Understanding Present Levels (PLAAFP)

Present Levels of Academic Achievement and Functional Performance — PLAAFP for short — is usually the longest, densest section of an IEP, and the one most families skim past to get to goals and services. That's understandable, but it's also the section that determines whether everything after it actually fits your child.

Why this section matters so much

Present levels are the baseline. Every goal in the IEP should be built directly from a specific present level — if the present levels are vague or outdated, the goals built on top of them will be too. This section is also where you can see whether the team actually understands your child's day-to-day reality, not just their test scores.

What a strong present levels section includes

• Specific, current data — recent assessments, work samples, observations, and input from you as the parent.
• Both academic and functional information — not just reading and math levels, but things like social skills, communication, self-regulation, and independence.
• Clear language about how the disability affects involvement and progress in the general education curriculum.
• Strengths, not just deficits — a genuinely useful present levels section describes what your child can do, not only where they struggle.

Questions worth asking

• “What data is this based on, and how recent is it?”
• “Does this description match what I see at home?”
• “Is there a present level for every area we're writing a goal for?”
• “Where are my child's strengths reflected here?”

A few red flags

Present levels that are copied almost word-for-word from last year's IEP, that rely on data from more than a year ago, or that describe your child only in terms of what they can't do are all worth flagging. So is a goal that doesn't seem to connect to anything written in the present levels above it — that's often a sign the plan wasn't built from your child's actual current picture.