Question and Answer: Individualized Education Program (IEP) Measurable Annual Goals

This question and answer document is intended to provide guidance and best practices to local educational agencies (LEAs) regarding how to approach the development of annual IEP goals and ultimately write and monitor them to meet the above requirements. Therefore, when TEA refers to “measurable” annual goals, it includes both the requirement that the goals indeed be measurable, but they must also be focused on each individual student to ensure they are individualized and challenging enough to result in meaningful progress. This approach to the development of IEPs, including the measurable annual IEP goals, is known as a standards-based IEP process because the approach is focused on the services and supports that are necessary for the student to access and make progress in his or her enrolled grade level general education curriculum based on the grade level content standards.