Writing Strong Goals: The Key to Improving Strong Family/School Partnerships

As both a parent and a professional advocate, Mary Beth Moore has seen how making the IEP process more collaborative around goal development, and writing clear, ambitious goals can rebuild trust in team relationships and fundamentally change perceptions around inclusion. Come learn how to make the IEP process more family friendly and write goals that allow the team’s expertise, and ultimately the child they are centered around, shine.

Different perceptions of inclusion is often a stopping point at many IEP tables. Conversations become focused on binary outcomes – segregation or inclusion. Goals and progress become a factor in those conversations and trust deteriorates rapidly when data sheets and progress monitoring information are insufficient. But trust can be rebuilt and it starts with how ambitious goals are written and implemented. Come learn how to use collaborative goal writing to address parent concerns, meaningfully include parent input and approach progress monitoring in a way that is open and transparent. We all have a common purpose. Let’s figure out how to rally around it.


About Mary Beth Moore

Mary Beth Moore is a professional special education advocate and a mother of four. She gained her passion and knowledge of advocacy while enduring an 18 month battle over access to feeding therapy in schools. Mary Beth founded White Hawk Advocacy in honor of her son, Gavin, whose name means White Hawk of Battle. In her role as a mom of a special needs child and as an advocate, she has become a trusted adviser to parents and professionals alike. She is dedicated to improving the lives of children with disabilities, supporting schools on the journey to inclusion and building strong community connections to ensure an inherent sense of belonging is extended beyond the school environment.