Writing IEP goals requires thoughtful consideration of each student's unique needs, academic levels, and social or behavioral objectives. Special education teachers must also ensure compliance with legal requirements.

Creating IEP goals that are both compliant and tailored to each student's individual needs can be a time-consuming process.

Between routine paperwork, data collection, and instructional tasks, most special education teachers find it challenging to manage their caseloads.

With so many responsibilities, writing SMART (Specific, Measurable, Achievable, Relevant, and Time-bound) goals can feel overwhelming—especially for new teachers who may not yet have a system in place to streamline these tasks.

But, there is no way around it, as incomplete or poorly written goals can hinder a student’s educational progress, and even result in legal hurdles for schools.

Can the latest advancements in AI (Artificial Intelligence) help with writing IEP goals?

The use of AI in special education has been a growing topic of interest, especially with the advent of Large Language Models (LLMs). But how can AI truly assist teachers in this critical task?

Using a Generic, AI-Driven IEP Goal Generator

AI-driven IEP goal generators can create IEP goals for specific use cases in seconds. But, their accuracy and relevance are not always guaranteed. Special education teachers need to use their judgment and must apply their expertise when relying on such tools.

A simple online search will present you with various IEP goal generators that use general-purpose AI to write IEP goals on the fly. These tools may or may not follow specific criteria for developing IEP goals. As a result, their reliability is often inconsistent.

If you’ve been manually writing IEP goals for your students, these tools might save you time and effort. But there is a better, more reliable way to use AI for generating accurate and relevant IEP goals—let’s look at that next.

Using the AI Feature in AbleSpace to Write IEP Goals

AbleSpace features a comprehensive suite of tools designed specifically for special education teachers to capture and track special education data.

Unlike generic AI-based IEP goal generators, AbleSpace uses highly accurate, vertical training models tailored to special education needs.

Its AI feature is trained on vast amounts of real-world data; it is far superior to generic AI tools for writing IEP goals. This specialized AI ensures greater accuracy and allows for more automation throughout the goal-setting process.

Many teachers across U.S. school districts now rely on AbleSpace to write IEP goals, develop goal strategies, and record progress notes with precision.

While it simplifies the goal-setting process, the software also provides flexibility for teachers to adjust goals as students make progress over time.

In the following video, you'll see how this AI feature works in AbleSpace:

As a comprehensive IEP data collection and goal-tracking app, AbleSpace outperforms other tools by miles. This IEP software goes beyond simply writing IEP goals. It helps you track progress, generate reports, visualize data with graphs, track service times, and even handle Medicaid billing.

It’s the best solution available if you want to cut down administrative work in special education.

Can ChatGPT Help Write IEP Goals?

Yes, special education teachers can leverage ChatGPT and other large language models (LLMs) to develop IEP goals.

Some teachers use these AI tools to quickly generate ideas for academic, behavioral, or social goals.

Often, to get more accurate and relevant IEP goals, they need to provide specific details about each student’s needs, strengths, and areas for improvement.

While this process can save time and energy compared to manual methods, it can still be exhausting. General-purpose AI platforms aren't specifically designed for writing IEP goals and you cannot always rely on their accuracy.

They produce an output that ‘sounds’ right but isn’t always right.

So, you need to put in the effort to generate the goals, verify their accuracy and relevance, and then enter them into a data collection sheet or form—depending on the system you use—before they can actually be applied.

If you want to try this method, here are a few quick prompts you can use to write IEP goals:

• “Create a SMART IEP goal for a 4th-grade student who struggles with multiplication facts; we want to improve their accuracy and speed.”
• “Write a SMART IEP goal for a student who frequently interrupts during class discussions; focus on increasing their ability to wait for their turn to speak.”
• “Write a SMART IEP goal for students with fine motor skill difficulties; focus on improving their handwriting legibility and consistency.”
• “Create a SMART IEP goal for a student who needs support with daily living skills, such as independently managing their personal hygiene routines.”

Limitations of Using Generic AI for Writing IEP Goals

1. Getting IEP Goals that are far from perfect

Generic AI models are not specialized and may not generate goals that fit the student's needs perfectly. Unlike specialized software like AbleSpace, generic AI tools lack focused training in real-world data which can often lead to goals that require considerable review and adjustment.

2. There is room for error

IP goals generated by generic IEP models may contain errors or lack the necessary detail to be fully actionable. Teachers need to carefully review and refine these goals to ensure they meet the required standards and are tailored to the student’s unique needs.

3. They can only automate a small part of the process

After having generated, reviewed, and modified the goals created using generic AI-driven IEP goal generators, teachers need to manually transfer them to spreadsheets, printed sheets, or digital forms for tracking and documentation. This manual process can be time-consuming and counteracts the convenience that AI is supposed to provide.

4. Integration Challenges

Standalone AI tools do not integrate seamlessly with other data collection and tracking systems. This can lead to inefficiencies in managing and tracking student progress, which defeats the purpose of using digital, AI-based tools to save time and effort when writing IEP goals or recording and tracking data.

An all-in-one tool like AbleSpace addresses these gaps by offering features for everything from goal creation and data collection to progress tracking and more. It brings in a far greater level of automation.

Can AI Substitute Humans in Special Education?

While AI can promise impressive support and efficiency, it cannot fully replace the essential roles of teachers, therapists, or paraprofessionals in special education.

It can simplify support, and automate various processes but cannot substitute the critical, nuanced understanding and interpersonal skills vital for effective special education.

AI lacks the personal touch, empathy, and adaptive problem-solving skills that human professionals bring to the table.