GOAL WRITING The importance of goal writing

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GOAL WRITINGThe importance of goal writing

• To ensure that everyone is clear on
• The target objectives for the student
• The expectations under which the objective should
  occur
• The criteria under which the goal will be met
• How the objective will be addressed

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Continued

• To ensure that important target skills are
  addressed for a student
• Write goals for deficit areas
• Write goals for important functional life skills
  (social, engagement, and independence-alternate
  domains R.A. McWilliam)
• Write goals to target challenging behaviors
• Write goals so that the student can meaningfully
  participate in regular classroom activities

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1. Gathering information

• Assessment
• Formal
• Standardized assessment (DAYC, Stanford-Binet,
  Woodcock Johnson, Brigance, Vineland, PPVT, Child
  Behavior Checklist, TCAP)
• Curriculum assessment (ABLLS, AimsWeb, DIBELS,
  STAR)
• Consider State standards
• Informal
• Teacher, therapist, consultant observation
• Ecological assessment (see next slide)
• Parent interview for priorities and concerns (ask
  if they have objectives they want considered)
• Review of data on current objectives
• Teacher-based testing
• Review of anecdotal notes (i.e. comm. notebooks)
• Records review

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2. Organizing information

• Meet as a team to discuss assessment information
• Look for common target areas
• Look for behavioral concerns
• Look at deficit areas
• Prioritize concerns and needed skills
• Consider any carry-over needs or next steps from
  current IEP

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3. Prioritize objectives

• Update PLOP (Present Levels of Performance) based
  on information
• Create a list of skills (not goals) that you want
  to target based on new PLOPs
• Pick highest priority skills
• Consider number of targeted objectives and start
  dates

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4. Draft Goals

• Take targeted skill areas and draft goals
  accordingly
• Brainstorm target behaviors, criteria, and
  conditions under which skill will be performed
• Write objectives in an observable and measurable
  way (see following slides)

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Components of a behavioral objective

• Identify the learner (i.e. John will.)
• Identify the target behavior
• exactly what the student will be doing
• Ensures that we are consistently observing the
  same bx
• Facilitates continuity of instruction
• See or hear bx or see or hear direct product of
  the bx

Taken from Applied Behavior Analysis for Teachers
(Alberto Troutman)
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Target Behaviors

• The verb used to describe behavior should be
  directly
• OBSERVABLE
• MEASURABLE
• REPEATABLE

Taken from Applied Behavior Analysis for Teachers
(Alberto Troutman)
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Dead Mans Test

• Goals should be based on OBSERVABLE behavior
• If a dead man can do it, its not a good
  observable behavior
• Child will not get out of their seat.
• Child will not hit.
• Child will not run in the hall.

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• John will request preferred items using a two
  picture sentence across three different
  activities one time with an adult, one time with
  a peer for a total of two times per day for 3 of
  4 data probes.

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Components of a behavioral objective

• Identify the conditions under which the behavior
  will be displayed (ex. From pg 65)
• Verbal requests or instructions
• Written instructions or format
• Demonstration (model)
• Materials to be used
• Environmental setting or timing
• Manner of assistance

Taken from Applied Behavior Analysis for Teachers
(Alberto Troutman)
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• John will request preferred items using a two
  picture sentence across three different
  activities one time with an adult, one time with
  a peer for a total of two times per day for 3 of
  4 data probes.

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Components of a behavioral objective

• Identify the criteria for acceptable performance
  (think about how you will measure and
  graph/monitor)
• Sets the standard for minimally acceptable
  performance
• Level of performance the student will be able to
  achieve as a result of intervention

Taken from Applied Behavior Analysis for Teachers
(Alberto Troutman)
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Examples of criteria

• Accuracy of a response or frequency of occurrence
• 17 out of 20 correct responses (accuracy of
  response)
• Label all 10 objects correctly
• With 80 accuracy
• 4 out of 5 trials correct
• Duration and Latency
• Will complete within one hour (duration)
• For at least 20 min
• the criteria needs to match the goal (should not
  always be the same)

Taken from Applied Behavior Analysis for Teachers
(Alberto Troutman)
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For how long??????

• Dont leave criterion statement open-ended-Is the
  goal met the first time they reach 85?
• For example
• 85 accuracy for 4 consecutive sessions
• 85 accuracy for 3 out of 4 days
• On 8 out of 10 trials for 3 consecutive teaching
  sessions
• Will return within 10 minutes on 3 consecutive
  trips to the bathroom

Taken from Applied Behavior Analysis for Teachers
(Alberto Troutman)
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• John will request preferred items using a two
  picture sentence across three different
  activities one time with an adult, one time with
  a peer for a total of two times per day for 3 of
  4 data probes.

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Other considerations when writing goals.

• Goals need to be functional
• Think short term and long term (priorities for
  life)
• Be careful with cognitive/academic goals (these
  can be hard to make functional)
• Goals need to be attainable
• Able to be met within the IEP year
• Consider PLOPs (where the student is
  now/baseline)
• Consider what is developmentally appropriate
• Consider your students phase of learning
  (acquisition, fluency, generalization,
  maintenance)-goals can be written for more than
  acquisition

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Goal Writing Template

• Identify the learner
• Identify the target behavior
• Identify the conditions under which the behavior
  will be displayed
• Identify the criteria for acceptable performance

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What is data collection?

• Data collection provides an objective and
  accurate measurement of student progress or lack
  of progress of a task, activity, or behavior.
• Without data, you are just another person with an
  opinion!

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Why do we collect data?

• Required by IDEA 97 to
• Monitor and provide parents with documentation of
  progress towards mastery for annual IEP goals and
  objectives.
• Provide documentation for special education
  student participation in state-wide and alternate
  assessments.
• Also
• Provides objective assessment of changes in
  behavior
• Prevents relying on memory
• Can see patterns and determine future needs
• Helps with programming (intervention changes,
  modifications, and other supports)
• To determine whether intervention is working
  (i.e. non-research based interventions)

Adapted from Dr. Chris Reeve, Nova Southeastern
University
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Where do we collect data?

• EVERYWHERE!!!!!
• Dependent on how goal is written (setting and
  conditions)
• Consider
• Lunch
• PE
• Specials
• Gen Ed vs Special Ed
• Transitions
• 11 vs Group instruction

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Categories of data collection systems

• Analyze written records anecdotal reports
• Observing tangible products permanent product
  recording (work product, test results
• Observing sample of behavior (when would you use
  each?)
• Event recording
• Interval recording
• Time sampling
• Duration recording
• Latency recording

Taken from Applied Behavior Analysis for Teachers
(Alberto Troutman)
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Event Recording

• Recorded every time student engages in target
  behavior
• Target behavior has to be defined with beginning
  and end in order to count episodes
• Used when the objective is to increase or
  decrease of times behavior occurs
• Examples
• DTT-record /-/P/NR (variation of
  event-recording-teacher controlled
  presentations)
• Language (requesting/commenting-can be done as a
  language sample)
• Task analysis /P for each step
• Opportunity/Response
• See handout for examples of data sheets

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Interval Recording Time Sampling

• Event recording is not feasible to use with
  high-frequency behaviors and extended time
  periods
• In this instance you can use interval recording
  or time sampling
• What is the difference?
• Interval recording previously determined
  intervals (i.e. 15secs) a /- is marked if the
  target behavior is observed within that interval
  (overestimates) (decrease bx)
• Time sampling similar in that intervals are
  determined but the /- is marked at the end of
  the interval for target behavior and it has to
  occur when you check (underestimates) (increase
  bx)
• Examples of when to use
• Out of seat behavior
• Off task/ On task
• Humming
• Engagement
• Stereotypy
• Tantrums and aggressions
• Hand mouthing/thumb sucking
• See handout for examples of data sheets

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Duration Latency

• Use these methods when time doing behavior or
  time to start of behavior is important
• Duration length of time student engaged in
  target behavior
• Latency length of time from stimulus to
  initiation of target behavior
• Examples
• Duration (notice some the same as interval)
• Tantrum bx
• Social bx
• Engagement
• Sterotypy
• Latency
• Time to start work
• Time to follow direction or answering questions
• Initiating transitions
• See examples on handout

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How do you choose?

• Look at the behavior you are targeting
• Do you want to increase or decrease?
• How important is your reliability and accuracy?

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Considerations for Data Collection System

• KEEP IT SIMPLE!
• Should be efficient and easy to interpret
• Should be easy to train staff
• Should include only crucial info (prioritize)
• Easy to graph or visualize

Adapted from Dr. Chris Reeve, Nova Southeastern
University
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Information to Record

• Necessary Information
• Date
• Whos taking data
• Student response
• Optional Information
• Prompt level - optional
• Type of error (wrong or no response)
  consistency is key
• Notes

Adapted from Dr. Chris Reeve, Nova Southeastern
University
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When to collect data

• Daily
• High priority objectives
• Behavior concerns
• Programs with concerns
• Trial data

• Weekly
• Lower priority objectives
• Objectives that dont occur daily
• Maintenance programs
• Probe

Adapted from Dr. Chris Reeve, Nova Southeastern
University
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Thoughts on Data

• You HAVE to take data!
• Should be taken as it happens (not summarized at
  the end of the day!)
• Make it easy
• Dont stress about it!

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Issues with Data Collection

• One EA with multiple students
• Several EAs with one student
• Limited time with student
• Too many goals
• Multitasking working with a student and taking
  data at the same time

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Make a plan

• Write goals and plan for data collection at the
  same time
• Determine which goals individual staff will
  collect data on and when (team meeting/planning)
• Schedule data collection
• Utilize non-conventional methods
• Put data in centers where you will collect it
• Assign data to para-pros
• Carry over of skills from 11 to classroom

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When multiple people are collecting data

• Consider simple forms of treatment fidelity
• Monitor data for inconsistencies
• Observe others implementing the same goals
• Use informal checks of inter-observer agreement
• Include notes about unusual circumstances and
  child behavior
• Consider using different color pens for each

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Sharing Data

• With school team members
• With parents
• With outside providers
• How do you share data?

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Sharing Data

• How? Graphs written summaries
• When? Weekly to Bi-weekly
• Why? It helps you to evaluate your current
  intervention and make changes accordingly. It
  tells you when your goal is met.
• Who? Assign graphing duties to specific
  individuals Assign ONE person to monitor graphs

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Why graph?

• It is a visual representation of progress
• It helps you to evaluate your current
  intervention and make changes accordingly
• It tells you when your goal is met.