Functional skill expectations change considerably from kindergarten through high school. A skill that is appropriate for a first grader may be too basic for a middle-school student, while a transition skill expected in high school may not be appropriate for a younger child.

The K-12th Grade Functional Life Skills Checklists, IEP Goals & Interventions Bundle includes four separate, developmentally appropriate resources:

• K–2nd Grade Functional Life Skills Checklist, IEP Goals & Interventions
• 3rd–5th Grade Functional Life Skills Checklist, IEP Goals & Interventions
• 6th–8th Grade Functional Life Skills Checklist, IEP Goals & Interventions
• 9th–12th Grade Functional Life Skills Checklist, IEP Goals & Interventions

Each resource helps educators identify specific functional skill strengths and needs, select targeted interventions, and develop measurable goals. The high-school resource also includes Independent and Supported tracks to reflect different transition pathways and adult-support needs.

I created this bundle to give educators a consistent system for assessing and teaching functional life skills across the school years without relying on one checklist that is too broad, too basic, or too advanced for the student.

FOUR DEVELOPMENTALLY APPROPRIATE GRADE BANDS

K–2nd Grade

The early elementary resource focuses on foundational skills related to routines, communication, safety, self-care, emotional regulation, play, and emerging independence.

3rd–5th Grade

The upper elementary resource reflects increasing expectations for organization, responsibility, self-advocacy, work habits, personal care, social participation, and preparation for middle school.

6th–8th Grade

The middle-school resource addresses managing multiple classes, following complex schedules, organizing materials, advocating for help, regulating emotions across settings, completing personal responsibilities, and preparing for high school.

9th–12th Grade

The high-school resource focuses on employability, daily living, self-advocacy, community access, postsecondary education, transition services, and independent or supported adult living.

The high-school version includes:

• Independent Track: For students working toward completing functional tasks with minimal assistance
• Supported Track: For students expected to continue using accommodations, prompting, structured guidance, or adult support

MOVE FROM A BROAD CONCERN TO A SPECIFIC SKILL

A student described as “not independent” may need support with one specific part of a larger task. Another student may perform a skill in one setting but not with different people, materials, or expectations.

Students may need support with:

• Following routines
• Managing materials and responsibilities
• Communicating the need for assistance
• Advocating for accommodations
• Regulating emotions
• Completing self-care and daily living tasks
• Making safe decisions
• Managing money
• Preparing for employment
• Navigating school and community settings
• Using adult support effectively

These informal functional skills assessments separate broad concerns into specific, observable skills. Once the team identifies the skill needing support, the aligned interventions and sample goals provide a practical starting point for individualized instruction and planning.

WHAT’S INCLUDED IN THE K–12 BUNDLE

This bundle includes:

• Four complete grade-band resources
• Separate K–2, 3–5, 6–8, and 9–12 checklists
• Independent and Supported tracks in the high-school resource
• Fourteen functional skill areas in each grade-band resource
• Developmentally appropriate student skill indicators
• Targeted interventions aligned with each skill area
• Measurable sample goals that can be individualized
• Notes and comments sections
• Optional tracking sheets for progress monitoring
• Printable and digital tracking options

The same 14 broad functional areas are addressed across the product line. The individual checklist items, interventions, and goals are adapted to match the expectations of each grade band.

FOURTEEN FUNCTIONAL LIFE SKILL AREAS

Each grade-band resource addresses:

• Community Navigation and Safety
• Daily Living Skills
• Employment and Job Readiness
• Independence and Self-Advocacy
• Meal Preparation and Nutrition
• Medical and Health Management
• Motor Skills and Safety Awareness
• Personal Finance and Money Management
• Play and Leisure Skills
• Pre-Academic and Academic Readiness
• Self-Care Skills
• Self-Regulation and Emotional Control
• Social Skills and Communication
• Toileting Skills

These areas allow teams to consider the whole student rather than focusing only on academic performance or classroom behavior.

TARGETED FUNCTIONAL SKILLS INTERVENTIONS

Each checklist area includes interventions that can be selected and adapted according to the student’s needs, developmental level, setting, and future goals.

Depending on the skill and grade band, interventions may include:

• Explicit instruction and modeling
• Visual, written, or technology-based supports
• Task analysis
• Guided practice
• Prompting and systematic prompt fading
• Reinforcement
• Environmental adjustments
• Organizational systems
• Social stories and role-play
• Supported problem-solving
• Self-monitoring
• Community-based practice
• Supported decision-making
• Self-advocacy instruction
• Job-readiness practice
• Emotional-regulation strategies

The intervention lists provide practical starting points rather than one plan for every student.

MEASURABLE FUNCTIONAL LIFE SKILLS IEP GOALS

The sample goals connect directly to the skills assessed. Educators can adjust the setting, prompting level, frequency, performance criteria, and expected level of independence to reflect the student’s baseline and individual needs.

Goals may address:

• Daily living skills
• Communication
• Self-care
• Personal and community safety
• Emotional regulation
• Social participation
• Self-advocacy
• Organization and responsibility
• Academic readiness and work habits
• Money management
• Employability and job readiness
• Community navigation
• Independent or supported adult functioning

Using aligned checklists, interventions, and goals helps teams explain why a goal was selected, what skill the student is developing, and how that skill supports greater independence.

USE THIS BUNDLE TO

• Identify functional life skill strengths and needs
• Establish informal baseline information
• Compare student performance with developmentally appropriate expectations
• Select priorities for direct instruction
• Choose targeted interventions
• Develop measurable functional IEP goals
• Document observations and progress
• Prepare for IEP and transition meetings
• Support BIP and MTSS planning
• Improve collaboration among teachers, families, and service providers
• Monitor functional skill development across grade bands
• Plan for school participation, employment, community access, and adult living

WHO THIS BUNDLE IS FOR

This bundle may be especially helpful for:

• K–12 special education teachers
• Self-contained classroom programs
• Special education departments
• Behavior specialists
• School psychologists
• Interventionists
• Transition coordinators
• Occupational therapists and related-service providers
• Vocational and community-based programs
• IEP, BIP, MTSS, and transition teams

The four grade bands make this bundle especially useful for educators, schools, and teams supporting students with a wide range of ages and developmental abilities.

IMPORTANT ASSESSMENT INFORMATION

These resources are informal educational assessment and planning tools. They are not standardized, norm-referenced, or diagnostic assessments. They do not replace a formal evaluation, functional behavior assessment, comprehensive transition assessment, or other individualized assessment when one is required.

The checklist items, interventions, and sample goals should be individualized according to the student’s needs, baseline performance, developmental level, environment, future plans, and required support.

The purpose is not to hold every student to one definition of independence. It is to help the team identify meaningful next steps and plan instruction that supports participation, self-determination, and the greatest appropriate level of independence.

Important Note About Upgrading to the Bundle

If you have already purchased one or both individual checklists (K–2 or 3–5) and would like the full bundle, you can contact TPT for a reimbursement of the individual products so you only pay the bundle price.

Not sure what kind of data collection you need? Take a look at my FREE Resource, Data Collection for Behavior, which will walk you through various types of data collection, how to use them, and which types of behavior each data collection method is best suited to.

Please follow me on TPT for more great behavior tracking and SEL resources. And remember, if you purchase, please leave a review and TPT will give you credits toward more fabulous TPT resources!