Reading comprehension IEP goals for a student with autism
With autism, a child can decode a passage perfectly and still miss the feeling or the motive behind a character’s choice. The goal should name the inference or perspective skill being taught, the passage format, and whether the meaning is stated or implied. Open your child’s IEP to the goal page and read one goal for three things: the baseline it starts from, the behavior someone could count, and the date it gets reported.
By The Advocate Ally, checked against the rules it cites. Sources checked September 14, 2026.
Is this your goal?
“Student will independently answer comprehension questions after reading an assigned passage most of the time.”
It never says whether the answer sat in the text or had to be inferred.
What the rule says
“A statement of measurable annual goals … [and] [a] description of … [h]ow the child’s progress toward meeting the annual goals will be measured, and when periodic reports … will be provided.”
34 CFR 300.320(a)(2)(i) and (a)(3)
The rule’s own example of a periodic report is quarterly, issued with report cards: four updates a year.
The three tests
Every strong goal below passes all three.
BaselineWhere your child is today, as a number with its date, in present levels.
CountableA behavior two adults would tally the same way. Read the goal: what would you count?
ReportedHow often the number comes home. Check the progress-reporting box, then the last report sent.
Weak“After a picture book is read aloud twice, Zahra will show emotional understanding, on four of five books, scored weekly.”
Strong“After a picture book is read aloud twice, Zahra will point to the character who feels happy or sad in the picture, on four of five books, scored weekly.”
Baseline
Today Zahra points to happy faces only.
Countable
Pointing to happy or sad: two adults agree.
Reported
Weekly scores make twenty dated books each quarter.
A vague word like understanding is not something two adults would rate alike, so Zahra’s actual gap stays hidden past spring.
IDEA requires goals to be measurable: 34 CFR 300.320(a)(2).
“What would count as pointing to the right feeling in this picture?”
The progress-reporting box should say how often this score comes home.
3rd through 5th grade
Weak“Zahra will name why the main character left the party, on seven of ten stories a quarter.”
Strong“With a peer partner rereading the tricky lines, Zahra will name why the main character left the party, on seven of ten stories a quarter.”
Baseline
No peer partner: motive named once in ten.
Countable
Motive named for the character: one clear answer.
Reported
Ten stories a quarter add up to forty.
Take the peer reread away and nothing forces Zahra to notice motive at all, so guessing becomes the whole strategy.
IDEA requires goals to be measurable: 34 CFR 300.320(a)(2).
“Does she reread with a peer, or find the motive completely alone?”
Turn to present levels and see whether her inference skill has its own score.
6th through 8th grade
Weak“Reading a short story with sarcasm underlined, Zahra will explain what the character really means, reported monthly.”
Strong“Reading a short story with sarcasm underlined, Zahra will explain what the character really means, on three of five stories, reported monthly.”
Baseline
Zahra explains sarcasm correctly one of five tries.
Countable
Explaining the real meaning: right or wrong, clearly.
Reported
Ten monthly scores gather from September to June.
With no rate attached, one lucky guess can look like mastery while sarcasm still confuses Zahra every single time.
IDEA requires goals to be measurable: 34 CFR 300.320(a)(2).
“How many of the five stories does she need to get right?”
Check the services page for minutes that teach reading between the lines.
9th through 12th grade
Weak“Given a one-page opinion article, Zahra will state the author’s unstated assumption in one sentence, on five of seven articles.”
Strong“Given a one-page opinion article, Zahra will state the author’s unstated assumption in one sentence, on five of seven articles, reported each semester.”
Baseline
Zahra finds the claim but misses the assumption.
Countable
Naming the hidden assumption in one sentence: checkable.
Reported
A dated score each semester is the proof.
Without a semester fixed for scoring, one sharp answer in September can be the only evidence anyone sees all year.
IDEA requires the IEP to say how progress is measured and reported: 34 CFR 300.320(a)(3).
“Is a semester named for this score, or just implied?”
Check the accommodations page for supports that name bias or assumptions in text.
What to ask the team
Did the baseline come from a passage she heard, or one she read alone?
Does this goal check the literal answer, or the inference underneath it?
Will progress include nonfiction reading, or only short stories written for practice?
An example is not your child’s goal: it does not replace the data the team starts from, or advice from someone qualified in your state.
Have every goal in your IEP checked against these three tests, free.
The review reads every page you upload, flags each goal missing a baseline, measurable criteria, a target or a timeline, and quotes the wording with its page.
