When reading an objective that says, “will decode unfamiliar words….80%” what exactly does the 80% refer to-80% better than the student performed at the beginning of the year or 80% out of a test of some sort? What would be the best way to measure this type of objective?
Re: Goals & objectives
When I wrote objectives that looked like this I always included a benchmark measure that would let folks know 80% of what…
That being said- it might reasonably mean 80% of the words presented in lessons. Most tutors keep track of this- I know I require the paras I supervise to- along with some form of weekly probe on skills that have been taught. These are not necessarily big formal tests- but I might present ten words using patterns etc. that we have been addressing and have them read them…
You should probably ask this question of the person who developed the IEP.
Robin
Re: Goals & objectives
This goal, is meaningless unless their is reading remediation going on in either a reading class or a basic skills. In order to write any goal, you have to have a class that is actually working on this goal. The student has to be given a list of words to decode and a percentage is given on how many words they were able to decode. I personally feel that this kind of goal is poor. It is a waste of time giving a student a list of words periodically and having him tested on it and here is the reason why. Let’s say that the student is in sixth grade and reading at a third grade level. The teacher gives a list of third grade words and he is able to decode all of the words. Well, he is doing great on a level that he already can read so this goal doesn’t determine anything. Remember in order to have a goal, the deficiency must be in a remedial program. I have seen a lot of goals made when the student was transitioning from middle to high school and the goals were not effective because there wasn’t a class that was working on that goal.
I do teach a reading class and I use Phono-Graphix as my remedial program. I write a goal that measures the ability to decode words with the advanced code and MS words. My main objective is for the student to be reading on their grade level. I don’t write a goal for this because I don’t know actually when this will take place during the year, each child is different. I don’t like to persecute a child because he wasn’t taught how to read with programs that work when he was younger. I also tell my kids that as long as they are learning how to read, their report card grade will be an A. The only thing that will change this is if they won’t ‘go with the program’ and give me their best effort. I will not grade on basic skills.
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