Short-term objectives and benchmarks are steps that measure the child's progress toward the annual goals in the IEP. They provide teachers and parents with a clear way to evaluate the child's progress, and are valuable for all students with disabilities, not just those taking alternate assessments aligned to alternate achievement standards. Short-term objectives and benchmarks inform the parents and the teachers as to whether the child is meeting his/her goals in a timely manner and ensure that any lack of progress can be addressed by the IEP team during the school year.

Eliminating the requirement that all students who receive special education and/or related services have short-term objectives/benchmarks in their IEPs does not benefit children with disabilities and their families.