School-based speech-language pathologists serve a growing population of students with complex communication needs, many using augmentative and alternative communication. The problem was the inconsistent assessment of communication and language skills that led to varied communication descriptions and reduced diversity of communication goals in Individualized Education Programs (IEPs) for K-12 students with complex communication needs in a large Georgia district. Current assessment tools were not designed specifically to assess functional communication and language skills in the school setting. Inconsistent language in assessment tools reduces the diversity of functions targeted in students' communication goals in IEPs. The purpose of this basic qualitative analysis was to explore language descriptions and the diversity of communication goals in Individualized Education Programs (IEPs) before and after the implementation of a functional communication and language checklist (FCLC) in a large school district in Georgia. The study's theoretical framework, formed from the interactionist theory of language acquisition and the social pragmatic theory of word and language learning, was foundational to the interpretations of the language used before and after FCLC implementation. For analysis, communication strengths, needs, and goal sections were extracted from a random purposeful sampling of 15 IEPs in 2021 prior to FCLC implementation and 15 IEPs in 2023 after FCLC implementation. Through reflexive thematic analysis, changes in the descriptions of communication skills and the diversity of communication functions targeted in the IEP goals were explored. The 2023 IEP samples were more systematic and comprehensive, used specific terminology and detailed descriptions, and had more diversity of communication functions. [The dissertation citations contained here are published with the permission of ProQuest LLC. Further reproduction is prohibited without permission. Copies of dissertations may be obtained by Telephone (800) 1-800-521-0600. Web page: http://www.proquest.com/en-US/products/dissertations/individuals.shtml.]