Keywords

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Synonyms

Behavioral objectives; Benchmarks; Instructional objectives; Milestones; Performance objectives; Steps

Definition

Objectives are often called instructional objectives in the individual educational plan for children receiving special education services. These instructional objectives are statements that describe the specific instruction for an individual student and provide criteria to measure the effectiveness of the instruction. Mager’s performance objective model describes three essential criteria for an objective. An objective must contain a clearly stated behavior or skill, the conditions under which that behavior or skill will occur, and how that behavior or skill will be measured (criteria) to determine achievement of the objective (Mager 1984). It is imperative that objectives be written in terms that are both observable and measurable. An example of an objective that aligns with this model might be: “When given a piece of primary paper and a pencil, Susie will print her first and last name with 100% accuracy in spelling.”

See Also