Despite federal regulations requiring measurable individualized education programs (IEPs), IEPs are often vague and unfocused, making them difficult to use in guiding instructional planning. Although a well-written IEP can be time consuming and labor intensive, a clearly written IEP, based on documented student needs, can and should be a guidepost for selecting and designing effective instructional strategies to best meet a student's needs. In this article, the author outlines the steps in writing measurable IEPs. (Contains 3 figures and 1 table.)