How AI Can Help You Write SMARTer IEP Goals and Monitor Progress Like a Pro

If you’ve ever stared at a blank screen trying to come up with how to measure a complex goal or agonized over how to break down a goal into meaningful short-term objectives, this post is for you. Enter your new assistant: AI.

Let’s talk about how artificial intelligence can do more than write a measurable IEP goal – it can actually support your entire goal development and progress monitoring process from start to finish.

Using AI to Develop Baseline Rubrics for IEP Goals

The baseline is the starting line for progress. But defining that “starting line” can be trickier than it sounds, especially when the skills you want to measure are nuanced and complex. Enter rubrics: a consistent, measurable criteria that can meaningfully reflect the student’s current skill level. But, creating a rubric from scratch takes time and brainpower that you may not have during a packed IEP season.

Here’s where AI can help:

• • Generate measurable criteria: Feed your AI tool the IEP goal and some context about the student. It can generate a single or multi-criteria rubric with a point system that defines levels of performance (e.g., from “emerging skill” to “mastery”) in clear, observable terms.

  • Align with standards: AI can reference curriculum standards or developmental milestones to help you anchor your rubrics in evidence-based expectations.

  • Consistency across team members: When multiple providers are taking data on the same skill, an AI-generated rubric ensures everyone is on the same page with how performance is scored.

Using AI to Monitor Progress Across the IEP Year

Rubrics aren’t just for baseline—they’re also gold for tracking growth over time. Once your rubric is in place, AI can help with:

• Data summaries: Collect data on the criteria you want to track using a digital tool like Kit for Teams, then use AI to summarize the data collected over time and translate it into narrative updates for progress reports. If you are using a rubric, upload the rubric along with the raw data to get insights on where the student falls, or to see where additional data may be needed for various criteria.
• Visuals and alerts: AI can detect patterns in the data and alert you to stagnation or regression—before it shows up as a bigger issue.
• Progress prediction: If you add information on baseline, current performance, and long-term goals, AI can help project whether the student is on track to meet their goal by the end of the IEP cycle, giving you time to adjust supports if needed.  

Using AI for Task Analysis & Short-Term Objectives

Writing one strong IEP goal is hard enough. But writing multiple scaffolded objectives that build toward that goal? That’s where task analysis—and a little AI assistance—can save the day.

Try this workflow:

1. 1. Input your main IEP goal (e.g., “Marcus will independently write a structured paragraph that includes a topic sentence, three supporting details, and a concluding sentence scoring 14/15 on teacher-created writing rubrics measured quarterly.”)

   2. Ask the AI to break it down into teachable steps. The output might look like:
      • • Identify the main idea of a topic

        • Generate a topic sentence

        • Write one supporting detail

        • Expand to three details

        • Add a concluding sentence

   3. Turn those steps into short-term objectives, each with clear criteria and measurable targets.
      • • Quarter 1 Objective: With visual supports and sentence starters, Marcus will write a structured paragraph with a topic sentence, at least two supporting details, and a concluding sentence, scoring 10/15 on a teacher-created rubric.
        • Quarter 2 Objective: With minimal teacher prompting, Marcus will write a structured paragraph with a topic sentence, three supporting details, and a concluding sentence, scoring 12/15 on a teacher-created rubric.
        • Quarter 3 Objective: Marcus will independently write a structured paragraph that includes a topic sentence, three supporting details, and a concluding sentence, scoring 13/15 on a teacher-created rubric in 4 out of 5 writing tasks.
        • Quarter 4 Objective: Marcus will independently write a structured paragraph that includes a topic sentence, three supporting details, and a concluding sentence, scoring 14/15 on a teacher-created rubric in 4 out of 5 writing tasks.

The rubric itself will have the criteria clearly defined, and should be attached to the original IEP and each progress report for context on goal progress and mastery.

Why This Matters

IEP teams are stretched thin. Using AI as a thinking partner – not a replacement – can reduce the mental load and ensure your documentation is as strong and individualized as your instruction. It also supports compliance and communication by making sure everyone on the team has clear, consistent, and actionable information.

Final Thoughts

AI isn’t magic. It’s a tool. But when used intentionally, it can make the IEP process smarter, faster, and more collaborative. And isn’t that what we all want?