IEP Present Levels (PLAAFP) in Georgia
What should present levels include in a Georgia IEP?
The Present Levels of Academic Achievement and Functional Performance (PLAAFP) is a required foundation of every Georgia IEP, mandated by 34 CFR §300.320(a)(1) and incorporated into Georgia requirements through Ga. Comp. R. & Regs. 160-4-7-.06. The PLAAFP must include a statement of the child's present levels of academic achievement and functional performance, specifically addressing how the child's disability affects the child's involvement and progress in the general education curriculum, or for preschool children, how the disability affects participation in appropriate activities. In Georgia, the PLAAFP is developed from multiple data sources including the initial evaluation or most recent reevaluation (conducted under Ga. Comp. R. & Regs. 160-4-7-.04), progress on previous IEP goals, information provided by parents, classroom-based and state assessment data from Georgia Milestones or GAA 2.0, and other relevant data sources. The IEP Team must consider the child's strengths, the concerns of the parents for enhancing the child's education, the results of the initial or most recent evaluation, and the academic, developmental, and functional needs of the child when developing the PLAAFP (34 CFR §300.324(a)(1)). The PLAAFP establishes baseline data against which progress on annual goals will be measured. For students with visual impairments, the PLAAFP must address the results of a Braille needs assessment. For students whose behavior impedes their learning or the learning of others, the PLAAFP must include information about the behavioral concerns and any Functional Behavioral Assessment (FBA) data. Georgia requires that placement decisions be made on a subject-by-subject basis, starting with the expectation that services will be provided in the regular education setting, and the PLAAFP must support the level of accommodations and modifications the child requires to access the general education curriculum (GaDOE GO-IEP guidance). The PLAAFP is updated at least annually as part of the IEP Team's annual review.
What Georgia Requires
The IEP must include a statement of the child's present levels of academic achievement and functional performance, including how the disability affects involvement and progress in the general education curriculum (34 CFR §300.320(a)(1); Ga. Comp. R. & Regs. 160-4-7-.06).
The IEP Team must consider the child's strengths, parent concerns, evaluation results, and academic, developmental, and functional needs (34 CFR §300.324(a)(1)(i)-(iv)).
The PLAAFP must be developed from multiple data sources including evaluations, progress data, parent input, Georgia Milestones or GAA 2.0 results, and classroom assessments (Ga. Comp. R. & Regs. 160-4-7-.04; 34 CFR §300.324).
For students whose behavior impedes learning, the PLAAFP must address behavioral concerns and any FBA data to inform behavior intervention planning (34 CFR §300.324(a)(2)(i)).
For preschool children, the PLAAFP must describe how the disability affects participation in appropriate activities rather than general curriculum involvement (34 CFR §300.320(a)(1)).
Placement decisions must be supported by PLAAFP data and made on a subject-by-subject basis starting with the general education setting (GaDOE GO-IEP guidance).
Key Timelines
The PLAAFP must be reviewed and updated at least annually as part of the IEP Team's annual review (34 CFR §300.324(b)(1)).
The initial PLAAFP is established within 30 calendar days of the eligibility determination as part of initial IEP development (Ga. Comp. R. & Regs. 160-4-7-.06; 34 CFR §300.323(c)).
Reevaluations that provide updated data for present levels must occur at least every 3 years unless the parent and LEA agree otherwise (34 CFR §300.303(b)).
Progress data informing present levels updates must be reported periodically, at least as often as report cards are issued to parents of nondisabled children (34 CFR §300.320(a)(3)).