Reading comprehension IEP goals for a blind or low vision student
For a blind or low-vision reader, comprehension can be judged by speed in an unfamiliar format. The goal should name the format the words arrive in, the tool your child reads with, and the help that stays. 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 15, 2026.
Is this your goal?
“Student will comprehend grade-level content using accessible materials as needed, per classroom observation.”
It never names the format, its size or contraction level, or who read the questions aloud.
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“Renata will touch the character who did the action asked about, on four of five stories, checked twice weekly.”
Strong“Using a tactile story map with raised shapes, Renata will touch the character who did the action asked about, on four of five stories, checked twice weekly.”
Baseline
No tactile map: 1 right touch in 5.
Countable
Touching the right character: one clean mark.
Reported
Eight data points accumulate across four weeks.
With no tactile map named, Renata can be tested on an image she cannot access, and it looks like poor comprehension.
IDEA requires goals to be measurable: 34 CFR 300.320(a)(2).
“Does this goal say she reads the story from a tactile map?”
The meeting notes should describe the tactile map used for this story.
3rd through 5th grade
Weak“Given a large-print passage in 24-point font, Renata will demonstrate comprehension of the passage, on three of four passages, checked weekly.”
Strong“Given a large-print passage in 24-point font, Renata will underline the answer and read her response aloud, on three of four passages, checked weekly.”
Baseline
Renata underlines one correct answer in four.
Countable
“Demonstrate comprehension” names nothing to underline or say.
Reported
A weekly count becomes a term total.
Nobody can score “demonstrate comprehension,” so Renata can be marked proficient while she never once states what the passage said.
IDEA requires goals to be measurable: 34 CFR 300.320(a)(2).
“What exactly does she have to say to prove she understood it?”
Read the goal page and mark each act a teacher could watch.
6th through 8th grade
Weak“Reading a chapter through her screen reader with headings enabled, Renata will summarize the plot and cite one detail, graded monthly.”
Strong“Reading a chapter through her screen reader with headings enabled, Renata will summarize the plot and cite one detail, on three of four chapters, graded monthly.”
Baseline
Renata summarizes one of four chapters today.
Countable
A summary plus one cited detail: two marks.
Reported
This score arrives home each grading period.
Without a target count, one lucky chapter can substitute for real evidence while Renata keeps missing most of the rest.
IDEA requires goals to be measurable: 34 CFR 300.320(a)(2).
“How many of the four chapters does this actually require?”
How many screen-reader minutes a week does the services page carry?
9th through 12th grade
Weak“Listening to an audio textbook with page markers, Renata will type two claims with page numbers into her notetaker, on five of seven chapters.”
Strong“Listening to an audio textbook with page markers, Renata will type two claims with page numbers into her notetaker, on five of seven chapters, with results shared every trimester.”
Baseline
Renata typed one claim last trimester alone.
Countable
Two claims with page numbers: two counts.
Reported
No trimester named for sharing these results.
Without a trimester attached to this count, Renata’s notetaker file can sit unread by the team for most of the year.
IDEA requires the IEP to say how progress is measured and reported: 34 CFR 300.320(a)(3).
“Which trimester turns her notetaker file into a number I see?”
Read last quarter’s progress report for the claims she typed, counted.
What to ask the team
What format is this book presented in, and who chose it?
Was the baseline measured in the format my child actually uses daily?
Does this goal measure comprehension, or just how fast she reads the format?
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.
