What is included

The Individuals with Disabilities Education Act (IDEA) outlines specific requirements for the Present Levels of Performance (PLOP) section of a student’s Individualized Education Program (IEP). The PLOP serves as the foundation for developing appropriate goals, objectives, and instructional strategies tailored to the student’s individual needs. Here are the IDEA requirements for the Present Levels of Performance:

  1. Objective Data: The PLOP must be based on objective data obtained from a variety of sources, including assessments, observations, parent input, teacher observations, and other relevant information. The data should be current and comprehensive, providing a clear picture of the student’s abilities, strengths, weaknesses, and needs.
  2. Current Performance: The PLOP should describe the student’s current academic achievement, functional performance, and developmental progress in measurable terms. It should reflect the student’s performance in relation to grade-level standards, curriculum expectations, and developmental milestones.
  3. Strengths and Weaknesses: The PLOP should identify the student’s strengths, weaknesses, and areas of need across various domains of functioning, including academic, cognitive, social-emotional, communication, physical, and adaptive skills. It should highlight the student’s areas of strength to build upon and areas of need to address through targeted interventions.
  4. Functional Needs: The PLOP should address the student’s functional needs related to daily living skills, self-care, social interaction, communication, behavior management, and independent functioning. It should describe how the student’s disabilities impact their ability to access the general education curriculum and participate in educational activities.
  5. Measurable Data: The PLOP should include measurable data and specific examples to illustrate the student’s current abilities and performance levels. This may include standardized test scores, assessment results, progress monitoring data, anecdotal observations, and parent or teacher reports.
  6. Relevance to Goals: The PLOP should be directly linked to the development of appropriate goals and objectives in the student’s IEP. It should provide the necessary information to guide the development of goals that address the student’s individual needs and support their educational progress.
  7. Parent and Student Input: The PLOP should incorporate input from parents, guardians, and the student (if appropriate) regarding the student’s strengths, weaknesses, preferences, and goals. Collaboration with parents and students ensures that the PLOP accurately reflects the student’s abilities and needs from multiple perspectives.
  8. Use of Assessments: The PLOP should reflect the results of comprehensive assessments conducted as part of the evaluation process. These assessments may include formal assessments, standardized tests, curriculum-based assessments, informal observations, and other relevant data sources.
  9. Individualized Nature: The PLOP should be individualized to the student’s unique needs, abilities, and circumstances. It should reflect the student’s specific disability category, developmental level, cultural background, language proficiency, and other relevant factors that may impact their educational performance.

By adhering to these IDEA requirements, the Present Levels of Performance can effectively guide the development of an individualized educational program that addresses the unique needs of students with disabilities and supports their academic, social, emotional, and functional development.