Present Levels
What is Required
A student’s IEP should be based on a careful analysis of the student’s present levels of academic achievement and functional performance (PLAAFP).
The PLAAFP must include how the student’s disability affects the student’s involvement and progress in the general education curriculum; or, for a preschool student, how the disability affects the preschool student’s participation in appropriate activities.
The PLAAFP for the school-aged student summarizes the current strengths and needs of the student in both academic and functional performance areas. It must include how the student’s disability affects the student’s involvement and progress in the general education curriculum, regardless of the setting in which the student currently receives services. Additionally, it may describe the current instructional level of the student compared to the grade level Texas Essential Knowledge and Skills, and, if the student is below grade level, the PLAAFP also may describe the prerequisite skills the student needs in order to achieve grade-level proficiency.
PLAAFP for the preschool student summarizes the current levels of present performance related to the student’s developmental domains, functional performance, and pre-academic skills. It must include how the student’s disability affects the student’s participation in appropriate activities. Additionally, it may describe the student’s current developmental levels compared to the Texas Prekindergarten Guidelines or District-adopted prekindergarten curriculum.
Additional Procedures
The PLAAFP data is the critical baseline and foundation for developing an IEP. When considering PLAAFP data, the ARD Committee should include within the PLAAFP statement the student’s strengths, weaknesses, and needs in each assessed academic and functional area. From there, the PLAAFP statement should specifically address: 1) how the student’s disability impacts the student’s appropriate progress in light of the student’s unique circumstances, including the student’s access to the general education curriculum; or 2) how the disability impacts the preschool student’s participation in appropriate activities. If the ARD documentation contains both current PLAAFP data as well as historical PLAAFP information, the date of the PLAAFP data should be clearly identified.
It is critical that the PLAAFP statements are clear and detailed to help the ARD Committee develop a meaningful IEP. For example, if a student’s academic performance shows a weakness in math, it is not sufficient for the PLAAFP to simply state that the student is struggling in math. Instead, the PLAAFP description should, for example, specify the student’s math grade, the math teacher’s input, the student’s state assessment score in math, and progress data if the student has a math IEP annual goal. The more detailed the PLAAFP data is, the better the ARD Committee can gauge the student’s current performance level. The PLAAFP must not be a recitation of the information in the PLAAFP from the previous IEP and must not simply repeat the same information in each section within the PLAAFP.
The ARD Committee should then use the PLAAFP data to create the student’s annual goals, supplementary aids and services, special education, and related services. See [ANNUAL GOALS] and [SUPPLEMENTARY AIDS AND SERVICES, SPECIAL EDUCATION, RELATED SERVICES]. The ARD Committee should ensure that the IEP represents a clear correlation between the student’s PLAAFP data and the IEP annual goals. For example, if the PLAAFP demonstrates that a student’s education is impacted by not following directions, then the student may have an annual goal related to complying with directions given by staff. Additionally, the student may have counseling as a related service to help achieve the goal of better classroom compliance.
Campus Special Education Personnel, such as the student’s case manager, should gather all of the relevant data in advance of the ARD meeting to help the ARD Committee develop the student’s PLAAFP in the IEP. The underlying sources to be used when considering PLAAFP data may include:
Evaluation Reports
Grades
Student Work Samples
State Assessment Data
Benchmark Testing
Teacher Input
Student/Parent Input
Classroom Observations
Progress Reports for IEP Annual Goals
Outside Provider Information
Once this information is collected, the ARD Committee should convene to develop the PLAAFP as described above. It is important that the Campus Special Education Administrator in an ARD meeting understand the legal importance of the PLAAFP and be able to identify whether the PLAAFP adequately addresses the strengths and needs of the students based on current data, including the FIE. Where possible, the Campus Special Education Administrator shall review the draft of the IEP prior to the ARD meeting to ensure the PLAAFP includes all relevant and current information regarding the student’s present levels of academic achievement and functional performance, as well as how the disability impacts the student’s access and progress in the general curriculum.
The District will maintain documentation requirements of compliance associated with Texas Student Data System (TSDS), Public Education Information Management System (PEIMS), and State Performance Plan (SPP). District staff will provide training, with follow up, to ensure the documentation required is in place and compliant.
Evidence of Implementation
FIE
ARD/IEP
Progress Reports on the IEP Annual Goals
Report Card Grades
Teacher and Campus Special Education Administrator Input
Student/Parent Input
Student Work Samples
State Assessment Results
Benchmark Testing
Input from Related Service Providers
Documentation for the state in TSDS, PEIMS, and SPP
Resources
Present Levels of Academic Achievement and Functional Performance - Region 10
IEP Goal Development in Texas-Online Training - Region 20
Standards-Based Individualized Education Program Guidance - TEA
Texas Essential Knowledge and Skills (TEKS) - TEA
Texas Pre-Kindergarten Guidelines - TEA
Citations
Board Policy EHBAB; 34 CFR § 300.320(a)(1)