If you’re a school psychologist or special education teacher, you may be expected to write IEP goals for students who receive social-emotional or behavioral support. Here are tips for writing effective social-emotional goals.

<div>
  If you&rsquo;re a school psychologist or special education teacher, you may be
  expected to write IEP goals for students who receive social-emotional or
  behavioral support. Writing these goals can be challenging at first, but not
  if you&rsquo;re prepared and organized! Here are tips from our team of
  educational professionals for writing effective social-emotional goals &ndash;
  goals that will help your kids grow and succeed both in and out of the
  classroom.
</div>

<h2>Tips for Writing Social-Emotional Goals</h2>

<div>
  It may be helpful to create a template so you can efficiently write goals that
  are targeted and measurable. When writing social-emotional goals, include:
</div>

<ul>
  <li>A carefully articulated time frame&nbsp;</li>
  <li>An observable behavior</li>
  <li>A target level of mastery</li>
  <li>Evaluation methods</li>
  <li>
    The baseline data (the student&rsquo;s current level of functioning)&nbsp;
  </li>
</ul>

<h2>Further Considerations for Writing Social-Emotional Goals</h2>

<div>
  When writing a student&rsquo;s social-emotional goals, remember to: &nbsp;
</div>

<ul>
  <li>Make the behavior specific and observable&nbsp;</li>
  <li>
    Design the goal around what the student will do (rather than what he or she
    will not do)&nbsp;
  </li>
  <li>
    Collaborate with the classroom teacher to ensure goals are written around
    behaviors that are most affecting the student&rsquo;s performance
  </li>
  <li>
    Collect enough information through observations to have clear data on the
    student&rsquo;s progress or lack thereof&nbsp;
  </li>
</ul>

<h2>Sample Social-Emotional Goal</h2>

<div>
  Here&rsquo;s an example to get you started:&nbsp;<br />
  &ldquo;By November 2020, during counseling sessions, when presented with real
  or imagined situations, Tommy will accurately identify situations that can be
  anxiety producing and three appropriate coping strategies or relaxation
  techniques in 4 out of 5 trials (sessions).
</div>

<div>
  Data collection: &nbsp;Data will be collected every quarter by the
  counselor.&nbsp;
</div>

<div>
  Baseline: Tommy can currently identify one appropriate coping strategy (deep
  breathing).&rdquo;&nbsp;
</div>

<h2>Resources for Writing Social-Emotional Goals</h2>

<div>
  For helpful resources and examples of social-emotional goals, visit:<br />
  <a href="http://behaviorpsych.blogspot.com/p/goal-bank.html"
    >The School Psych Toolbox</a
  ><br />
  <a href="https://autismeducators.com/free-iep-goal-bank/iep-social-emotional"
    >AutismEducators.com</a
  ><br />
  <a href="https://www.bridges4kids.org/IEP/iep.goal.bank.pdf"
    >Comprehensive Goal Bank</a
  >&nbsp;
</div>

<h2>Find Out Where Kids Need You Most</h2>

<div>
  Ready to embark on your next adventure in education? Check out our
  <a
    href="https://www.crosscountryeducation.com/job-search-results?what=psychologist&amp;where="
    >school psychologist jobs</a
  >
  and
  <a
    href="https://www.crosscountryeducation.com/job-search-results?what=Special+Education+Teacher&amp;where="
    >special education teacher jobs</a
  >
  now.<br />
</div>


How to Write Effective Social-Emotional IEP Goals