PLAAFP Checklist

Here's a picture of my daughter and a different angle shot of the courtyard of the Hanging Church in Old Cairo.

Here is a Present Levels of Academic and Functional Performance Checklist to help in covering the bases...

1. Is the statement written in understandable language and is clear to everone on the team?
2. Is the statement precise enough to lead to measurable annual goals?
3. Does the statement describe how the student's disability affects educational performance?
4. Does the statement explain how the student's disability affects his or her participation in the general education setting?
5. Does the statement describe only the unique needs that will be addressed in the IEP?
6. Do all needs identified in the statement lead to an annual goal, special education service, or both?

Gathering Information for the PLAAFP

Another Cairo pic...this is the courtyard entrance to the Hanging Church mentioned in a prior email. It is the most famous Coptic Christain Church in Cairo.

Gathering information and writing the Present Levels of Academic and Functional Performance (PLAAFP) can be a daunting task. Basically, there are four things to consider and address in the narrative:

1. Determine the student's current academic strengths and needs
2. Determine the student's current functional strengths and needs
3. Determine how the student's academic and functional needs are discrepant from expected levels of academic and functional skills
4. Determine what amount of growth can be expected within one year's time that will significantly close this gap.

Some of the common errors in this section include:

1. Writing vague descriptions of academic and/or functional needs
2. Writing statements that are not related to a student's disability
3. Writing statements based solely on a standardized battery of tests
4. Writing PLAAFP statements that are not individualized
5. Using a student's disability as the PLAAFP statement

One final challenge... this section needs to pass the "stranger test". Can a parent or teacher read this section and understand what it means?

Academic and Functional Strengths and Needs

Another Cairo pic. I shopped a store called Spinney's to get staples for my daugher's dorm. It was pretty much like our Walmart on Black Friday...very crowded with long lines. Keep in mind I was by myself and the only Arabic I know is "hello", "yes", and "thank you". I was so glad to make instant friends while waiting to pay the bill. One of them spoke English and wanted a picture of me. I kept the receipt as a token although I can't read it!

Section II of the EXCENT IEP is where case managers provide a description of the academic and functional strengths and needs of the student and how the disability affects involvement and progress in the general curriculum. For preschoolers, involvement in appropriate activities and desribed. This section is very important as it provides the starting point for all decisions regarding an IEP. It might be helpful to think about this section as an opportunity to explain in words what the student is like in the event they transfer to another teacher who needs to learn about their new student without the luxury of a phone call. When doing IEP Folder Reviews, I make a 4-square grid at the top of the section and write AS (academic strengths), AN (academic needs), FS (functional strengths), and FN (functional needs) in the boxes. I check them off as I read a description of each in this section to make sure all four are addressed. This section must provide rationale for the unique need for special education by comparing the student's performance to that of his/her classroom peers. An example of a FN description of behavior might read like this "Hannah has difficulty staying on task during instruction. During three structured onservation periods, she was on task an averge of 54% of the time observed. Her peers were on task an average of 88% of the time observed. Hannah's difficulty remaining on task results in low achievement in classes that require sustained attention to task.

I'll continue this section on the next entry...

Diploma versus Certifcate in Section I

Another Cairo pic...This is a friend of mine (Said) who writes for a German magazine (he is holding it up). Said is standing in front of one of the Great Pyramids and if you look closely you can see the silouette of the Sphinx. One of his most recent pieces was about education in Cairo. He speaks fluent Egyptian, German, and English!

Section I of the EXCENT IEP also address whether or not a student with disabilities is working toward a regular state high school diploma or a certificate. The important thing to remember here is that the State Certificate and the District Attendance Credential are two very different documents. The South Carolina High School Certificate is earned by students who have at least 24 Carnegie Units but failed to pass all subtests of the HSAP. Our Oconee County High School Certificate is for students with disabilities who have not earned the required units of credit or passed exit examinations; however, they have met attendance requirements and have fulfilled the requirements of their Individualized Education Plans.

Another Cairo pic...we toured the Saint Virgin Mary's Coptic Orthodox Church in Old Cairo. It is also called the Hanging Church as it sits above a gatehouse of the Babylon Fortress. Experts believe it was likely built around 690 to 692. Awesome!

Continuing with the last two transition services listed in Section I of the EXCENT IEP, the Development of Employment and Post School Objectives are components of a transition program that “the student needs to achieve desired post-secondary goals. These could be services leading to a job or career or those that support activities done occasionally such as registering to vote, filing taxes, renting a home, accessing medical services, filing for insurance or accessing adult services such as Social Security Income ”. And finally, a Functional Vocational Evaluation is one component of a transition program that is included “if appropriate”. This evaluation involves “an assessment process that provides information about job or career interests, aptitudes, and skills. Information may be gathered through situational assessment, observations or formal measures, and should be practical. The IEP team could use this information to refine services outlined in the IEP”.

Source: Storms, J., O’Leary, E., & Williams, J. (2000). Transition requirements: A guide for states, districts, schools, universities and families. Eugene: University of Oregon, Western Regional Resource Center

That is me on the back of a camel in front of the pyramids. My daughter and I traveled to Egypt to get her moved into the American University of Cairo where she will study for two years. What an adventure!

Picking up from my last blog entry...transition services should focus on academic and functional achievement to facilitate movement from school to post-school life and can involve the acquisition of daily living skills and related services in addition to instruction, community experiences, the development of employment and post-school objectives, and functional vocation evaluation. The need for acquisition of daily living skills typically applies to lower functioning students who already have annual goals in this area. Related services for transition are similar to the related services in an IEP that are needed for a student to meet their post-secondary goals. Examples might be occupational therapy, physical therapy, interpreting services or perhaps counseling. I'll finish up the topic of transition services (i.e., development of employment and post-school objectives and functional vocational evaluation) in my next entry. It is good to be home!