Writing SMART Goals | CBS Therapy
                     WRITING SMART 
GOALS: CBS THERAPY
THE PROVEN PATH TO REAL 
PROGRESS
Tracking student progress is one of the most crucial 
components of a child’s journey in special education. Data 
collection allows us to provide children with the best possible 
interventions and actively impact their education. Special 
educators, occupational, physical, speech-language, and 
behavior therapists all use SMART goals as an efficient way to 
support intervention planning and data collection.
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SMART Goals?
The SMART template provides a 
consistent structure for goal-writing. 
They are widely recognized in education 
and help professionals ensure that the 
goal includes all necessary components. 
 
SMART Is An 
Acronym That Stands 
For:
S Specifi
c
M Measurable
A Attainabl
e
R Relevan
t
T Time-bound
S: Specific
Educators should write goals with definitive criteria. 
Break down anything that might be considered vague. 
‘Play-group’ could be described more specifically as ‘a 
teacher-facilitated recess group with five same-age 
peers.’ If the child has to switch school districts without 
notice, the new educators should easily distinguish all 
the goal criteria. Don’t forget to include any adaptive 
equipment, modifications, or cues that the student will 
use to meet their target.  
M: Measurable
This part of the goal reveals the intended 
outcome and helps track progress. To improve a 
goal, add one specific behavior that an 
educator can measure. For example, “Hakim 
will initiate three social interactions with peers, 
as measured by teacher data collection” rather 
than “Hakim will participate in a play-group.” 
Be sure to include who will collect the data or if 
there will be an observation period, retesting, or 
portfolio collection.  
A: Attainable
When a child qualifies for special education or 
transitions into a program, they undergo a thorough 
evaluation. The evaluation should contain the 
child’s present levels of educational performance. 
Use this information to create goals that are 
attainable within the term of the IEP. If a child is 
currently speaking with one-word responses, it is 
unrealistic to expect them to use an average of six 
words per sentence within a year. Use their present 
levels along with your clinical reasoning to 
determine what is an attainable goal.  
R: Relevant
Does the goal fit into the context of the child 
accessing their education? Does it make sense 
given the child’s individual learning profile and 
needs? If it is unclear, try using vocabulary that 
ties the goal back to the student’s educational 
needs. If it still doesn’t fit, consider what the team 
wants to prioritize to ensure that the goal is 
relevant.  
The goal should be attainable within the timeframe of 
the IEP. An IEP is typically valid for one year. 
However, if a related service gets added to the plan 
T: Time-bound mid-year, the specialist will create goals for a shorter 
time. To ensure that you are using the correct 
timeframe, look for the next annual IEP date and 
write it into the goals. Refer back to this part of the 
goal to check that the target is attainable.  
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