Social Emotional IEP Goals: 20 Measurable Examples by CASEL Competency

Social emotional IEP goals (also called SEL IEP goals, for social emotional learning) target the skills a student needs to understand and manage emotions, get along with others and make responsible choices, written as measurable goals from the student’s present levels.

What social emotional IEP goals cover

A social emotional IEP goal is a measurable annual goal for one student’s need in understanding emotions, handling them, reading other people, getting along or making choices. Many teams organize them by CASEL’s five competencies: self-awareness, self-management, social awareness, relationship skills and responsible decision-making (CASEL). This guide calls the second one “managing emotions and behavior.” Some districts title the IEP domain social-emotional-behavioral (SEB); the goals are the same.

CASEL is a framework, not a regulation; the legal requirement comes from IDEA. The present levels must describe how the disability affects the student’s involvement and progress in the general education curriculum, and the IEP must include measurable annual goals for the needs that result from the disability (34 CFR §300.320(a)(1)–(2)). A social emotional need named there has to be addressed in the IEP, usually with a goal whose baseline comes from the present levels.

No emotional disturbance eligibility is needed. The evaluation must identify all of a student’s special education and related services needs, “whether or not commonly linked to the disability category” (§300.304(c)(6)), so a student with a learning disability, autism or ADHD can carry a social emotional goal. The Supreme Court’s standard in Endrew F. applies to the whole IEP: it must be “reasonably calculated to enable a child to make progress appropriate in light of the child’s circumstances” (Endrew F., 2017).

Classroom SEL goals vs IEP social emotional goals

A social emotional goal names a skill to build, such as naming feelings, solving a conflict or making a safe choice. A classroom SEL goal is set for everyone in the room; an IEP social emotional goal is set for one student, from that student’s data. Classroom goals belong to universal (Tier 1) instruction, the kind of program Durlak and colleagues reviewed in a meta-analysis of 213 school-based universal SEL programs (Durlak et al., 2011). Examples of classroom SEL goals for students:

• By May, students will use a feelings check-in at the start of advisory.
• Each student will set one weekly goal and review it on Fridays.
• Groups will use a shared plan for disagreements during projects.

Teachers may still track these, but none is individually required or reported to a family. An IEP social emotional goal must have a baseline, a measurement method and scheduled progress reports.

A common mistake is using a lesson objective as the IEP goal. “Students will identify the different emotions they could feel in a given scenario” is fine for a class; pasted into an IEP, it has no student, no starting point and no way to tell whether this student moved. Compare model goal A below: one student, a check-in setting, a numeric baseline and a counselor’s log.

A student with an IEP still takes part in classroom SEL: the universal lesson teaches everyone, and the IEP goal measures whether this student uses the skill.

Picking the competency from present levels

Start from what the present levels already say, then pick the one competency that explains most of it:

A student who shows something in every row still needs a starting point. Pick the row that most limits the student’s access, participation or well-being (a quiet, withdrawn student counts as much as one who leaves class), and write 1–2 goals. Meet the other needs through services, supports or accommodations, and say so in the present levels. Another common mistake is one goal per competency: five goals mean five data streams, and few case managers can collect all five well.

Then turn one existing source into a number: a rating scale, counselor check-in notes, referral data, a 10-day observation or a self-rating. “Struggles with emotions” becomes “names an emotion in 1 of 5 check-ins.”

Every goal below has five parts:

1. Baseline: a number from that data, in parentheses at the end.
2. Condition: the setting, prompt or support.
3. Observable behavior: what an adult sees or hears.
4. Criterion with a consistency window: “4 of 5 check-ins across 4 consecutive weeks.”
5. Measurement method: check-in log, rubric, DBR, observation tally or a self-rating checked against staff.

Social emotional IEP goal examples for each CASEL competency

These measurable social emotional goal examples are entry-level starting points. Start each with “By [IEP end date],” replace every baseline with the student’s own data and set the criterion from it. “Minimum 5” means at least 5 recorded chances across the window. Any feeling a student names about themselves counts; staff never mark it wrong.

Self-awareness

1. [Grades K–5] At arrival and after recess, using a feelings board, [Student] will point to, say or select a feeling and show where they feel it on a body outline in at least 8 of 10 check-ins in each of 4 consecutive weeks, as measured by a teacher check-in log (baseline: both parts in 2 of 10).
2. [Grades 6–8] Model goal A. At a daily counselor or homeroom check-in, and after any reported conflict, [Student] will identify their emotion, rate its intensity on a 1–5 scale and name one possible cause in 4 of 5 check-ins across 4 consecutive weeks, as measured by a check-in log reviewed weekly by the school counselor (baseline: all three parts in 0 of 5 check-ins; identifies an emotion in 1 of 5; usually answers “I don’t know” or “fine”).
3. [Grades 6–8] At the end of science and social studies, [Student] will rate how much of the period they worked on the task (0–10 DBR), landing within 2 points of the teacher’s earlier rating on both cards on 4 of 5 days in each of 4 consecutive weeks, as measured by the paired cards (baseline: 1 of 5 days; rates 10 daily).
4. [Grades 9–12 and 18–22 programs] After each work-based learning shift, [Student] will mark a yes/no checklist (started without a reminder, asked for help when stuck, kept working or asked for a break after a correction), matching the job coach on 2 of 3 items in 4 of 5 shifts across 4 consecutive weeks, as measured by both checklists (baseline: 1 of 5 shifts; marks every item yes).

If check-ins keep turning up “I’m stupid,” look at negative self-talk goals instead.

Managing emotions and behavior

5. [Grades K–5] When upset (crying, pushing materials away) and shown a 3-choice picture card (breathe, squeeze ball, calm corner), [Student] will choose and use one within 2 minutes in at least 80% of episodes (minimum 5) across 4 consecutive weeks, as measured by a teacher episode log (baseline: 1 of 5; runs from the room).
6. [Grades 6–8] In a 5-minute debrief once calm, [Student] will name what happened just before the upset (“Jay took my pencil”) and one body sign (hot face) in at least 80% of debriefs (minimum 5) across 4 consecutive weeks, as measured by a debrief log; staff don’t judge the cause (baseline: both parts in 0 of 5).
7. [Grades 6–8] In PE and two other general-education classes, [Student] will request a break (words, card or signal) before leaving on at least 80% of exits (minimum 5) across 4 consecutive weeks, as measured by each teacher’s exit tally, with a daily DBR of time in the activity or on an agreed break as a second measure (baseline: 1 of 5 exits; DBR average 3).
8. [Grades 9–12 and 18–22 programs] At a community job site, after a listed stressor (a correction, a rush of customers), [Student] will use one of 3 pocket-card options (tell the supervisor and take a 3-minute break, slow breathing, write it down) and return to the task within 5 minutes in at least 80% of stressors (minimum 5) across 4 consecutive weeks, as measured by a job-coach log (baseline: 1 of 5).

Once [Student] does this reliably, longer goals for staying regulated through a class belong in self-regulation IEP goals.

Social awareness

9. [Grades K–5] During read-aloud, at the first 5 planned pauses each week, [Student] will name a character’s feeling (word, picture or device) and one clue from the picture or text in 4 of 5 pauses in each of 4 consecutive weeks, as measured by a teacher tally; any feeling the clue supports counts (baseline: 1 of 5).
10. [Grades K–5] During morning centers, [Student] will let a peer finish a turn, ask instead of grabbing (words, sign or card) and accept a peer’s “no,” rated on an end-of-centers DBR at 7 or higher on 4 of 5 days across 4 consecutive weeks (baseline: DBR average 4 over 10 days).
11. [Grades 6–8] During small-group work, when a peer says they’re stuck or upset, [Student] will respond to the peer (“Want me to show you?”) before returning to their own topic in at least 80% of opportunities (minimum 5) across 4 consecutive weeks, as measured by a teacher tally in one 15-minute segment, 3 days a week (baseline: 1 of 5).
12. [Grades 9–12 and 18–22 programs] Given a written or video scenario at school, work or in the community (a coworker arrives late after a bus breakdown), [Student] will state how each person likely feels, why, and one thing that would help, scoring 3 or 4 on a 4-point rubric in 4 of 5 scenarios on 3 consecutive biweekly probes (baseline: 1 of 5; describes only their own view).

When the problem is misreading faces, tone or body language, write a social cues IEP goal instead.

Relationship skills

13. [Grades K–5] During choice time, [Student] will invite a peer or accept an invitation (words, picture card or device) and keep up at least 3 back-and-forth exchanges in 4 of 5 observed sessions across 4 consecutive weeks, as measured by a staff tally (baseline: 1 of 5; plays alone beside peers).
14. [Grades 6–8] In group work, when [Student] disagrees with a group member, [Student] will state their view in their own words and offer or accept one compromise, without insults (a requested break counts), in at least 80% of disagreements (minimum 5) across 4 consecutive weeks, as measured by a teacher tally and a weekly self-rating reviewed with the counselor (baseline: 1 of 5).
15. [Grades 9–12 and 18–22 programs] During class projects and community-based instruction, once [Student] has made no visible progress on a task for 3 minutes, [Student] will ask a teacher, coworker or peer a specific question (“Can you show me how to…?”) in at least 80% of opportunities (minimum 5) across 4 consecutive weeks, as measured by a staff tally (baseline: 1 of 5; quits the task).
16. [Grades 9–12 and 18–22 programs] After a conflict with a peer or coworker, by the end of the day, [Student] will choose a repair (talk with the person, write a note, or tell staff what happened and what they’ll do next time) with no more than one prompt in 3 of 4 conflicts across 2 consecutive months, as measured by staff incident notes; harassment of [Student] isn’t counted (baseline: 0 of 4).

For starting and keeping up interactions with classmates, see peer interaction IEP goals; for making and keeping friends, friendship IEP goals.

Responsible decision-making

17. [Grades K–5] Given a picture problem card (someone took my spot in line) with 3 pictured choices in random order, [Student] will choose a safe option and say or show what might happen next in 4 of 5 cards on 3 consecutive weekly probes, as measured by a probe sheet (baseline: 1 of 5).
18. [Grades K–5] When [Student] stops working during independent work, [Student] will choose from a 4-item “What do I do now?” card (check my work, raise my hand, quiet-box activity, movement break) in at least 80% of opportunities (minimum 5) across 4 consecutive weeks, as measured by a teacher tally (baseline: 1 of 5; wanders the room).
19. [Grades 6–8] In weekly counseling group, given a peer-pressure scenario (a friend says to skip class), [Student] will name the choice, one consequence and a refusal or alternative in 4 of 5 scenarios on 3 consecutive biweekly probes, as measured by a 3-step checklist (baseline: 1 of 5; says they’d go along).
20. [Grades 9–12 and 18–22 programs] Model goal B. Given a written or role-played peer-conflict scenario, [Student] will state the problem, generate 2 possible responses, predict one likely consequence for each, and choose a response that does not harm self or others in 4 of 5 scenarios on 3 consecutive biweekly probes, and will use the chosen step in at least 1 real conflict per month as recorded by staff (months with no recorded conflict are skipped), as measured by a 4-point scenario rubric and a staff incident note (baseline: all four steps in 0 of 5 scenarios; generates one response, usually retaliation, in 4 of 5; uses a chosen step in 0 recorded real conflicts).

Probe goals like 12, 17 and 19 show reasoning on paper; add a real-setting part, as model goal B does, once scores hold.

Social emotional goals for autistic students

Social emotional IEP goals for autistic students keep the same five parts and change four things:

• Put visual supports in the condition and on the supplementary aids page, so the support is part of what the team agreed to.
• Teach in context, through the student’s interests. A shared activity built on a favorite topic creates natural chances to practice.
• Accept the student’s communication mode as the behavior: AAC, writing, a picture card or a gesture.
• Measure where the skill is needed: recess, the lunchroom or the job site, not only the counseling office.

What not to write: eye contact for a set number of seconds, “quiet hands,” or stopping stimming that harms no one. Goals like these reward hiding autistic traits and build no new skill. ASHA lists reducing or hiding stimming and keeping up the appearance of eye contact as examples of masking, notes that higher camouflaging has been associated with stress, anxiety and depression, and says skilled services should not force autistic people to mask (ASHA Practice Portal).

Two goals from above, rewritten:

• Goal 1, before: “using a feelings board, [Student] will point to, say or select a feeling…” After: “using a feelings page on [Student]’s AAC device (symbols or photos [Student] helped choose), [Student] will select, point to or say a feeling…”
• Goal 13, before: “During choice time, [Student] will invite a peer or accept an invitation…” After: “During choice time and recess, with a shared activity built on [Student]’s interest (a train set, a building game), [Student] will invite a peer to play or join a peer’s activity… as measured by a paraprofessional or recess-aide tally.”

One social emotional goal, rewritten

A weak social emotional goal usually lacks an observable behavior and a baseline number, and doesn’t say which need it serves. Here is one, rebuilt from present levels.

Weak: “[Student] will improve their social emotional skills.”

Why it fails:

• It names no competency.
• No adult can see or hear “improve.”
• With no baseline or criterion, no one can say at the annual review whether it was met.

Strong, walked through the present-levels table above:

• Present level: In group work, [Student] insults a peer or leaves the group in 3 of 5 disagreements and states a view with a compromise in 1 of 5 (teacher tally, 2 weeks).
• Competency: relationship skills (conflicts in group work).
• Behavior: states their view in their own words and offers or accepts one compromise.
• Measurable goal: goal 14 above, with that tally as the baseline.

Quick fix, from the earlier version of this post: “By (date), the student will engage in acts of kindness towards peers at least three times a week.” It doesn’t define kindness, has no baseline and rewards a count, not a skill. Fixed: [Grades 6–8] during group work, when a peer says they’re stuck or asks for help, [Student] will offer help (passes materials, shows a step) in at least 80% of observed opportunities (minimum 5) across 4 consecutive weeks, as measured by a teacher tally (baseline: 1 of 5).

Before you finalize any goal, check three things:

• Which competency?
• What will an adult see or hear?
• What number is it moving from?

What a file reviewer checks in a social emotional goal

A monitor reading the file traces each goal from need to data. State protocols add their own items; these six are the common core:

1. Present levels → goal. The goal answers a need named in the present levels (§300.320(a)(1)–(2)), and its baseline uses data recorded there.
2. Same measure, observable behavior. Baseline and criterion use the same tool and unit, the rubric or card is in the file, and two adults would agree on whether the behavior happened.
3. Behavior considered. If behavior impedes learning, the IEP shows the team considered positive behavioral interventions and supports (§300.324(a)(2)(i)).
4. Service matches the goal. Whoever teaches the skill appears on the services page with frequency, location and duration (§300.320(a)(7)); counseling, psychological and social work services are related services (§300.34).
5. Measurement and schedule stated. The IEP says how progress is measured and when reports go home (§300.320(a)(3); statute: Individuals with Disabilities Education Act).
6. Reports carry data. Each report gives a number from that measure, on schedule. If progress stalled, the team revised the IEP (§300.324(b)).

Monitoring social emotional goals with daily ratings

Direct Behavior Rating (DBR) gives a general-education teacher a quick way to rate behavior; Chafouleas (2011) reviews the research behind it. At the end of a set period, the teacher rates one or more defined behaviors (keep it to 1–3) on a 0–10 scale, where the number estimates how much of the period the behavior happened. Completing the form has been estimated at 10 seconds to just under a minute per student, depending on how many behaviors are rated (UConn DBR overview). The card below adapts the scale to the share of chances the student used; that is a local adaptation, so research on the standard scale doesn’t automatically carry over. Take the baseline with the same tool as the criterion, and pair DBR with the goal’s direct measure, because DBR is an estimate, not a count.

A third common mistake is a rating scale without behavior anchors: two teachers can rate the same day differently, and the graph ends up measuring the rater. The card below pairs model goal A’s check-in log (which decides the goal) with one anchored DBR item that checks whether the skill carries over to class. The teacher rates it at the end of one period: “When [Student] asked for help or a break, they said how they felt (words, a 1–5 number or a card).” 0 = none of the times; 5 = about half; 10 = every time; blank = no request. Help or a break is given either way, and any feeling word counts. Check-in steps are scored I (independent), P (prompted) or N (not yet).

Print a blank copy (one page, no sign-up): Download the checklist and rubric data sheet (PDF, one page)

Who collects: general-education teachers rate, the counselor keeps the check-in log and the case manager graphs. Before the first rating, score 3 practice examples together:

• Asked for a break twice, said “I need a break” both times → 0 (break given).
• Asked for help four times, gave a feeling or number twice → 5.
• Asked for a break once: “frustrated, a 3” → 10.

Student voice: [Student] rates the same item daily. A gap (7 against 5 here) is for the counselor to talk through privately; the teacher rates what was said, never whether the feeling was “right.”

Judge:

• Rate daily, graph weekly averages, review every 4 weeks and report on the IEP’s schedule. The aim line runs from the baseline to the criterion at the IEP end date.
• If the four most recent weekly averages fall below the aim line, consider adapting the instruction or support; leave the goal alone. That four-point rule is NCII’s for academic data, and its log notes behavior interventions may need adapting sooner (NCII review log). It is one step in NCII’s data-based individualization process.
• Once the data meet the criterion for 4 consecutive weeks, report the goal as met under its stated conditions; the team then decides whether to fade prompts, add a setting or revise the goal.

For families, one plain sentence from the graph: “[Student] named a feeling, how strong it was and why, on their own, on 2 of 5 days this week, up from 0 of 5 in September.”

Naming mixed feelings: an Emotional Well-Being Curriculum lesson

In “How I Really Feel,” Lesson 1 of a Grade 7 unit in Ori Learning’s Emotional Well-Being Curriculum, students learn they can feel more than one emotion at once. They think of a situation that brings two or more feelings together; the lesson’s example is a roller coaster that makes someone “both scared and excited.” They look at common complex emotions and fill in what makes up their own, such as “Jealousy = worry + anger + fear.” The lesson puts it plainly: “Naming emotions can be tricky. Especially when they are complex. Being able to describe our emotions and figure out what we need can help us feel better.” Students then read three scenarios and answer three questions: what different emotions they would feel, why, and what they would need to feel better.

Model goal A checks the same naming skill at one student’s check-in. The lesson comes from Ori Learning’s SEL curriculum for grades 6–12. To see how these skills build across grades 6–12, download the scope and sequence.

Sources

1. CASEL. What Is SEL? https://casel.org/what-is-sel/
2. Durlak, J. A., Weissberg, R. P., Dymnicki, A. B., Taylor, R. D., & Schellinger, K. B. (2011). The impact of enhancing students’ social and emotional learning: A meta-analysis of school-based universal interventions. Child Development, 82(1), 405–432. https://doi.org/10.1111/j.1467-8624.2010.01564.x
3. National Center on Intensive Intervention. Data-based individualization (https://intensiveintervention.org/data-based-individualization) and Implementation and review log (https://intensiveintervention.org/sites/default/files/Implement_Review_Log_508.pdf).
4. Chafouleas, S. M. (2011). Direct Behavior Rating: A review of the issues and research in its development. Education and Treatment of Children, 34(4), 575–591. https://doi.org/10.1353/etc.2011.0034; and University of Connecticut, DBR overview for intervention teams, https://direct-behavior-ratings.education.uconn.edu/wp-content/uploads/sites/916/2017/04/DBR-Overview-for-Intervention-Teams.pdf
5. Individuals with Disabilities Education Act regulations, 34 CFR §300.320 (https://www.ecfr.gov/current/title-34/section-300.320), §300.304, §300.324 and §300.34; statute, 20 U.S.C. §1414(d) (https://sites.ed.gov/idea/statute-chapter-33/subchapter-ii/1414/d); Endrew F. v. Douglas County School District RE–1, 580 U.S. 386 (2017), https://www.supremecourt.gov/opinions/16pdf/15-827_0pm1.pdf
6. American Speech-Language-Hearing Association. Autism and autism spectrum disorder [Practice Portal]. https://www.asha.org/practice-portal/clinical-topics/autism/

Related IEP Goal Resources

• how to write SMART IEP goals
• self-regulation IEP goals
• social skills IEP goals
• IEP goals for negative self-talk
• perspective-taking IEP goals