PLAAFP
The IEP must include a statement specific to the student is current performance. This is the Present Levels of Academic Achievement and Functional Performance, or PLAAFP. The information in the PLAAFP is foundational in developing the rest of the IEP and is the driver of programming. According to IDEA, the PLAAFP must include:
i) the strengths of the child;
ii) the concerns of the parents for enhancing the education of their child;
iii) the results of the initial or most recent evaluation of the child; and,
iv) the academic, developmental, and functional needs of the child.
Source: 34 C.F.R. § 300.324(a)(1)
and
i) how the child’s disability affects the child’s involvement and progress in the general curriculum (i.e., the same curriculum as for nondisabled children); or
ii) for preschool children, as appropriate, how the disability affects the child’s participation in appropriate activities.
Source: 34 C.F.R. § 300.320(a)(1)
You may have noticed that the language of the law is counterintuitive to the inclusive language used in our daily work. For our purposes and that of the law, the term “parent” also extends to legal guardians.
Developing a High-Quality PLAAFP Statement
The development of a high-quality Present Levels of Academic Achievement and Functional Performance (PLAAFP) statement is a pivotal component of the Individualized Education Program (IEP) process. Central to this step is a focused discussion by the IEP team, emphasizing four critical elements: the student’s specific needs, the impact of those needs on progress in general education, comprehensive baseline information, and the connection of this data to the formulation of goals and services. This structured conversation lays the groundwork for creating the detailed components of the student’s PLAAFP statement.
For students at the outset of their IEP journey, the initial assessment is a rich source of the information needed for the PLAAFP. However, as educational paths evolve, this information quickly becomes outdated by the time of the annual IEP review. Recognizing this, it is incumbent upon school personnel to gather and update relevant data before the IEP meeting. This proactive approach ensures that the most current and applicable information is at hand, paving the way for informed decision-making and planning.
Once the IEP team has thoroughly deliberated over this updated information, they are well-positioned to begin drafting the PLAAFP statement. It’s crucial that this statement is articulated in clear, concise, and specific language to be easily understood by all members of the IEP team. The aim is to extend beyond merely identifying the student’s disability and enumerating various assessment scores. The PLAAFP statement should offer a holistic and detailed account that serves to effectively guide the development of the student’s annual educational goals, ensuring an IEP that is both relevant and impactful.
You may also find the video PACER Center: A Place to Start (12:19) from the PACER Center helpful for writing a PLAAFP.
PLAAFP Overview
A Comprehensive Insight into Chris’s Educational Journey
The Minnesota Department of Education (MDE) has created an exemplar PLAAFP. Let’s take a look at the PLAAFP for a ninth-grade student, Chris.
1. Student Profile and Disability Description
Chris, a ninth-grade student, has been receiving special education services since elementary school. Initially serviced for Specific Learning Disability and Autism Spectrum Disorder, Chris’ needs evolved in middle school, leading to services for an Emotional or Behavioral Disorder. His challenges predominantly manifest in the classroom through difficulties in following instructions, managing emotions, work avoidance, and engaging in peer bullying. Chris requires frequent redirection and significant attention from staff. He often arrives late, struggles with transitions and routines, and has issues maintaining organization and focus for assignments. Emotional outbursts and disruptive behaviors are not uncommon, often triggered by external events or anticipated consequences for his actions.
Academic Impacts:
Chris’ disability significantly affects his reading skills. He has missed instructional time due to behavioral issues, and his work avoidance has hindered his academic progress. His slower processing speed impacts his comprehension and ability to grasp concepts in general education classes.
2a. Specific Data on Present Skill Levels
Academic Data:
MAP Reading Test (Middle School and Ninth Grade):
– Fall 2021: Overall score of 200 (median for ninth grade is 222). Strength in informational comprehension (score of 208); weakness in narrative comprehension (score of 194). Lexile score: 614 (average range for ninth grade is 1,000-1,199).
– Spring 2022: Slight increase to 201, indicating minimal progress.
Minnesota Comprehensive Assessments (MCA-II):
– Consistent scoring in the “Does Not Meet Standards” range since fourth grade.
Classroom Comprehension Assessments:
– Inconsistent results due to rushing.
Behavior Data:
– Generally consistent attendance with few unexcused absences.
– Frequent tardiness affecting classroom routine and grades.
– Daily point sheet tracking shows challenges in respect, verbal appropriateness, staying on task, and organization.
Transition Data:
– Employment: Interest in becoming a semi-truck driver. Challenges with authority figures noted.
– Post-Secondary Education: Needs to develop skills for commercial driver’s license test.
– Home and Daily Living: Adequate skills with no significant areas of need identified.
2b. Progress Summary and Effectiveness of Adaptations
Academic:
– Use of graphic organizers and post-it notes for reading comprehension proved helpful.
Behavior:
– Success in reducing bullying and managing emotions, but struggles with organization continue.
– Student development center (SDC) effectively aids in emotional management.
– Organization interventions (binder, planner, consequence/reward system) have been ineffective.
3a. Prioritized Needs Related to Disability
– Enhance classroom-appropriate behavior.
– Improve organizational skills and punctuality.
– Develop reading comprehension abilities.
3b. Summarized Strengths
– Significant improvement in emotional self-regulation.
– Academic strength in math, with MAP score improvement from 201 to 219.
– Positive involvement in extracurricular activities, enhancing teamwork skills.
4. Progress Toward Standards and General Education Curriculum
Chris continues to demonstrate low performance in reading and is unlikely to reach grade-level standards within the current IEP timeframe. The focus will be on grade-level standards/benchmarks in reading, specifically in monitoring comprehension and summarizing main ideas and details.
This narrative provides a comprehensive overview of Chris’ current academic and functional performance, along with his strengths, needs, and the efficacy of past interventions.
Think, Write/Record, Share
- What differences/similarities do you see between the two PLAAFPs (aka – Kindergarten student in the IRIS Center Module and Chris from above) ?
- What questions or concerns do you have?
- Where are you seeing equity or social justice concerns?
- How are you addressing potential bias?
Practice
Annie’s Fifth-Grade PLAAFP
Let’s practice identifying the key components of a PLAAFP statement using Annie’s information below from MDE
Directions: Read through the PLAAFP provided for fifth-grader Annie and find/annotate the following information:
- Put a box around the information that tells us how the student’s disability affects involvement and progress in the general education curriculum.
- Highlight relevant baseline data.
- Put a star by the success that this student has experienced with strategies, accommodations, and/or assistive technology that have been implemented.
- Underline grade-level standards or outcomes.
- Circle information that supports a discrepancy of skills.
- Identify Annie’s needs.
Annie’s Fifth-Grade PLAAFP
Annie is a fifth-grade student with Autism Spectrum Disorder. Her deficits in the areas of reading comprehension, expressive and receptive language, and advocating for herself when she does not understand all impact her ability to be involved and make progress at the same rate as her general education peers. Annie also receives speech/language as a related service. Annie is friendly and a hard worker every day. She follows directions in class and brings the materials she needs for small group instruction. She continues to have difficulty asking questions when she does not understand. During group time, she will sit quietly and respond only when she is called on. If distracted, she is redirected easily. She has some classroom friendships this year, which has helped her communicate more.
Annie does not meet proficiency in the MCA reading assessment in grades 3 and 4. Her winter reading scores in the MAP assessment (which predicts MCA-II proficiency) place her well below the target range, with a score of 180. Those scoring on target at the fifth grade are at 208 and above. Her strand scores are: word recognition/vocab (172), comprehension: informational (180), comprehension: narrative (178), and literature (190).
Given an informal reading assessment, Annie was able to read words from the third-grade list with 90% accuracy. When asked to silently read passages and answer orally dictated comprehension questions, Annie answered with 85% accuracy at the first-grade level; 60% on the second-grade level; and 30% at the third-grade level. She demonstrated difficulty with recalling details from the story and explaining vocabulary from the text. In the area of listening comprehension, Annie met mastery or 80% accuracy at the first-grade level. She was able to name characters from the passage and some details but had difficulty identifying the main idea.
The fifth-grade reading comprehension standard indicates that the student will understand the meaning of texts using a variety of strategies and will demonstrate literal, interpretive, inferential, and evaluative comprehension. Annie prefers reading nonfiction, primarily biographies, and has read through all the books about presidents in the library. She recalls details and is fascinated with the U.S. presidents’ wives, naming them and explaining specific facts about them frequently. When given fictional text to read, Annie comprehends text at a significantly lower level of understanding than her grade-level peers. Her oral listening skills or language skills are also lower, thereby compromising her understanding of the text she reads or text that is read to her.