IEP Present Levels (PLAAFP) in Mississippi
What should present levels include in a Mississippi IEP?
Mississippi requires that each IEP include a statement of the student's present levels of academic achievement and functional performance (PLAAFP), consistent with federal law (34 CFR 300.320(a)(1)) as implemented under Miss. Code Ann. § 37-23-9. The PLAAFP must describe how the disability affects the student's involvement and progress in the general education curriculum (or for preschool children, how the disability affects participation in appropriate activities). Mississippi's Special Education Regulations require that present levels be based on objective, measurable data derived from the multidisciplinary evaluation, including standardized assessments, classroom observations, teacher and parent input, and curriculum-based measures. For students with Specific Learning Disabilities, the evaluation data must document the SLD area(s) and the basis for determination — whether through a discrepancy model or response-to-intervention (RTI/problem-solving). Parent concerns for enhancing the education of their child must be considered as a component of the PLAAFP (34 CFR 300.324(a)(1)). Present levels form the foundation from which all measurable annual goals must logically flow.
What Mississippi Requires
Present levels must describe how the disability affects involvement and progress in the general curriculum, or for preschool students, how it affects participation in appropriate activities (34 CFR 300.320(a)(1); Miss. Code Ann. § 37-23-9).
Present levels must be grounded in evaluation data using a variety of tools and strategies; no single measure may serve as the sole criterion (34 CFR 300.304(b); MS Sp. Ed. Regs.).
Parent concerns for enhancing the education of their child must be considered and documented as part of the IEP development process (34 CFR 300.324(a)(1)).
For students with SLD, present levels must document the area(s) of learning disability and the evaluation data supporting the determination (34 CFR 300.309; MS Sp. Ed. Regs.).
Annual goals must flow directly from the documented present levels of academic achievement and functional performance (34 CFR 300.320(a)(1)-(2)).
Key Timelines
Present levels must be updated at each annual IEP review (34 CFR 300.324(b)).
Reevaluation data refreshing present levels must occur at least every three years (34 CFR 300.303; MS Sp. Ed. Regs.).
Initial PLAAFP must be established following the completion of the initial evaluation (34 CFR 300.301(c)).