The Present Levels of Academic Achievement and Functional Performance — the PLAAFP — is the foundational section of the IEP. Every goal, service, and accommodation must connect back to what is written here. It answers one question: where is the student right now? When the present level is vague, every goal built on top of it is indefensible. When it is precise, the rest of the IEP almost writes itself.
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- The four parts of a strong PLAAFP
- A strong present level annotated
- Sample present-level templates by domain
- Common mistakes to avoid
In the Field Guide
- Sample present levels for every domain, ready to adapt
- Clinical language banks for present levels & progress
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Why the Present Level Matters Most
The present level is the legal foundation of the IEP. A service is justified by a documented need. A goal is measured against a documented baseline. An accommodation is warranted by a documented impact. Remove the documentation from the present level and none of those downstream decisions can be defended — not in an annual review, not in a due process hearing, not to a parent who asks a hard question.
Think of the present level as the answer to a single question: where is this student right now? If a reader cannot answer that question after reading your PLAAFP, it is not finished.
The Four Parts of a Strong PLAAFP
A complete present level contains four elements. Miss one and the section has a hole that a goal cannot stand on.
- Assessment data — actual test scores, the instrument name, and the date administered
- Current services and supports — what the student receives and how it is delivered
- Classroom impact — what teachers observe, and how the disability affects real classroom learning
- Connection to the goal — where the previous goal ended and where the new goal begins
Strong vs. Weak: Side by Side
The difference is whether a reader can evaluate a single claim in the paragraph.
⚠ Weak — Reading Comprehension
"[Student] struggles with reading and benefits from support in the classroom."
No score, no instrument, no classroom-impact detail, no connection to a goal. A present level like this cannot legally justify any specific service or goal. There is nothing here a parent or administrator could check.
✓ Strong — Reading Comprehension
"On the KTEA-3 (October 2024), [Student] scored in the Below Average range in reading comprehension (standard score 74, 4th percentile). On a recent STAR Reading assessment, [Student] performed at the 14th percentile. In the ELA classroom, the disability in reading fluency directly limits [Student's] ability to identify key ideas in both fiction and nonfiction texts. [Student] is more successful with multiple-choice formats than short-answer responses. The current goal targeting 80% comprehension at a 4th-grade level was met at 69% accuracy. The new goal will target 80% accuracy at a 6th-grade instructional level."
Named instrument, date, score, percentile, classroom impact with specific examples, progress toward the previous goal, and a direct connection to the new baseline. Every claim can be evaluated.
The complete present-levels system
The Case Manager's Field Guide includes sample present levels for every domain, the clinical language banks, and the full 8-step system that connects evaluations to PLAAFP to goals — plus a free 20-minute consultation.
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A Strong Present Level, Annotated
Here is the strong reading example above, broken into the four parts so you can see each one doing its job:
Assessment data
"On the KTEA-3 (October 2024)... standard score 74, 4th percentile... STAR Reading... 14th percentile." — named instruments, dates, scores, percentiles.
Classroom impact
"the disability in reading fluency directly limits [Student's] ability to identify key ideas in both fiction and nonfiction texts." — names the real, observable effect on learning.
Learning profile
"more successful with multiple-choice formats than short-answer responses." — a specific, useful detail about how the student performs.
Connection to goal
"The current goal... was met at 69% accuracy. The new goal will target 80% accuracy at a 6th-grade instructional level." — closes the previous goal and sets the new baseline.
Present Level Examples by Domain
These are adaptable templates, not drop-in text. Replace the bracketed values with your student's actual data, named instruments, and observed classroom impact. Each one follows the four-part structure above.
Reading
Reading
On the [instrument] ([date]), [Student] scored [score / percentile] in [reading skill]. In the [class] setting, the disability affects [Student's] ability to [specific observable impact]. [Student] is more successful with [supportive condition]. The prior goal targeting [prior target] was met at [result]; the new goal will target [new target].
Writing
Written Expression
On the [writing measure] ([date]), [Student] produced writing scoring [score] on [rubric]. In class, the disability limits [Student's] ability to [organize ideas / develop paragraphs / apply conventions], observed specifically when [example]. With [support, e.g. a graphic organizer], output improves to [level]. The prior goal ended at [result]; the new goal begins at a baseline of [baseline].
Math
Mathematics
On the [math assessment] ([date]), [Student] scored [score / percentile] in [math domain]. In the math classroom, the disability affects [Student's] ability to [specific skill, e.g. select a solution pathway in multi-step problems]. [Student] performs better when [condition]. The prior goal was met at [result]; the new baseline is [baseline].
Behavior / Functional
Behavior / Self-Regulation
Based on [data source, e.g. frequency data from (date range)], [Student] currently [observable behavior and rate, e.g. uses a coping strategy in 1 of 5 frustration moments]. In [setting], this affects [Student's] ability to [access instruction / sustain engagement]. Current supports include [support]. The new goal will target [target] from a baseline of [baseline].
The Test for Every Present Level
Read your finished PLAAFP and ask: can a reader evaluate every claim in it? If a sentence cannot be checked against a score, a date, an observation, or a data point, it is not a present level — it is an impression. Replace it.
Common Present-Level Mistakes
- Adjectives instead of data. "Struggles," "benefits from support," "is working on" — none of these can be checked. Name the score and the instrument.
- No date on the data. A score with no date may be two years stale. Always date the assessment.
- No classroom impact. A score alone does not establish adverse impact. Name what the disability actually does in the room.
- No connection to the goal. The present level must close the previous goal and set the new baseline. A PLAAFP that does not lead into a goal is incomplete.
- Copy-paste from last year. If the present level is identical to last year's, either no progress was made or no one updated it. Both are problems.
Write present levels that hold up
The full Field Guide walks through reading the evaluation, writing the PLAAFP, and building goals that trace directly back to it — the complete connected system. Free goal examples available too.
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