High Quality IEP Goals & Objectives and Their Alignment to General Education Curriculum
You are working with a school-based team on aligning their IEP goals and objectives to the general education curriculum. You will be
using a case study approach to facilitate a reflection process. The school-base team will also be practicing writing goals and objectives
in the professional development activity. As part of your prep, use the IEP example and run through the reflection tool to determine the
responses you want from the team. Then rewrite the goals and objectives as you would hope to see them from the participants.
Remember that although you want IEP goals and objectives to align with general education curriculum, the purpose of an IEP is to
develop the specialized instruction that is needed to address the unique needs of a student. Be sure to be clear on what parts of the
IEP goals and objectives is “specially designed instruction”.
“Specially designed instruction means adapting, as appropriate to the needs of an eligible child…, the content, methodology, or delivery
of instruction to address the unique needs of the child that result from the child’s disability; and to ensure access of the child to the
general curriculum, so that he or she can meet the educational standards within the jurisdiction of the public agency that apply to all
children.” 34 CFR § 300.38 (b) (3)
Essential Questions
o How can you determine if a goal or objective is aligned with general education curriculum?
o How would you ensure that “specially designed curriculum” is still provided in a goal or objective?
Product
o Rewrite the IEP goals and objectives aligned with general education curriculum
o Create something that can be used by colleagues to show specifically how the new examples align with general education.
A REFLECTION TOOL FOR GOALS & OBJECTIVES AND THEIR ALIGNMENT TO GENERAL EDUCATION CURRICULUM
The Anatomy of the IEP

Highlight each of the three components in the IEP goals and objectives.
 Yellow – the condition for the learning (e.g. Given a third grade level reading passage)
 Green – the demonstration of learning (e.g. The student will state the main idea and two details)
 Pink – the performance criteria (e.g. To a score of 2 out 5 on a retelling rubric each time)

Using the IEP goals & objectives, identify what the student will know and be able to do by:
 Circling the verbs/verb phrases (skills)
 Underlining the nouns/noun phrases (concepts) Center for Performance Assessment
For Example: The student will state the main idea and two details
The Anatomy of the General Education Curriculum

Identify the general education content and/or performance standard(s) that align with the IEP goals & objectives
 Content standards are the broad curriculum goals or big ideas. Nolet & McLaughlin, 2000


E.g. Students read, comprehend and respond in individual, literal, critical and evaluative ways to literary,
informational and persuasive texts in multimedia formats.
Performance standards are defined levels of mastery that must be met at each grade level Nolet & McLaughlin, 2000

E.g. Students will identify and discuss the underlying theme or main idea in texts.

Identify what all students will know and be able to do in the content and performance standards by:
 Circling the verbs/verb phrases (skills)
 Underlining the nouns/noun phrases (concepts) Center for Performance Assessment

Highlight each of the three components in the standards.
 Yellow – the condition for the learning
 Green – the demonstration of learning
 Pink – the performance criteria
Conditions for Learning
List the condition(s) in general education
content/performance standards
List the condition(s) in IEP Goals and
Objectives
What is the same as non-disabled peers?
(Check all that apply)
Setting
Instructional
Materials Task
demands
Methods
Demonstration of Learning
List the concepts and skills in the general
education content/performance
standard(s)
List what the student will know or be
able to do according to the IEP
goal/objective
What concepts are the same
as the general education
curriculum?
What skills are the same as
the general education
curriculum?
Performance Criteria for Mastery
Are the performance criteria…
To what degree will all students perform this
learning?
To what degree will this student perform this
learning?
Accuracy:
Accuracy:
Frequency or duration:
Frequency or duration:
Assessment Tool(s):
Assessment Tool(s):
The same
standard as
non-disabled
peers?
Assessed the
same way as
non-disabled
peers?