For a child with OCD, one step in a routine can loop — rewashing, rechecking, redoing — until it feels finished, not until the step is actually done. The goal should set a repeat limit for the step and name the routine it belongs to. 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 demonstrates increased independence completing self-care tasks within the school day.”
It leaves out the task, the day count, and the point where repeating stops.
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“At the cubby each morning, Asher will zip his backpack one time and hang his coat, marked daily and mailed quarterly.”
Strong“At the cubby each morning, Asher will zip his backpack one time and hang his coat, finishing within three minutes on 4 of 5 days, marked daily and mailed quarterly.”
Baseline
Finishing takes eight minutes, nearly every morning.
Countable
Zipping once, coat hung: two clear actions.
Reported
Forty cubby marks arrive with each report card.
With no minute or day count set, one lucky zip can count as met while four rezipped mornings stay unnoticed.
IDEA requires goals to be measurable: 34 CFR 300.320(a)(2).
“Could we put a minute and a day count on this before we sign?”
Check present levels for any minute or day count already written.
3rd through 5th grade
Weak“Each afternoon, Asher will check his folder for the return slip one time and leave the classroom on 4 of 5 dismissals.”
Strong“Each afternoon, Asher will check his folder for the return slip one time and leave the classroom on 4 of 5 dismissals, counted weekly and sent home monthly.”
Baseline
The folder gets rechecked six or seven times.
Countable
One folder check, one exit: a clean tally.
Reported
Weekly check, monthly mailing: neither is set.
With no week or month set, a returning habit can slide back for a season before anyone compares two counts.
IDEA requires the IEP to say how progress is measured and reported: 34 CFR 300.320(a)(3).
“Which week is counted, and which month does it reach home?”
Ask whether the meeting notes set a day or month for this count.
6th through 8th grade
Weak“At the end of computer lab, Asher will improve technology routines, on 3 of 4 sessions, tallied every two weeks.”
Strong“At the end of computer lab, Asher will save his file one time and log off, on 3 of 4 sessions, tallied every two weeks.”
Baseline
Asher reopens the file five or six times.
Countable
Saving once, logging off: two plain checks.
Reported
Two-week tallies add to one monthly sum.
Nobody can score “improve technology routines,” so one quick save counts as met while the reopening loop keeps running.
IDEA requires goals to be measurable: 34 CFR 300.320(a)(2).
“Is one save and one logoff enough, or does this need more?”
In the progress-reporting box, look for a separate line for the computer-lab routine.
9th through 12th grade
Weak“Asher will check the lock once and reach first period within five minutes, on 4 of 5 mornings, reported each semester.”
Strong“With a photo checklist taped inside his locker, Asher will check the lock once and reach first period within five minutes, on 4 of 5 mornings, reported each semester.”
Baseline
Without the checklist, the lock gets six retries.
Countable
One lock check, one arrival: two plain marks.
Reported
The count rolls up once, at semester’s end.
Skip the checklist and support quietly disappears, so Asher checks the lock unaided while the goal still counts as met.
IDEA requires goals to be measurable: 34 CFR 300.320(a)(2).
“Who puts the photo checklist in his locker, and is that written down?”
See whether the accommodations page lists the photo checklist itself.
What to ask the team
How many repeats of a step still count as the step being done?
If the ritual grows longer at home, does the goal account for that?
Does this goal measure a finished routine, or only a shorter loop?
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.
