PLAAFP - The IEP Acronym You Need to Know
PLAAFP or Present Levels of Academic Achievement is one of the most important parts of the IEP because it drives the IEP goals and service decisions.
Present Levels
PLAAFP stands for Present Levels of Academic Achievement, and is often called Present Levels for short.
The PLAAFP is the part of the IEP that describes your child’s strengths and areas of need. These should be accurate for the time when the IEP is written and cover both academic strengths and needs and functional and behavioral strengths and needs.
This part of the IEP is crucial because it drives the development of IEP goals and services. The goals should directly relate to your child’s areas of need. A good rule of thumb is if it is mentioned as a need in the PLAAFP, there should be a goal to address it.
Why This Matters
The IEP is only as good as it is written and implemented. If the present levels are outdated, incorrect, or too vague, the goals will also be outdated, incorrect, or too vague. The goals are what your child will be working on for the next twelve months and should be well developed and clear (blog post on this coming soon!).
What we DON’T want to see -
“Stephanie struggles with math.”
This statement is too vague.
As a parent, ask the team “What math skills is Stephanie struggling with? Please update the present levels to be specific. What goals in the IEP will address the gaps?”
What we WANT to see -
“Stephanie struggles with place value concepts and double digit addition involving regrouping.”
This statement clearly describes the specific skill in math Stephanie needs to work on.
One IEP goal could be developed to focus on place value and another IEP goal could be developed to focus on double digit addition with regrouping.
Advocacy Tip for Parents
When reviewing your child’s IEP, ask yourself these questions:
Are the present levels (PLAAFP) accurate for my child?
Does the PLAAFP cover both academic skills and functional or behavioral skills?
Is there an IEP goal to address each need listed in the PLAAFP?
If the answer to any of these is no, it’s time to meet with the IEP team and get more specific.
Confused by the IEP Alphabet Soup? You don't have to navigate this complex system alone. At Bridge2Bloom Education Advocacy, we partner with families to ensure your child receives meaningful access and support at school.
👉 Click here to schedule an initial consultation with Bridge2Bloom today to discuss how we can support your child's educational journey.
