This page is a bank of examples. Every student, number, and setting is invented. Use them as models for wording, then replace the details with your own baseline.
Three formulas
Utah's guide says each goal has three parts: a condition, a target skill or behavior, and a criterion. Colorado's guide offers two ways to fill in a goal. One uses five components: the learner, the skill, the target behavior to decrease, the conditions, and the criteria with a timeline. The other fills in eight parts, in order.
NCII's pattern is similar. State what the student will do after the skill is taught, and measure the behavior of concern as a second line.
Twelve examples
| Skill area | Goal |
|---|---|
| Following directions | During transitions from recess, Ana will begin the next activity within 30 seconds of the first direction, in 8 of 10 transitions across 4 consecutive weeks |
| Asking for help | When she does not know what to do, Beth will raise her hand or show her help card instead of putting her head down, in at least 4 of 5 independent work periods per week for 5 weeks |
| Taking a break | When a task is hard, Cam will request a break using the card and return within 3 minutes, in 9 of 10 requests for 6 weeks |
| Peer interaction | In small group, Dee will take a turn speaking without interrupting, in at least 4 of 5 turns per session for 6 sessions |
| Accepting "no" | When told "not now" by an adult, Eli will say "okay" or "can I ask later" within 10 seconds, in at least 7 of 10 opportunities for 4 weeks |
| Staying in the learning area | During work time, Fay will remain in the assigned area, with leaving without permission falling from about 10 per week to no more than 2 for 8 weeks |
| Starting tasks | When given a written task, Gus will begin within 1 minute, in at least 8 of 10 tasks for 4 weeks |
| Hallway behavior | Walking between classes, Hal will walk with his class and keep hands to himself, with no more than 1 reminder per transition, on 4 of 5 days for 6 weeks |
| Calming routine | When he feels upset, Ian will use the 3-step calm-down routine without prompting, in at least 3 of 5 episodes per week for 6 weeks |
| Responding to correction | After a correction from a teacher, Jo will fix the work or say "okay" within 1 minute, in 8 of 10 corrections for 5 weeks |
| Safe hands | During recess and lunch, Kit will keep hands and feet to himself, with physical contact incidents falling from about 4 per week to 0 for 10 consecutive weeks |
| Using a communication tool | When he wants a break or an item, Lee will use his communication device or a picture card instead of screaming, in 8 of 10 requests across 4 weeks |
Each row has a setting or condition, an observable action, a number, and a time frame. Several name the skill first and the decrease second, which matches NCII's advice to focus the goal on the replacement behavior.
Choosing the criterion
Colorado's guide offers a rule of thumb: set a goal that represents about an 80 percent increase or decrease from baseline. Its example is a student who leaves class about 10 times a day, with a goal of no more than 2, for three consecutive months. It adds that the student may still have difficult days, and that the point is a level adults can work with. NCII says behavior goals are often set around 80 to 90 percent for skills to increase, or 10 to 20 percent for behavior to decrease, or at a level typical of peers, and notes that a team may start at a lower level and raise the goal.
A criterion also needs a stretch of time. "For three consecutive months" or "for six weeks" says the goal is not met by one good day.
Make the goal measurable
Utah's guide offers a test for behavior goals: the criterion should allow routine, not sporadic, data collection. Behavioral data collection involves small reliable measurements, graphed to show progress. It lists measures such as frequency, duration, percentage of successful opportunities, and rating scales, and says percent measures should not be used if occurrence is open-ended.
Ask four questions of any goal. Can a stranger see the action? Is there a number? Is there a time? Can the data be collected every day or week without heroics? If any answer is no, rewrite the goal.
One more habit: track the skill and the behavior of concern on the same sheet. Colorado notes that skills for increase may progress more slowly than the behavior decreases, so seeing both lets the team read the whole picture and report it to a family in one sentence.
Positive terms
Illinois's guidance says behavior goals in BIPs should be written in specific, positive terms that focus on increasing desired behavior rather than eliminating or reducing undesired behaviors, and should facilitate objective, measurable data. Utah's potato test makes the same point from another side: a goal about "sitting quietly with hands to self" is something a potato could do, while "attending to instruction by orienting face and body toward the teacher, using materials as directed, and following classroom rules" asks for active skills.
Pair each goal with a plan
A goal says what the student will do. A plan says what adults will do so the student can. For each example above, the plan needs to name the skill to teach, the setting to adjust, the response, and the data. See BIP vs behavior goals and what to include in a BIP.
Slips to avoid
- Adult behavior as the goal. NCII lists goals that measure an adult's behavior as a common problem.
- Vague words. "Appropriately," "better," and "improve" have no number.
- Too many goals at once. Choose the one or two that matter most.
- A criterion lower than baseline. Check the arithmetic.
- No baseline. See baseline before a behavior plan.
Terms are in the glossary.
Writing goals in your district
Goals are written by the IEP team, with the family, and must fit the student and your district's forms. These examples are not a goal bank to copy. Ask your case manager how your district handles behavior goals and progress reports.