Let’s Write Goals That Matter (With Students—Not For Them)

One of the most frustrating parts of being a special education teacher is watching students disengage from goals that were written without them. At the CEC conference, I attended a session by Hunter and Dale Matusevich that echoed something I’ve felt in my core for years: we’ve got to stop setting goals for students and start setting them with them.

Why I Needed This Session

I’ve seen it firsthand—students who don’t even know what their IEP goals are. Others who roll their eyes when we mention goal setting. And who can blame them? If you’re a high schooler and adults are still deciding what success looks like for you without asking your opinion… it feels like your voice doesn’t matter.

This especially matters in a school like mine, where students graduate with the requirements to attend any Cal State—but only about 33% actually apply. For many, it’s not about capability. It’s about belief in themselves. That lack of self-determination is what learned helplessness looks like. And it’s something I’m actively working to combat.

What Stuck With Me from CEC

The Matuseviches emphasized the Self-Determination Learning Model (SDLMI), which helps students set, plan, and reflect on goals using structured conversations. It’s all about making students the drivers of their own plans. I especially loved this quote from the session:

“Students want teachers to talk with them, not at them.”

YES. When we ask students what they want to improve, and what support actually helps them get there, we build motivation, autonomy, and trust.

My Take: A Simple, Empowering Resource

To make this work in my classroom, I created a tool:"Let’s Write Goals That Matter to You" – a reflection-based worksheet that helps students:

✅ Think about what they do well

✅ Identify what’s hard

✅ Set their own academic or personal goal

✅ Understand the why behind goal setting

It creates space for honest reflection and saves me time by giving a clear structure to these conversations. It also helps me meet compliance requirements in a more meaningful way.

What’s Next? Start with a Question

When I hand this out to students, I don’t start with, “Let’s write an IEP goal.”I start with: “What do you want to get better at this year?”

Then I ask:

• What’s easy for you?

• What’s hard?

• What kind of support actually helps you?

• What do you want your teachers to know?

  
  

These questions shift the focus from compliance to connection—and that’s where the real progress begins.