The present levels section is where an IEP describes the student today.
Depending on the document, it may be called “Present Levels of Academic Achievement and Functional Performance,” often abbreviated PLAAFP, “Present Levels of Performance,” or simply “Present Levels.” The formatting varies, but the purpose is to provide a current picture of the student’s strengths, needs, and educational performance.
Federal special education regulations require an IEP to include a statement of the child’s present levels of academic achievement and functional performance, including how the child’s disability affects involvement and progress in the general education curriculum. For preschool children, the statement addresses participation in appropriate activities.
For a parent or guardian, the most useful question is simpler:
Does this section give me an accurate and understandable starting point for the plan?
Here is how to review it.
1. Begin with the current picture
Present levels may include information from evaluations, classroom performance, progress reports, teacher observations, parent concerns, student input, work samples, and other sources.
As you read, ask:
- Does this sound like my child now?
- What does the document identify as strengths?
- What does it identify as areas of need?
- Is the information specific enough to understand the concern?
- Can I tell where the information came from?
- Are important developments since the last evaluation included?
An older evaluation can still provide useful context. The question is whether the IEP also contains enough current information to describe the student’s performance today.
Look for dates whenever the document refers to test results, observations, reading levels, behavior data, grades, or progress measurements. Without a date, it may be difficult to tell whether a statement describes the student’s current performance or a previous point in time.
2. Look for strengths as well as needs
A useful present levels section should not read only as a list of problems. Understanding what a student does well can help explain which supports, instructional approaches, interests, or environments are effective.
Consider whether the document identifies:
- Academic strengths
- Communication strengths
- Interests and motivations
- Successful strategies
- Growing independence
- Positive relationships or social skills
- Conditions under which the student participates or learns well
Strengths are not decorative language. They can provide practical information about how the student engages with instruction and which approaches may support future progress.
If the document says that your child performs better with visual directions, smaller groups, advance notice of changes, or another support, look for whether that information appears elsewhere in the plan.
3. Separate general descriptions from usable information
Some IEP statements sound informative but leave important questions unanswered.
For example:
- “The student struggles with reading.”
- “Attention affects classroom performance.”
- “The student has difficulty with transitions.”
- “Writing skills are below grade level.”
These descriptions may identify real concerns, but they do not always explain their scope.
You may still need to ask:
- Which reading skills are difficult?
- What does “below grade level” mean in measurable terms?
- When is attention most likely to interfere with learning?
- What happens during a difficult transition?
- How often does the concern occur?
- What support has helped?
- What can the student currently do without assistance?
The goal is not to demand a number for every sentence. Some important information is best described through observations or examples. The goal is to understand the need clearly enough to see how the rest of the IEP responds to it.
If the language still leaves you unsure what the document means, review your child’s IEP with a parent walkthrough.
4. Do not overlook functional performance
An IEP is not limited to reading, writing, and mathematics.
Depending on the student, functional performance may involve areas such as:
- Communication
- Attention and executive functioning
- Behavior and emotional regulation
- Social interaction
- Sensory needs
- Mobility
- Organization
- Self-advocacy
- Daily living or independence skills
Not every student will need the same areas addressed. Focus on what affects your child’s learning, participation, or school day.
If the document identifies a functional need, ask how that need is reflected in the plan. It may connect to a goal, service, accommodation, supplementary aid, behavior support, or another part of the IEP.
5. Compare the document with what you know
Parents and guardians hold information that may not appear in test scores or classroom records.
As you review the present levels, consider:
- Does the description match what I hear from my child?
- Does it reflect what I observe at home?
- Are concerns I previously raised included?
- Does it recognize progress I have seen?
- Is there an important difference between performance at home and at school?
- Is the student’s own perspective represented where appropriate?
A difference between your observations and the school’s information does not automatically establish that either view is wrong. Children may perform differently across settings, activities, or times of day.
That difference can still lead to a useful question:
“I am seeing something different at home. What information can we compare to better understand when and why this occurs?”
6. Follow each important need into the rest of the IEP
After reviewing the present levels, choose one or two significant needs and follow them through the document.
For each need, ask:
- Is there a goal connected to it?
- Does the IEP identify services, accommodations, or supports that respond to it?
- Does the document explain how progress will be measured?
- Can I tell how the team will decide whether the plan is working?
Not every sentence in the present levels requires a separate goal or service. IEPs can organize information in different ways. The practical question is whether the plan responds clearly to the needs the team has identified.
This connected review can also reveal when a goal or service appears without an obvious starting point. If the present levels do not explain what the student can currently do, it may be difficult for a parent to understand what the goal is measuring or how much progress is expected.
Questions to bring to the IEP meeting
You do not need to ask every question below. Select the ones that matter most for your child and the document in front of you.
- What information best describes my child’s current performance?
- When was this information collected?
- What has changed since the previous IEP or evaluation?
- What does this phrase mean in everyday terms?
- Can you give me an example of what this looks like at school?
- Are my child’s strengths and successful strategies reflected here?
- Where are the concerns I raised documented?
- How does this identified need connect to the goals and services?
- Is there an area where the team needs more current information?
- What should we monitor to determine whether the plan is helping?
Use the present levels as a starting point
The present levels section does not tell the entire story of a student. It is one part of a larger record that may include evaluations, progress reports, schoolwork, communications, observations, and information from the family.
Still, it provides an important starting point. A clear present levels section helps a parent understand what the IEP says about the student now and how the rest of the plan is intended to respond.
A structured walkthrough of your child’s IEP
VantageIEP provides a plain-language Parent Walkthrough of the IEP you already have. It helps organize what the document says, how the sections connect, and which questions you may want to raise at your next meeting.
VantageIEP provides educational document review. It is not legal advice and is not a substitute for an advocate or attorney.