Present Levels of Academic Achievement and Functional Performance (PLAAFP)

A PLAAFP is the foundation to build the IEP and should include:

• Clear, objective baseline data
• Description of student’s strengths, need(s), and skill gaps
• Explanation of how gaps affect student learning and participation
• Explanation of how the student’s disability impacts his or her progress in the general curriculum
• Information the ARD committee uses to determine what student can achieve in one year

The ARD committee MUST CONSIDER multiple factors, including the student’s strengths and academic and nonacademic needs in the development of the IEP. Therefore, the PLAAFP must establish an overall baseline of the student’s strengths and needs across academic and functional areas so that the ARD committee can effectively develop the annual and, if necessary, short-term goals in the IEP.

Academic Achievement:

• Reading, spelling, and writing
• Math calculation and math problem solving
• Listening comprehension
• Vocabulary development
• Science
• Social Studies

Functional Performance:

• Daily living or self-help skills - dressing, eating, using the restroom
• Social skills - turn-taking, participation, play
• Behavior - attention, focus, inhibition, self-control, executive function
• Sensory skills - hearing, seeing
• Communication skills - talking, listening, participating in conversation • Mobility - getting around school and the community • Linguist Proficiency if appropriate

To accurately describe the student’s academic and functional strengths and needs, meaningful data should be collected, reviewed, and described such as: 

• Work samples
• Behavioral data
• Parent information and observations
• Teacher input and observations
• Curriculum-Based Assessments (e.g., oral reading fluency, math calculation probes)
• Student inventories
• Results of age-appropriate transition assessments, including selfdetermination skills
• Anecdotal records
• IEP progress report data
• Classroom observation data
• Intervention progress data
• Statewide assessments
• Benchmark and local assessments
• Classroom tests and quizzes
• Full and Individual Initial Evaluation (FIIE) or reevaluation
• Medical records
• Outside evaluation(s)
• Discipline records
• Attendance records
• Linguistic progress, if appropriat

Below, review an example of a noncompliant PLAAFP statement and a compliant PLAAFP statement. The noncompliant example utilizes acronyms to describe assessments and does not describe specific language difficulties. Members of the ARD committee and others implementing the IEP may not be able to interpret these acronyms or gain an understanding of the student’s challenges. Additionally, although the PLAAFP notes that the child’s language skills are below average, it does not specify in what area(s) she needs additional supports. In the compliant example, the PLAAFP statement provides information on how the disability affects language.

Noncompliant 

Alicia’s language and conversation skills are well below age expectations based on scores on the EOWPVT- R and ROWPVT-R given as part of her evaluation. 

Compliant: 

Alicia needs to continue developing in the area of language and communication, specifically with conversation skills. Based on information provided by Alicia’s pre-school education teacher, speech therapist, her mom, and data from the August 30, 2018, evaluation, Alicia inconsistently (less than 50% of observations) takes one turn in a conversation (e.g., responds to greetings, answers simple questions) when provided a visual prompt. She consistently (over 80% of observations) provides an appropriate response to a conversational cue when given a verbal model of “say______“. She has been observed responding independently to conversation cues on only 2-3 occasions over the past year based on parent and teacher report. Her inability to respond independently hinders her academic and functional progress by decreasing her ability to interact with her teachers and peers. Alicia needs to improve her conversation skills to access the curriculum and engage meaningfully with her teachers and peers.