IEP Present Levels (PLAAFP) in Washington D.C.
What should present levels include in a Washington D.C. IEP?
In Washington D.C., the present levels of academic achievement and functional performance (PLAAFP) is the foundational section of every IEP and must describe how the child's disability affects involvement and progress in the general education curriculum (for school-age children) or participation in appropriate activities (for preschool children), consistent with IDEA 34 CFR 300.320(a)(1) as implemented by DC. The PLAAFP must be based on current, comprehensive evaluation data including data from both the LEA's evaluations and any independent or private assessments submitted by the parent. In DC, the LEA must provide parents with evaluation reports at least 5 business days before any IEP meeting (DC Official Code § 38-2571.03), ensuring parents can review the data underlying the PLAAFP and participate meaningfully in its development. Annual goals must flow directly from the PLAAFP, and any disconnect between the PLAAFP and the goals is a basis for challenging IEP adequacy through DC's robust dispute resolution system.
What Washington D.C. 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)).
PLAAFP must be based on current evaluation data; parents must receive evaluation reports at least 5 business days before the IEP meeting so they can meaningfully contribute (DC Official Code § 38-2571.03).
Annual goals must be directly tied to the needs identified in the PLAAFP; goals that cannot be traced to the current PLAAFP data lack the individualization required by IDEA as implemented in DC (34 CFR 300.320(a)(2)).
The PLAAFP must address all areas of the child's educational functioning affected by the disability, including academic achievement, functional performance, social/emotional status, and communication (34 CFR 300.320(a)(1)).
The IEP team, including the parent, must collectively develop the PLAAFP; pre-written PLAAFP sections shared without parent input violate DC's participatory IEP process (34 CFR 300.321; DC Official Code § 38-2571.03).
For preschool children, the PLAAFP must describe how the disability affects the child's participation in appropriate activities (34 CFR 300.320(a)(1)(ii)).
The PLAAFP is the basis for determining what special education and related services are needed; services not grounded in PLAAFP data may be challenged in DC's due process system (34 CFR 300.320(a)(4)).
Key Timelines
Evaluation data for PLAAFP must be provided to parents at least 5 business days before the IEP meeting (DC Official Code § 38-2571.03).
PLAAFP must be reviewed and updated at every annual IEP review (34 CFR 300.324).
Draft IEP including PLAAFP: no later than 5 business days after the meeting; final within 15 business days (DC Official Code § 38-2571.03).