Adaptive skills IEP goals when Down syndrome shapes the routine
A child with Down syndrome can know every step and still look to an adult for the next one. The goal should name one task and say whether an adult’s glance, an adult’s hand, or nothing still carries her through. 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 17, 2026.
Is this your goal?
“Student is making progress toward greater independence in daily living skills.”
It never names one task, the prompt she needs, or how independence is scored.
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“Following a three-step chart taped by the sink, Piper will wash then dry her hands with no adult prompt, marked per visit and reported quarterly.”
Strong“Following a three-step chart taped by the sink, Piper will wash then dry her hands with no adult prompt, on 4 of 5 days, marked per visit and reported quarterly.”
Baseline
Right now she manages 2 of 5 days.
Countable
Washing then drying, in order: two steps.
Reported
Sink tallies, about forty-five, summed every quarter.
Without a number, any single clean day counts as progress, and Piper keeps needing the prompt all year.
IDEA requires goals to be measurable: 34 CFR 300.320(a)(2).
“Could someone track how many days this happens before we call it done?”
Look at present levels for the prompt count behind this hand-washing step.
3rd through 5th grade
Weak“Given a zipper pull tab and one verbal reminder, Piper will zip her own jacket start to finish on 4 of 5 mornings.”
Strong“Given a zipper pull tab and one verbal reminder, Piper will zip her own jacket start to finish on 4 of 5 mornings, timed and sent home each Friday.”
Baseline
Piper zips independently one morning in five.
Countable
Start to finish with no adult hand: countable.
Reported
Not timed and never sent home yet.
Skip the Friday deadline and one great morning can cover a whole week while the reminder is still doing the work.
IDEA requires the IEP to say how progress is measured and reported: 34 CFR 300.320(a)(3).
“Which morning will this be checked, and who sends the note home?”
Find out if the services page lists OT minutes for zipping.
6th through 8th grade
Weak“Piper will order one item and count exact change on 3 of 4 trials, logged twice a month.”
Strong“At the school store counter with a laminated price card, Piper will order one item and count exact change on 3 of 4 trials, logged twice a month.”
Baseline
Tested once, inside the classroom, not the store.
Countable
One item ordered, exact change counted: two marks.
Reported
Two store trips logged monthly reach the team.
Drop the real counter and Piper can pass this at a desk while still freezing at the actual register.
IDEA requires goals to be measurable: 34 CFR 300.320(a)(2).
“Where exactly is this practiced, and is that the place being scored?”
Read the goal page and confirm it names the store counter.
9th through 12th grade
Weak“At a marked crosswalk with a walk-signal chart, Piper will practice safety awareness, on 5 of 5 outings, logged each semester.”
Strong“At a marked crosswalk with a walk-signal chart, Piper will stop, check both ways, and cross only on the walk signal, on 5 of 5 outings, logged each semester.”
Baseline
Piper crosses only when a peer leads today.
Countable
No "stop," "check," or "cross" left to count.
Reported
Every outing reaches the transition team.
Nobody can fail "practice safety awareness," so Piper can pass the same day she crosses without checking either way.
IDEA requires goals to be measurable: 34 CFR 300.320(a)(2).
“Which specific action, stopping, checking or crossing, actually gets scored here?”
Turn to the accommodations page and see whether the walk-signal chart appears.
What to ask the team
Is Piper prompted for the sequence, the motor step, or nothing at all?
Was this practiced where the skill is needed, or only in class?
How many times this month did an adult step in before she asked?
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.
