Ask for the number a goal never gave you
A baseline letter asks the case manager for the number one goal was supposed to start from, and the method used to measure it. Nothing about the goal needs to be wrong on its face — a missing baseline is reason enough on its own. You can send it today: paste it into an email, replace what sits in brackets, and write down the day the school received it; the table below says which day starts each clock.
What the rule says
“A statement of the child’s present levels of academic achievement and functional performance, including … how the disability affects the child’s involvement and progress in the general education curriculum.”
34 CFR 300.320(a)(1)
A goal is measured against this statement, so a missing baseline means the page underneath the goal was never filled in.
When to send it
- A progress report marks a goal as "on track" with no number showing where the child began.
- This year’s present levels repeat last year’s wording almost exactly, skill by skill, page by page.
- A teacher cannot say, when asked directly, how the goal gets measured or scored.
What happens after you send it
| What is being counted | By when | How it is counted |
|---|---|---|
| A reply | Set by your state | A question about how a goal was written carries no federal clock; your state sets the answer window.34 CFR 300.503(a) |
| The goal comes up again | 12 months | Every goal, baseline included, gets revisited at least once inside this stretch, sooner if you ask sooner.34 CFR 300.324(b)(1)(i) |
What the letter has to contain
The goal, named exactly
A general complaint about "the goals" gets a general answer. One goal, quoted, gets a number back.
Every IEP goal has to be measurable and tied to the child’s needs. 34 CFR 300.320(a)(2)(i)
What baseline is missing
Say what the page should show and does not. A vague ask returns a vague paragraph, not a number.
Present levels describe where the child performs now, for a goal to build on. 34 CFR 300.320(a)(1)
How progress gets measured
A baseline with no measurement method attached cannot be compared to anything reported later.
The IEP states how progress toward each goal will be measured. 34 CFR 300.320(a)(3)(i)
The data the number came from
A number with no source behind it is a guess dressed as a measurement. Ask where it came from.
Classroom assessments and observations sit among the existing data the team looks over. 34 CFR 300.305(a)(1)(ii)
The letter
Replace everything in brackets. The rest sends as it stands.
- To
- Whoever on staff keeps the current goal pages on file
- Subject
- Baseline data missing from a current goal — [Child’s full name]
Dear [Case Manager], I am reviewing the IEP dated [IEP date] for [Child’s full name] and cannot find a starting point behind one of the goals. Goal: [quote the goal exactly as written]. The present levels section does not show a baseline number, a data source, or the method the team will use to score progress toward this goal. Please send me the baseline the team is using, where that number came from, and how progress will be measured and reported. If no baseline exists yet, please tell me how one will be collected and by when. I would also like the most recent progress report tied to this goal, if one is on file. Sincerely, [Your name] [Phone] · [Email] [Date]
If no answer comes back
Once your state’s window for a written answer closes without one, push the question further up.
- Ask the case manager directly which meeting the baseline question will be answered at.
- Send the same message to the special education director so it does not sit with one desk.
- Raise the missing baseline out loud at whichever IEP meeting comes next.
A no owes you prior written notice: the decision, the reason for it, and the records behind it (34 CFR 300.503).
This is a template, not legal advice: it does not replace your state’s procedures, or advice from someone qualified to read your file.
Have the pages you are writing about read back to you, free.
The review reads every page you upload, names the wording that is vague or missing, and gives you its page number.
Review my IEP — freeFree, no card. It reads your pages and contacts no one.
Where this comes from
- IEP content requirements (34 CFR 300.320)Present levels and measurement.
- Additional data needed (34 CFR 300.305)Where a baseline should come from.
- Center for Parent Information and Resources: IEP goalsWhat a measurable goal looks like.
- Prior written notice (34 CFR 300.503)What a no owes you.
Response deadlines are set state by state, and the state pages carry each number with its rule.