Reading comprehension IEP goals for a child with dyslexia
Dyslexia makes decoding cost so much effort that a child understands a passage read aloud and loses it reading alone. The goal should name the text level, the comprehension move being taught, and whether the words were read or heard. Open your child’s IEP to the goal page and read one goal for three things: the baseline it starts from, the behavior someone could count, and the date it gets reported.
By The Advocate Ally, checked against the rules it cites. Sources checked September 6, 2026.
Is this your goal?
“Student will read grade-level text and answer comprehension questions with 80% accuracy in 4 out of 5 trials.”
That line names no reading level, no question type, and nobody who read aloud.
What the rule says
“A statement of measurable annual goals … [and] [a] description of … [h]ow the child’s progress toward meeting the annual goals will be measured, and when periodic reports … will be provided.”
34 CFR 300.320(a)(2)(i) and (a)(3)
The rule’s own example of a periodic report is quarterly, issued with report cards: four updates a year.
The three tests
Every strong goal below passes all three.
BaselineWhere your child is today, as a number with its date, in present levels.
CountableA behavior two adults would tally the same way. Read the goal: what would you count?
ReportedHow often the number comes home. Check the progress-reporting box, then the last report sent.
Weak“After a first-grade story is read aloud twice, Nadia will demonstrate comprehension, on 4 of 5 stories, scored quarterly.”
Strong“After a first-grade story is read aloud twice, Nadia will retell its beginning, middle and end in order, on 4 of 5 stories, scored quarterly.”
Baseline
Today Nadia retells the beginning only.
Countable
Beginning, middle, end in order: three marks.
Reported
Five stories a quarter: twenty dated retells.
Nobody can tally “demonstrate comprehension,” so two teachers score the same retell differently and a year of checkmarks proves nothing.
IDEA requires goals to be measurable: 34 CFR 300.320(a)(2).
“What would a teacher mark right or wrong when she scores this?”
Check the accommodations page: does read-aloud appear on the days Nadia is scored?
3rd through 5th grade
Weak“Nadia will state the main idea and two details, on 8 of 10 passages a quarter.”
Strong“Given a third-grade passage read aloud by text-to-speech, Nadia will state the main idea and two details, on 8 of 10 passages a quarter.”
Baseline
Aloud, Nadia names one idea in three.
Countable
Main idea and two details: three answers.
Reported
Ten scored passages each quarter, forty yearly.
Leave the audio out and it can quietly disappear, so Nadia is scored on reading she cannot do alone.
IDEA requires goals to be measurable: 34 CFR 300.320(a)(2).
“Does the goal say she hears this passage, or reads it herself?”
Turn to present levels. Is her reading described with a number and a date?
6th through 8th grade
Weak“Reading a two-page article with a highlighter, Nadia will answer two inference questions and quote the line she used, reported each month.”
Strong“Reading a two-page article with a highlighter, Nadia will answer two inference questions and quote the line she used, on 3 of 4 articles, reported each month.”
Baseline
Nadia answered one inference in six articles.
Countable
Quoting the line makes an inference checkable.
Reported
Monthly counts reach home with the grades.
With no count behind it, one strong Tuesday can stand for the year while Nadia still guesses at inferences.
IDEA requires goals to be measurable: 34 CFR 300.320(a)(2).
“Is three of four articles written into this goal, or just assumed?”
Pull last quarter’s progress report and look for the text level she read.
9th through 12th grade
Weak“Working from an assigned chapter with audio, Nadia will write a five-sentence summary naming the claim and two supports, on 6 of 8 chapters.”
Strong“Working from an assigned chapter with audio, Nadia will write a five-sentence summary naming the claim and two supports, on 6 of 8 chapters, reported each semester.”
Baseline
Nadia summarized two chapters alone this year.
Countable
Claim plus two supports, present or missing.
Reported
Six summaries reach me each semester, dated.
Without a date for scoring, a summary Nadia wrote in September is still the newest evidence in May.
IDEA requires the IEP to say how progress is measured and reported: 34 CFR 300.320(a)(3).
“Which weeks are these chapters scored, and when does the number reach me?”
Open the services page. Are there minutes for teaching comprehension, not just decoding?
What to ask the team
What reading level was the baseline taken at, and was anything read aloud?
Is this goal measuring understanding, or how hard the words are to decode?
Will progress be scored on science and history reading, or only practice passages?
An example is not your child’s goal: it does not replace the data the team starts from, or advice from someone qualified in your state.
Have every goal in your IEP checked against these three tests, free.
The review reads every page you upload, flags each goal missing a baseline, measurable criteria, a target or a timeline, and quotes the wording with its page.
