Developing Present Levels of Academic Achievement and Functional Performance Statements for IEPs

The Individuals with Disabilities Education Act requires Individualized Education Program (IEP) teams to determine progress based on the unique needs of the individual student. In order to do this, IEP teams must develop comprehensive Present Levels of Academic Achievement and Functional Performance (PLAAFP) statements. In this article the authors present a PLAAFP worksheet that can be used to summarize all relevant data sources and generate comprehensive PLAAFP statements that will enable teams to reasonably calculate goals, monitor progress on plans, and provide special education services, accommodations, modifications, and related services necessary for the student to make appropriate progress. Data sources across academic achievement and functional performance domains that warrant consideration by teams when generating PLAAFP statements are discussed, along with robust examples of statements relevant to each domain. The systematic approach to development of PLAAFP statements presented will support teams in meeting the new standard outlined in the U.S. Supreme Court decision in the ruling in Endrew F. v. Douglas County School District (2107).