Writing an Individualized Education Plan

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Present Levels of Performance

Every IEP must include a statement of the Present Levels of Performance. This step should happen after reviewing evaluation information. The team should review how your child is performing in the areas where he receives special ed services. Every area should be meticulously addressed in MEASURABLE terms. For example, you should know whether he is performing eighteen out of twenty multiplication problems with three digit numbers and two digit multipliers. The PLEP should also state what objective testing instruments were used. Terms such as "on third grade level," or "most of the time," or "almost never" are examples of terms that do not belong in Present Levels of Performance. "Teacher observation" is also not objective. It can be one measuring instrument but should never be the only measuring instrument.

If your child has a reading goal, the present levels of performance should be detailed as to the level of accuracy in a number of different areas of reading. Placing a child on a simple grade level overall in reading is not sufficient detail to address all the areas of reading. Perhaps he is excellent when reading aloud, but his comprehension when reading to himself is practically nil. Perhaps he can verbally explain the main idea in a passage, but cannot recall the storyline when giving a written description. There are so many areas and we must depend on our teachers and diagnosticians to have the expertise to write accurate PLEPs. Sometimes we must insist on districts providing teachers continuing education in a particular area in order to accurately assess and successfully teach a child in his or her areas of disability.

After the team agrees on where your child is in each area of need they should move on to where he should be a year from now. Let's move on to annual goals.

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