Introduction

Teachers and behavior specialists usually set IEP goals with around 80% accuracy. However, new research shows this might not be high enough. To master a skill, students need more than accuracy—they need to be fast, apply skills in different places, and keep those skills over time (Cooper, Heron, & Heward, 2020). Setting goals higher than 80% accuracy and including fluency, generalization, and maintenance will help students keep their skills

What Should an Effective IEP Goal Include?

A good IEP goal has four main parts:

• Accuracy: Doing the skill correctly, aiming closer to 90–100% rather than 80%.
• Fluency: Quickly and smoothly using the skill, helping it last longer.
• Generalization: Using the skill in different settings and situations.
• Maintenance: Keeping the skill over a longer period without extra teaching.

Goals that only look at accuracy might miss important parts like fluency or generalization. When students practice all these areas, they strongly remember their skills and use them more effectively in real life (Stokes & Baer, 1977).

Why Go Beyond 80% Accuracy?

Recent studies clearly show that aiming for 90–100% accuracy leads to better skill retention (Fuller & Fienup, 2018; Richling, Williams, & Carr, 2019; Pitts & Hoerger, 2021). Fuller and Fienup (2018) found that students remember skills longer when they learned them at 90% accuracy compared to 80%. Richling and his team (2019) strongly confirmed that skills learned at 100% accuracy stayed above 80% even weeks later, unlike those taught only to 80%. Pitts and Hoerger (2021) proved that each step up in accuracy (from 80% to 90% to 100%) strongly improved long-term retention.

These studies send a message: pushing beyond 80% accuracy helps students keep their skills longer.

The Power of Fluency

Fluency means using a skill both correctly and quickly. Precision teaching, a method that strongly focuses on fluency, helps students learn skills deeply and permanently (Binder, 1996; Johnson & Layng, 1992; LeBlanc, Severtson, & Carr, 2011). Skills learned with fluency stay strong even when students face distractions or move onto harder tasks. For example, a student who knows math facts fluently can solve problems faster and remember those facts longer. Fluency is essential to true mastery.

Helping Skills Transfer Across Situations

Generalization helps students use their skills everywhere, not just in one classroom. Teachers can support this by using different examples, teaching in varied settings, and connecting classroom practice to real-world situations (Stokes & Baer, 1977). Even though these methods are proven effective, teachers don't always use them enough. Writing generalization strategies directly into IEP goals strongly improves how students apply their skills.

Planning for Long-Term Skill Retention

Maintenance means keeping skills without extra teaching. Effective strategies include regular checks after teaching stops, quick refresher sessions, and connecting skills to natural, everyday rewards (Richling et al., 2019; Stokes & Baer, 1977). For example, adding monthly check-ins after a student masters a goal helps teachers quickly catch if skills start to fade. This approach ensures long-lasting skill retention.

Extra Proof for Stronger Goals

Research consistently supports comprehensive IEP goals. Precision teaching studies show fluency-trained skills stay strong, even when instruction stops or disruptions happen (LeBlanc et al., 2011). Fluency training also helps students quickly adapt to new learning tasks and real-world settings (Binder, 1996). Generalization training speeds up how students use their skills across different situations, making their learning more practical (Stokes & Baer, 1977).

How to Put Comprehensive Goals into Action

To effectively implement comprehensive IEP goals, teachers should:

• Set clear accuracy targets between 90–100%.
• Regularly use fluency practice to speed up accurate skill use.
• Clearly outline how generalization will happen by varying teaching settings and teachers.
• Schedule clear maintenance checks and refresher sessions.

An example goal might say: “The student will read 50 sight words at 100% accuracy and 40 words per minute in three different school areas, clearly maintaining these skills during monthly checks for three months after reaching the goal.” Goals like this strongly guide clear expectations for lasting skill use.

Conclusion

Sticking to 80% accuracy isn't enough for skills to last. Raising the standard to 90–100% accuracy and adding fluency, generalization, and maintenance make skills last longer and work better in real life. By clearly setting comprehensive goals, teachers and behavior specialists strongly help students succeed not just in school but also in everyday life.

References

Binder, C. (1996). Behavioral fluency: Evolution of a new paradigm. The Behavior Analyst, 19(2), 163–197.

Cooper, J. O., Heron, T. E., & Heward, W. L. (2020). Applied behavior analysis (3rd ed.). Pearson.

Fuller, J. F., & Fienup, D. M. (2018). A preliminary analysis of mastery criterion level: Effects on response maintenance. Behavior Analysis in Practice, 11(1), 1–8.

Johnson, K. R., & Layng, T. V. J. (1992). Breaking the structuralist barrier: Literacy and numeracy with fluency. American Psychologist, 47(11), 1475–1490.

LeBlanc, L. A., Severtson, J. M., & Carr, J. E. (2011). On the use of fluency training in the behavioral treatment of autism: A commentary. Journal of Applied Behavior Analysis, 44(4), 959–969.

Pitts, L., & Hoerger, M. L. (2021). Mastery criteria and the maintenance of skills in children with developmental disabilities. Behavioral Interventions, 36(3), 522–531.

Richling, S. M., Williams, W. L., & Carr, J. E. (2019). The effects of different mastery criteria on skill maintenance for children with developmental disabilities. Journal of Applied Behavior Analysis, 52(1), 107–121.

Stokes, T. F., & Baer, D. M. (1977). An implicit technology of generalization. Journal of Applied Behavior Analysis, 10(2), 349–367.