Math reasoning IEP goals when a tic costs a child his place in the problem
With Tourette syndrome, a tic mid-problem can cost your child the step he was on, not the math skill itself. The goal should name the marker he uses to hold his place and how he resumes after a tic, not the tic itself. 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 17, 2026.
Is this your goal?
“Student will apply grade-level problem-solving strategies with tics accommodated as needed.”
The step a tic interrupted is nowhere in it, and neither is a way to score resuming.
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“When a tic breaks in, Torin will handle it well before moving on, on 4 of 5 problems, tallied daily.”
Strong“When a tic breaks in, Torin will touch his last finished step again before moving on, on 4 of 5 problems, tallied daily.”
Baseline
Torin restarts every problem after a tic.
Countable
Touching the last step is the missing act.
Reported
Each day’s tally rolls into one weekly total.
Nobody can score “handle it well,” so a calm day passes while Torin still restarts every problem he starts.
IDEA requires goals to be measurable: 34 CFR 300.320(a)(2).
“What does he touch to show the team where he stopped?”
Read the goal page for words like "handle" or "appropriately" sitting next to a tic.
3rd through 5th grade
Weak“Given a boxed word problem, Torin will circle his last finished box before a tic and resume there, reported weekly.”
Strong“Given a boxed word problem, Torin will circle his last finished box before a tic and resume there, on 3 of 4 problems, reported weekly.”
Baseline
Torin resumes correctly on one of four problems.
Countable
The circled box gives one clean visual mark.
Reported
Weekly counts show whether resuming actually sticks.
Cut the target rate, and one lucky resume can pass for weeks while Torin keeps restarting problems most days.
IDEA requires goals to be measurable: 34 CFR 300.320(a)(2).
“Could we set an exact number for how often resuming must happen?”
Check present levels for how often these problems get restarted instead of resumed.
6th through 8th grade
Weak“During a multi-step equation, Torin will flag his current operation with a sticky note before a tic-release break, checked 3 of 4 times.”
Strong“During a multi-step equation, Torin will flag his current operation with a sticky note before a tic-release break, checked 3 of 4 times, reviewed each quarter.”
Baseline
Torin flags his place once in four.
Countable
A sticky flag on paper is visible.
Reported
Nobody has set a quarter for this flag.
Without a review quarter, a graded page in September can be the last check on whether flagging continued.
IDEA requires the IEP to say how progress is measured and reported: 34 CFR 300.320(a)(3).
“Which exact quarter actually checks whether the flag gets used?”
Look in last quarter’s progress report for any line about the sticky-note flag.
9th through 12th grade
Weak“Torin will write his last step number before any interruption and resume from it, on 4 of 5 proofs each term.”
Strong“With a numbered scratch column beside the proof, Torin will write his last step number before any interruption and resume from it, on 4 of 5 proofs each term.”
Baseline
Without the column, Torin resumes once in five.
Countable
A written step number is right or wrong.
Reported
One term score shows if resuming holds.
Without the scratch column named, Torin can be handed a blank page and lose the tool that lets him resume at all.
IDEA requires goals to be measurable: 34 CFR 300.320(a)(2).
“Is the scratch column actually written here, or only expected?”
Read through the accommodations page for any mention of a scratch column.
What to ask the team
When a tic interrupts a problem, does Torin restart it or resume it?
What tool does he use to mark his place mid-problem?
Does any part of this goal actually count how often he tics?
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.
