a frequent basis
1. Determine the Present Level of Performance
2. Know the Time Frame for the Goal
3. Determine the conditions under which the desired behavior should be displayed
4. Define the Criterion for Acceptable Performance (CAP)
5. Create a graph
6. Plot data
7. Evaluate data according to predetermined decision rules
8. Make adjustments to educational programs based on the data

39. FORMATIVE EVALUATION PROCESS
Meet Litzy

40. FORMATIVE EVALUATION PROCESS

41. FORMATIVE EVALUATION PROCESS
Setting a high quality goal is not enough; student progress
toward the goal must be monitored on a frequent basis
1. Determine the Present Level of Performance
2. Know the Time Frame for the Goal
3. Determine the conditions under which the desired behavior should be displayed
4. Define the Criterion for Acceptable Performance (CAP)
5. Create a graph
6. Plot data
7. Evaluate data according to predetermined decision rules
8. Make adjustments to educational programs based on the data

42. SPEDCHAT WEBINAR SERIES
Key Takeaways

43. GOALS ARE THE FOUNDATION
Goals Serve as the Foundation for Improving Student Achievement and Promoting
Success
• IDEA provides minimum requirements
• Consider research-based principles for a formative assessment process that
includes
• Goal setting
• Evaluating progress
• Making instructional/programming decisions based on student data
• When students aren’t making progress, make a change

44. RESOURCES
RESOURCES ON GOAL SETTING, PROGRESS MONITORING, AND CURRICULUM BASED
MEASUREMENT
www.rti4success.org
www.intensiveintervention.org

45. REFERENCES
Betebenner, D. W. (2008). A primer on student growth percentiles. Dover, NH: National Center for the Improvement of Educational Assessment.
Curran, K., & Reivich, K. (2011). Goal Setting and Hope. Communique, 39(7).
Fuchs, L. S., Butterworth, J. R., & Fuchs, D. (1989). Effects of ongoing curriculum-based measurement on student awareness of goals and progress.
Education and Treatment of Children, 63-72..
Fuchs, L. S., Deno, S. L., & Mirkin, P. K. (1984). The effects of frequent curriculum-based measurement and evaluation on pedagogy, student
achievement, and student awareness of learning. American Educational Research Journal, 21(2), 449-460.
Fuchs, L. S., & Fuchs, D. (1986). Effects of systematic formative evaluation: A meta-analysis. Exceptional Children, 53(3), 199-208.
Fuchs, L. S., Fuchs, D., Hamlett, C. L., Phillips, N. B., & Bentz, J. (1994). Classwidecurriculum-based measurement: Helping general educators meet the
challenge of student diversity. Exceptional Children, 60(6), 518-537.
Fuchs, L. S., & Shinn, M. R. (1989). Writing CBM IEP objectives. Curriculum-based measurement: Assessing Special Children, 130-152.
Glor-Scheib, S., & Zigmond, N. (1993). Exploring the potential motivational properties of Curriculum-Based Measurement in reading among middle
school students with Learning Disabilities. Learning Disabilities: A Multidisciplinary Journal, 4(2), 35-43.
Good, R. H., Powell-Smith, K. A., & Dewey, E. (2013). DIBELS pathways of progress: Setting ambitious, meaningful, and attainable goals in grade level
material. Poster presented at theAnnual PacificCoast Research Conference, Coronado, CA.
Hosp, M. K., Hosp, J. L., & Howell, K. W. (2007). The ABCs of CBM: A practical guide to Curriculum-Based Measurement. New York, NY: Guilford Press.
Locke, E. A., & Bryan, J. (1996). The directing function of goals in task performance. Organizational Behavior and Human Performance, 4, 35–42.
Locke, E. A., & Latham, G. P. (2002). Building a practically useful theory of goal setting and task motivation: A 35-year odyssey. American psychologist,
57(9), 705.
Popham, W. J., & Baker, E. L. (1970). Systematic instruction. Prentice-Hall.
Salvia, J., Ysseldyke, J. E., & Bolt, S. (2010). Assessment in special and inclusive education, 11th edition. Boston, MA: Houghton Mifflin.
Shapiro, E. S. (2008). Best practices in setting progress monitoring goals for academic skill improvement. In A. Thomas & J. Grimes (Eds.), Best Practices in
School Psychology V. (pp. 141-157). Bethesda, MD: The National Association of School Psychologists.
Whinnery, K. W., & Fuchs, L. S. (1993). Effects of goal and test-taking strategies on the computation performance of students with learning disabilities.
Learning Disabilities Research & Practice.

46. To learn more about Accelify find us online at www.accelify.com and on social media.
For additional information, contact: ddamico@accelify.com
Thank you.
Better Goals for Better Outcomes
Best Practices for Writing Measurable, Effective Goals
that Improve Outcomes for Students
@AccelifyLLCfacebook.com/Accelify linkedin.com/company/accelify-llc