Inclusive Education
Writing Student-Centred Learning Goals With the School Team
Connect a meaningful learning purpose to the student’s starting point, teaching, supports and review.
Archive edition: 27 May 2026 · assigned for archive organisation
A learning goal is useful when the student and school team can explain what is being learned, why it matters and what progress would look like. A statement such as “improve writing” may name an area of concern, but it does not yet tell anyone what teaching or support to provide.
This guide offers an original discussion worksheet for students, families and educators in Canada. It focuses on the quality of a proposed goal, not on determining an individual student’s curriculum or legal entitlement. Use the terminology and requirements of the relevant province, territory and school authority when recording the final plan.
At a glance
- Start with a learning purpose the student can understand and discuss.
- Separate the skill being learned from the tool or format used to demonstrate it.
- Describe the starting point, support and evidence of progress.
- Choose a review process that can change the plan when the evidence calls for it.
Begin with a meaningful purpose
Ask what the student wants to be able to do and how the proposed learning relates to their school day. They might want to explain a science idea, organise a paragraph or ask for clarification when instructions are unclear. Their interest can inform the goal without replacing the curriculum decisions the teacher must make.
CAST’s guidance on learning goals recommends clarifying the goal, separating it from the means and aligning assessment with the intended learning. It also includes personal connections and reflection. Read CAST’s learning-goal guidance. This is educational design guidance, not a Canadian IEP rule or a guarantee of a particular learning outcome.
Use plain language alongside any formal wording. If the student cannot tell what the goal is asking, ask the team to explain it through an example. The student does not need to recite professional terminology to contribute a useful preference or question.
Identify the starting point without reducing the student to a score
Ask what the student can currently do, in which setting and with what support. A work sample completed with a familiar tool provides different information from one completed without access to that tool. Record those conditions so that later comparisons make sense.
TDSB’s public IEP description identifies strengths, areas for growth and student-specific supports as parts of its planning process. Read the board’s IEP overview. It is a local example of the information a plan can organise; check your own school authority’s requirements.
Distinguish a missing skill from a barrier to showing an existing skill. If a student can explain an idea orally but cannot access the assigned writing method, the team has a different question from whether the idea itself is understood. Avoid choosing a goal before clarifying which problem the evidence actually shows.
Separate the learning from the method
Consider a fictional science task: explain how a simple circuit works. If the target is scientific understanding, the team can discuss suitable ways to demonstrate that understanding. If the target is forming written sentences, the writing process itself may be part of the intended learning. The same response format cannot be classified in isolation from the task’s purpose.
Ask whether a proposed restriction is necessary to assess the learning. “Explain the relationship between these parts” leaves a different design question from “Copy these sentences neatly.” This does not mean every format is interchangeable; it means the team should explain why a method is required.
Also specify what support remains available. A goal that omits the student’s usual communication tool may accidentally measure access to the task rather than the learning. Support can be part of the conditions of success, not something that must always disappear before progress counts.
| Part | Question | Detail to record |
|---|---|---|
| Purpose | What knowledge or skill matters here? | A clear description linked to the learning programme. |
| Starting point | What can the student do now, with which supports? | A relevant example and its conditions. |
| Teaching | What opportunities and instruction will be provided? | Who does what and where it happens. |
| Evidence | What would show useful progress? | Work samples, observations or another appropriate measure. |
| Review | When and how will the team reconsider the plan? | A review point and the information needed. |
Choose evidence that matches the goal
Evidence should help the team make a decision. A count can be useful when the thing being counted represents the learning, but a number alone does not make a goal meaningful. Completing more worksheets does not necessarily explain what the student understands or which barrier has changed.
Discuss how much information is enough. The team might compare selected work samples, observe a particular step or ask the student to explain their strategy. Avoid collecting a large daily record simply because it is easy to count. Identify what the evidence will help you change.
Include the student’s view of effort and usefulness. CAST’s reflection guidance encourages varied ways for learners to understand and monitor progress, including supports for self-assessment. Read CAST’s guidance on reflection. A student may need a model, visual prompt or discussion to contribute; an unexplained rating scale is not automatically accessible.
Connect the goal to teaching and review
- Clarify. Name the learning and why it matters.
- Describe. Record the starting point and necessary supports.
- Teach. Agree on opportunities, instruction and responsibilities.
- Review. Look at evidence and the student’s experience, then adjust.
Before ending the meeting, ask how the goal will appear in ordinary lessons. Who prepares the materials? When will the student practise? How will a replacement teacher know the arrangement? A well-worded sentence does little if no one knows how it will be implemented.
In a fictional example, Mina wants to explain her ideas in a history assignment. The teacher identifies the intended historical reasoning and discusses which parts involve written composition. They agree on accessible planning support and select a small set of work samples to review. Mina also records whether the planning tool helps her start. The team has a way to examine both learning and access.
If progress is different from what was expected, review the teaching opportunities, support and goal itself. Do not assume the student is unmotivated because a target was not met. Equally, if a goal has become too easy or irrelevant, ask how it should change. A plan is a working agreement, not a permanent judgement about the learner.
Common questions
Must a learning goal include a percentage?
A number is useful only when it measures something meaningful for that goal. Ask why the proposed measure was chosen and what decision it will support. Qualitative work samples or a description of a strategy may provide important evidence alongside any required numerical measure.
Can the student help choose a goal?
Yes, the team can invite their priorities, questions and preferences through an accessible process. Explain which curriculum or programme decisions need to be made and where choices are available. Participation should be more than asking the student to approve wording adults have already settled.
Does using support mean the goal was not achieved?
Not necessarily. Check the agreed conditions and what the goal is intended to measure. A communication aid or accessible format may be part of how the student demonstrates learning. Do not remove support merely to make the result appear more independent.
What if two adults disagree about the starting point?
Compare the situations and evidence behind their observations. The task, environment or support may differ. Record those differences and agree on a useful way to clarify them. A disagreement can reveal missing context rather than proving that one person’s account is worthless.
How many goals should we prioritise?
Discuss what the school can teach and review meaningfully within the relevant programme requirements. A long list can obscure priorities, while too few goals may omit important learning. Ask how each proposed goal connects to actual instruction and the student’s needs.
Should goals focus on making the student look typical?
Ask what educational or participation purpose the goal serves. A goal about appearing a certain way needs careful examination if it does not improve access, learning or a priority the student identifies. Make the intended benefit explicit rather than treating conformity as self-evidently valuable.
What if the student dislikes the proposed evidence collection?
Ask what is uncomfortable or unclear and consider another way to obtain the needed information. Explain the purpose and who will see it. The team should look for an approach that provides useful evidence without unnecessarily turning ordinary school activity into constant observation.
Can a goal change during the year?
Ask the school about its review process and how revisions are recorded. New evidence, changed circumstances or progress may justify a change. Keep a clear account of what changed and why so the next review compares the right version of the plan.
Do families have to reproduce school teaching at home?
Do not assume that a school goal automatically assigns a home programme. Clarify any proposed family role, whether it is feasible and what the student wants. Share useful observations without turning every family activity into another assessment session.
What should we leave the meeting with?
A clear understanding of the learning, starting point, support, responsibilities and review process. Ask for the relevant written record through the school’s normal process. If an important question remains unresolved, name the next action and who will respond.
Sources
Primary educational-design and school-board pages opened and checked on 21 October 2026. The worksheet and examples are original editorial material, not a prescribed IEP format or an evaluated intervention.
- CAST: UDL Tips for Developing Learning Goals — resource dated 2020, web page dated 5 December 2024.
- TDSB: Individual Education Plan — local planning overview.
- CAST UDL Guidelines 3.0: Promote individual and collective reflection — 2024 design guidance.
