Written expression IEP goals for a child with dyslexia
Dyslexia spends so much of the writing budget on spelling and letter-sound mapping that a strong idea gets lost reaching the page. The goal should hand the parts dyslexia blocks to a named tool, so the words left over score the thinking instead. 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?
“By June, the student will produce complete paragraphs showing growth in organization and mechanics, per the writing portfolio.”
Nothing says whether spelling, sentences or an idea grew, or what tool sat beside the pencil.
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“With a picture prompt and a short word bank, Greta will write one complete sentence, capital to end mark, checked weekly and reported quarterly.”
Strong“With a picture prompt and a short word bank, Greta will write one complete sentence, capital to end mark, on 4 of 5 prompts, checked weekly and reported quarterly.”
Baseline
Complete sentences today: 1 prompt in 5.
Countable
Capital, end mark, complete sentence: three marks.
Reported
Weekly checks build each quarter’s total.
With no target rate, one good sentence in October passes as met while Greta leaves four prompts in five blank.
IDEA requires goals to be measurable: 34 CFR 300.320(a)(2).
“What score out of five prompts would we call met?”
Scan the progress-reporting box for a dated count of complete sentences.
3rd through 5th grade
Weak“Using speech-to-text for a three-sentence response, Greta will state one idea with two supporting details on 4 of 5 prompts.”
Strong“Using speech-to-text for a three-sentence response, Greta will state one idea with two supporting details on 4 of 5 prompts, scored monthly and sent home each quarter.”
Baseline
Greta lands one clear idea in five.
Countable
An idea plus two supports, each marked.
Reported
No quarter named, so no date reaches you.
With no reporting date, a strong October prompt can stand for the year while nobody sees a spring slide.
IDEA requires the IEP to say how progress is measured and reported: 34 CFR 300.320(a)(3).
“On what date each term does that speech-to-text score reach me?”
Look at the services page: are spelling minutes separate from writing minutes?
6th through 8th grade
Weak“Greta will draft a five-sentence paragraph naming a claim and two reasons, on 3 of 4 assignments, scored each semester.”
Strong“With word-prediction software active, Greta will draft a five-sentence paragraph naming a claim and two reasons, on 3 of 4 assignments, scored each semester.”
Baseline
Without word-prediction, Greta writes two of five.
Countable
Claim plus two reasons: three checkable marks.
Reported
A semester grade slip carries this home twice.
Drop the software and the goal scores a paragraph she cannot produce alone, and nobody sees the gap it was hiding.
IDEA requires goals to be measurable: 34 CFR 300.320(a)(2).
“Would this wording still hold up without the word-prediction tool named?”
Turn to present levels and see whether word-prediction is named as a support.
9th through 12th grade
Weak“Greta will plan an essay on a graphic organizer, then improve written expression skills, on 3 of 4 essays, reported each semester.”
Strong“Greta will plan an essay on a graphic organizer, then draft a thesis and three supporting points, on 3 of 4 essays, reported each semester.”
Baseline
Greta planned one essay alone this term.
Countable
“Improve written expression skills” names no thesis.
Reported
Two semester scores land in the mail.
Nobody can fail “improve written expression skills,” so Greta keeps passing marks while her essays still open without a thesis.
IDEA requires goals to be measurable: 34 CFR 300.320(a)(2).
“Under this wording, what makes one essay pass and another fail?”
Check the meeting notes for who reads the thesis before it is scored.
What to ask the team
Was the baseline taken with speech-to-text, or with a pencil alone?
Which skill is scored: spelling, sentence building, or idea generation?
Does the team separate her ideas from her spelling when work is graded?
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.
