Adding a Standard to an IEP – Adding a Goal to a Standard – Entering Objectives – Navigation
View Sped Manual entry on Goals and Objectives
Every student’s IEP Goals and Objectives must be linked to the Alaska State Standards. Therefore, in order to write Goals and Objectives in the special ed database, you must first choose the Alaska State Standard that correlates with the Goal that you wish to develop. If you are not sure which standards are most appropriate for some students, please contact a fellow teacher in your area of expertise or your program manager.
It is very helpful to have a copy of the Alaska Standards in their entirety. If you don’t have a copy and would like one, please check with your principal. The alternative is to print the standards off the EED web page (http://www.eed.state.ak.us/standards/).
The Alaska State Standards in English/Language Art and Math were updated in June 2012, and there are currently two documents available on the state’s webpage: the older Content and Performance Standards, 4th Edition (145 pages) and the new English Language Arts and Mathematics Standards (202 pages). Please note that the older content and performance standards book still includes the old English/LA and Math standards—these are no longer in use. For those areas you will need to refer to the new standards released in June 2012. The new English/Language Arts standards are broken down into four areas: Reading, Writing, Language, and Speaking & Listening. All other areas listed in the Content and Performance Standards, 4th Edition—including Science, Geography, Government and Citizenship, History, Skills for a Healthy Life, Arts, World Languages, Technology, Employability and Library/Information Literacy—are still in use.
You can also print all of the current state standards from the Main screen of the Sped database (length varies by subject).
The new state standards in English/LA and Math are organized into Anchor Standards, which cover all grades, and are then further broken down into Grade Level Standards which lay out how the anchor standards apply at each individual grade level from kindergarten through 12th grade.
Only the Anchor Standards are listed in the SpEd database. Once you have chosen the appropriate Anchor Standard to add to a student’s IEP, you should refer to the full listing of Grade Level Standards to see how that Anchor Standard applies at the appropriate grade level for that student. The IEP Goal itself should be developed based on the appropriate corresponding Grade Level standard.
Adding a Standard to the IEP
There are multiple drop down lists with various criteria for selecting state standards to add to a student’s IEP. Note that the combination of drop down selections must be correct in each box for the standards to populate correctly. There are “cheat sheets” posted on the Pupil Services Resource Page to help you choose the correct combinations when adding state standards.
The first data entry box says (Area); click in the (Area) box and a pop up list of areas from which to choose will appear. The next data entry box asks if the (Standard Type) is Content, Practice, Early Learning, Foundational Skills, Extended GLE, or DLM.
Most of the standards you will be adding to student IEPs will fall under the category of Content standards. Content standards include Reading, Writing, Language, Speaking & Listening, Cultural, Science, Geography, Government & Citizenship, History, Arts, Skills for a Healthy Life, World Languages, Technology, Mathematics, Employability and Library/Information Literacy.
All other Standard types apply only to specific areas or age/grade ranges.
- Practice standards only apply in the area of Mathematics.
- Foundational Skills apply only to Reading standards for grades K-5.
- Early Learning Guidelines are intended for use with children ages 3-5. Typically only case managers working with preschool or kindergarten student will use these standards.
- Extended GLEs apply only to students with the most significant cognitive disabilities. As of September 2013, Science is the only area in which Extended GLEs still apply—in all other areas, the Extended GLEs have been replaced with the Essential Elements and are listed under the areas AKAA Math and AKAA ELA, and the standards type DLM.
If you have chosen a Content standard the area of Reading, Writing, Language, Speaking & Listening, or Math you will also need to choose a (Strand or Domain) from the dropdown list. Click in the (Standard) box, and a list of standards for the area chosen will pop up. Choose the appropriate standard from the drop down list and click the “Add Standard to IEP” button.
**Please note the (Level) and (Strand or Domain) MUST BE BLANK for any of the older Content Standards to appear.
MATHEMATICS STANDARDS
If you have chosen a Math standard it can be EITHER a Content standard or a Practice standard. If Mathematics is the area and the (Standard Type) is Practice, the (Strand or Domain) and (Level) data entry areas MUST BE BLANK. If (Standard Type) is Content, entries MUST BE MADE in the (Level) and (Strand or Domain) data entry boxes. The (Level) fields correlate with grade levels as follows:
Level 1 = grades K-2
Level 2 = grades 3-5
Level 3 = grades 6-8
Level 4 = high school
If you have chosen an Early Learning Standard, you will need to choose “Early Learning” as the (Area). You will also need to choose an (Strand or Domain) from the dropdown list before you can select a (Standard). For Early Learning Standards, the (Level) field must be BLANK.
Extended GLEs (Grade Level Expectations) are for students with significant cognitive disabilities. At this point, only the Extended GLEs for Science remain in the Sped database. To select an Extended GLE for Science, choose Science as the (Area), choose the (Standard Type) as Extended GLE, choose a (Perf: Level) 1-4 and then choose a Standard from the drop down list.
In the areas of Math, Reading, Writing, Language, and Speaking & Listening, the Extended GLEs have been replaced with the Essential Elements. Just like Grade Level Standards, the Essential Elements are linked to the Anchor Standards for English Language Arts and Math and are specified at each individual grade level. For those students with significant cognitive disabilities who are working toward the Essential Elements rather than Grade Level Standards, you will need to choose the appropriate Anchor Standard and then consult the full list of Essential Elements to see how that Anchor Standard is interpreted at the grade level that is appropriate for that student. The full text of the Essential Elements is available on the State Department of Education’s webpage at: http://education.alaska.gov/tls/assessment/alternateEE.html.
If you see the following, 
“no values defined”, either you haven’t chosen a standard type, have chosen the wrong standard type, or have incorrect or unnecessary entries in the (Level) or (Strand or Domain) fields. A “cheat sheet” with the correct combinations of Area,
Standard Type, Level and Strand/Domain for each area is available by clicking here.
If you make an error, it is handy to click the Clear button to the left of (Area); this clears all of the standard data entry boxes
After choosing a standard, click the button Add Standard to IEP. This will move the standard into the IEP as shown in the gray Standards section.
Click here for a State Standards Cheat Sheet
Adding Goals to a Standard
To the left of the standard (in the Standards Section) will be a purple arrow and a button that says New Goal. Click New Goal to add a goal for this standard. Another screen will appear in which the text of the goal can be added as well as the opportunity to add objectives for that goal. Click on the purple arrow to display previously added goals.
Click in the “Goal” box to enter the text for the goal that will correspond with that standard.
In the Baseline Data field, enter data that shows where the student is currently functioning. There is a data entry box for Progress; this is for reporting information later on the progress reports. Start and End Dates will be entered automatically from the start and end dates of the IEP. If necessary these dates can be overridden and new dates entered. Typically, goals should last for the entirety of the IEP (one year). Evaluation Methods and Review choices can be made from a pop up menu for each when clicking in their respective boxes. The person responsible for implementing and evaluating this goal also needs to be entered.
Remember that these goals should align with the Grade Level Standards found under the chosen Anchor Standard. A complete listing of Grade Level Standards can be found on the state’s webpage: https://www.eed.state.ak.us/akstandards/
To enter another goal for the same standard, return to the standard screen by clicking the Back tab at the top of the screen.
Click New Goal next to the Standard. This will create a new goal appearing in which the text of the second goal can be added as well as the opportunity to add objectives for that goal. Scroll between goals assigned to the same standard by using the arrow buttons at the top of the goal screen:
To enter another standard, return to the standard screen by clicking the Back tab at the top of the Goal/Objective or Goals Only screen and begin the standard selection process again.
Entering Objectives
To enter objectives click New Objective below Goal Progress. A blank objective data field will appear in which the text of the objective can be entered. There are data entry boxes for Progress and Progress Narrative; these are for reporting information on the progress reports. If the student is designated as needing ESY, the objective can be marked as an ESY objective. This box can be filled in at a later date to indicate the objectives that the student will be working on during the summer session. There is an ESY narrative which the summer ESY teachers will enter student progress over the summer allowing regular school year teachers to know how their ESY students did over the summer.
Start and End Dates will NOT be entered automatically. These dates must be entered by the creator of the objectives. Ideally, objectives should be written for a quarter’s duration. When you click in the Date box, a pop-up menu of dates marking the end of each quarter will appear. These dates can be overridden when necessary, by clicking in the field a second time, and entering an alternate date. Evaluation Methods and Review choices can be made from a pop up menu for each when clicking in their respective boxes.
EXAMPLE:
Goal: The student will increase his reading fluency from 50 WPM to 90 WPM -9/1/12 to 9/1/13.
Objective 1: The student will increase his reading fluency from 50 WPM to 60 WPM 9/1/12 to 10/26/12.
Objective 2: The student will increase his reading fluency from 60 WPM to 70 WPM 10/26/12 to 1/18/13.
Objective 3: The student will increase his reading fluency from 70 WPM to 80 WPM 1/18/13 to 3/15/13.
Objective 4: The student will increase his reading fluency from 80 WPM to 90 WPM 3/15/13 to 8/22/13.
Navigation
The blue arrows on right-hand side of Standards, Goals and Objectives are to help you to re-sequence these items. They move the Standards, Goals and Objectives up or down.
The icon between the arrows and the trash can is a Print icon. This icon only appears at the initial screen of Goals or Goals and Objectives. Clicking on the icon allows you to print that particular standard and any associated goals and objectives. To print all of the goals and objectives for that student, use the Print Tab.
The little trash can on right-hand side of the Standards, Goals or Objectives deletes the item that is on the same line. Be sure to carefully read the dialog box that appears when you wish to delete. If you choose to delete the standard it will also delete all associated goals and objectives. If you choose to delete a goal, you will also delete all associated objectives. Deleting an objective only deletes that objective.
The black circled arrows on the Goals screen allow you to move between multiple goals for the same standard.
The “Back” tab allows the user to return to the beginning screen of Goals or Goals and Objectives page where Standards are listed and new ones created.
PRINTING
There are three choices when it comes to printing Goals and Objectives, Goals and Objectives Report, and ESY Goals and Objectives Report. Don’t hesitate to ask for clarification/help, if you are having problems with this.
RETURNING TO PREVIOUSLY ENTERED STANDARDS AND GOALS
When returning to the first page of Goals/Objectives after having entered standards and goals at an earlier date only the standards will be visible. To see the goals for a particular standard, click the purple arrow to the left of the standard. The goals will appear in the gray box in the lower portion of the screen. If you have not yet entered goals for a particular standard, the bottom of the screen will remain blank after clicking the purple arrow to the left of the standard. To see the objectives for a particular goal, click in the text field of that goal. A new screen will appear listing the goal and all objectives associated with that goal.
In order to see all standards, goals and objectives at one time, printing a hard copy is the only option. You can print one standard and its goals and objectives at a time by clicking on the icon in the middle at the end of the standard line, or print all of hte goals and objectives for that student by using the Print tab. 