How to write IEP Goals:
A step-by-step guide for
Australian Teachers

IEPs (Individual Education Plans) are meant to be guiding lights – a shared map for students, teachers, and families. But too often, they become tick-box documents or vague wish lists that leave everyone frustrated.

If you've ever opened an IEP and thought, "What does this even mean in the classroom?" – you're not alone. The good news? You can write IEP goals that are clear, useful, and actually support student progress – without spending hours second-guessing yourself.

In this post, we’ll walk you through a simple, step-by-step method for writing effective IEP goals based on Australian curriculum expectations, ACARA capabilities, and the strengths-based SMART-R goal framework, inspired by Shelley Moore.

You'll also get access to a free, editable IEP Goal Writing Template with example goals – so you can put this into action right away.

🔎 What Makes an IEP Goal Actually Work?

A quality IEP goal:

• Builds from the student’s strengths, not just their challenges
• Aligns with curriculum content or capability
• Is written in language that teachers and families can understand
• Is measurable, meaningful, and doable within the IEP period

Let’s break that down in practice.

✏️ Step 1: Start with Strengths

All effective IEPs begin with a deep understanding of the student:

• What do they enjoy?
• Where are they successful?
• What environments or tasks bring out their best?

Example: “Tyrone has strong visual memory and is highly motivated when using technology. He contributes well in group settings with clear turn-taking routines.”

This strengths-based lens sets the tone for goals that empower, not label.

🧭 Step 2: Identify the Learning Focus for IEP Goals

Effective IEP goals start with a clear learning focus, and this should be directly informed by curriculum outcomes. This ensures that students with disabilities are working towards meaningful educational achievement rather than being sidelined into purely functional or behavioural skill development - unless that is the priority need. Importantly, goals should be individualised, strength-based, and aligned with long-term learning pathways.

1. Using Curriculum Outcomes and Descriptors to Create the Goal

Start with the curriculum outcome that best matches the student’s learning priorities. In most Australian states, these outcomes describe what all students should know, understand, and be able to do.

To identify the learning focus:

• Review the stage-level outcomes from the appropriate syllabus (e.g. Stage 3 English NSW).
• Use the content descriptors to unpack the skills and knowledge embedded in the outcome.
• Choose a skill that the student is ready to learn, based on recent assessment or observation.

This provides an anchor for the IEP goal - ensuring it remains educational, authentic, and tied to classroom practice.

2. Using Outcomes at, Below, or Above Stage Level

The student’s IEP goal doesn’t need to sit at their year level if that isn’t appropriate. Instead:

• Use below-stage outcomes if the student is still developing prerequisite skills.
• Use at-stage outcomes with support, if the student is accessing age-equivalent content with adjustments.
• Use above-stage outcomes if the student is highly capable in an area and needs extension.

This flexibility ensures each student is both challenged and supported. IEP goals can draw on outcomes across any stage that reflect the student's current Zone of Proximal Development.

3. Using the ACARA Personal and Social Capability Continuum

For social-emotional, behavioural, or functional goals, you can use the ACARA Personal and Social Capability Learning Continuum instead of curriculum outcomes. This is particularly useful when:

• The student is working on regulation, social interaction, or self-awareness.
• The goals relate to managing emotions, seeking help, or participating in group work.

You can select a level within the continuum (e.g. Level 2B or Level 3) and focus the goal on the next step in that strand.

Example strands include:

• Recognise and express emotions
• Develop self-discipline and set goals
• Work collaboratively
• Manage relationships

Examples: Non-Outcomes-Based vs Outcomes-Based Goal

❌ Non-Outcomes-Based Goal

"Liam will learn to sit still on the floor during mat time for 10 minutes without calling out."

Issues:

• Focuses solely on compliance rather than learning.
• Not linked to curriculum or long-term development.
• Lacks opportunities for skill generalisation or growth.

✅ Outcomes-Based Goal (Aligned with Curriculum)

"Liam will listen actively to class discussions by responding appropriately to teacher questions using sentence starters." (Aligned with Stage 2 English outcome EN2-1A).

Strengths:

• Curriculum-aligned (Stage 2 English).
• Builds a communication skill relevant to learning.
• Supports participation in whole-class instruction.
• Scaffolded and measurable.

✅ Outcomes-Based Goal (Social Capability - ACARA Continuum)

"Liam will identify and name his feelings using a visual tool, when prompted by a teacher." (Aligned with ACARA Personal & Social Capability Level 2B – Recognise emotions).

Strengths:

• Aligned with a developmental learning continuum.
• Targets an underlying skill that supports behaviour and wellbeing.
• Allows for explicit instruction and tracking.

🧠 Step 3: Use SMART-R to Frame the Goal

We have adapted Shelley Moore’s approach to SMART goals, and transformed goal-writing by adding an additional element:

S – Strengths-Based
M – Meaningful
A – Authentic
R – Responsive
T – Triangulated
*R – Realistic

Let’s write one together.

📝 Example Goal:

Before:
"By the end of Term 2, Ella will correctly solve 20 two-digit addition problems with regrouping in 4 out of 5 trials, with 80% accuracy."

After (SMART-R Goal):
"Using a worked example and number line, Ella will solve two-digit addition problems by choosing and explaining her preferred strategy during independent maths tasks."

• Strength-based (uses visual supports)
• Meaningful (linked to age-appropriate content)
• Authentic (demonstrates thinking, not just correct answers)
• Responsive (adjusts to her learning profile and support needs)
• Triangulated (teacher can collect work samples, record observations and do a variety of written and verbal assessments to identify if this goal has been achieved) 
• Realistic (fits into existing teaching and assessment routines)

📏 Step 4: How Do You Actually Measure IEP Goal Success?

One of the most common concerns from teachers when writing IEPs is:
“How will I track this without adding to my workload?”

The truth is, measuring IEP goals doesn’t need to be extra work — especially when your goals are aligned directly with the curriculum. When done well, the evidence of progress will already be embedded in your everyday teaching, learning activities, and assessment.

When IEP goals are drawn from the relevant state syllabus (e.g., NSW syllabus, Victorian curriculum, or ACARA), your teaching already contains the evidence you need. You're not creating an “extra program” — you’re simply meeting the student at their current level within the same content strand.

This means:

• You can collect work samples from normal lessons
• Observations made during class are valid evidence
• Progress reports and semester reports practically write themselves
• You build an inclusive learning environment where every student is working on the same concepts — just differentiated to their readiness level

Here are simple, non-invasive ways to collect evidence of IEP goal progress:

Tip: Set a goal to collect one piece of evidence per week — no need to track every lesson. Less is more when the evidence is targeted and meaningful.

Measuring IEP goal success:

• Should be embedded in your everyday teaching
• Is easier when goals are curriculum-aligned
• Can (and should) reflect academic and cognitive growth, not just “fixing” behaviour

By honouring students’ right to learn and setting goals that matter, you’re not just tracking progress — you’re creating pathways for success.

🔄 Step 5: Review and Adapt Collaboratively

IEP goals are not “set and forget”. They are living documents that require ongoing reflection, review, and revision. Students grow and change—and so must their learning goals and the supports around them.

1. IEP Goals Should Be Known and Understood by the Whole Team

To be effective, an IEP goal can’t just sit in a file or be known only by the Learning and Support team. Goals must be:

• Known by the classroom teacher, who is responsible for embedding them in day-to-day practice.
• Shared with the student (where appropriate), using accessible language and formats to build their ownership and self-awareness.
• Visible to the support team—including SLSOs, therapists, specialist teachers, and leaders—so everyone is working in alignment.

✅ Clarity and consistency support implementation.

2. Regular Review is Essential

IEP goals should be reviewed every term, or more frequently if:

• The student’s circumstances change (e.g. illness, new diagnosis, family issues)
• The current goal has been achieved or is no longer appropriate.
• Barriers to learning emerge or evolve.

These reviews can be formal (e.g. case meetings) or informal (e.g. quick check-ins), but should always ask:

• Is this goal still meaningful and achievable?
• Are the current adjustments working?
• Has the student made progress, and what data shows this?

📌 Document all reviews and changes to ensure continuity of support and communication.

3. Collaborate with Specialists for Insight and Adjustments

You don’t have to do it alone. Reach out to the broader team:

• Allied health professionals (e.g. speech therapists, OTs, psychologists) can provide insight into what supports the student needs and how these can look in your classroom.
• Learning and Support Teachers (LaST) or Inclusion Coordinators can help align classroom practice with IEP goals and suggest reasonable adjustments.
• School counsellors or wellbeing staff may help interpret behavioural or emotional needs.

Ask:

• What strategies do you use that I can try in class?
• How can I scaffold this goal more effectively?

• Are there adjustments that will remove barriers to this learning focus?

🤝 Collaboration is key to practical, sustainable inclusion.

4. Review and Respond to Barriers

A student’s progress towards their IEP goal is not just about effort—it’s about access. If a student isn’t progressing:

• Review what barriers might be getting in the way (e.g. sensory overload, poor peer relationships, trauma triggers, language gaps).
• Consider whether the adjustments in place are still appropriate—or if new ones are needed.
• Check whether the goal itself is still responsive to the student’s needs, strengths, and context.

🔍 Barriers aren’t always visible—listen to the student, their family, and support team to get the full picture.

 

💬 Final Thoughts

Think of IEP goals as part of a continuous cycle:

1. Identify the focus.
2. Write the goal.
3. Implement adjustments and strategies.
4. Monitor and collect data.
5. Collaborate and review.
6. Adapt or continue based on what you learn.

This cycle keeps the student at the centre and helps everyone around them to work together with clarity, compassion, and purpose.

Writing IEP goals that actually support student growth doesn’t need to be overwhelming.
By grounding your goals in student strengths, curriculum outcomes, and real classroom practice, you’ll not only write better plans – you’ll feel more confident implementing them.