1. More Guidance on PLAAFP and Goals
IEP Development
More Guidance on PLAAFP and Goals

2. Strengths Examples of strength statements:
John’s curriculum based measures indicate that he is currently decoding at the 4th grade level. This is a relative strength, as he is comprehending at the 1st grade level.
Peter increased his work completion rate for ELA written assignments from 40% to 90% over the past school year.
Single digit multiplication is a strength for Mark. He meets benchmark criteria for his grade level.

3. Needs Examples of needs statements:
Reading comprehension is a weakness for John as evidenced by… He needs to further develop his skills in the areas of…
Peter does not complete class work in a timely manner. Teacher logs indicate that he only turns in 1 out of 4 class work assignments in ELA. He needs to continue to increase his work completion rate…

4. Functional Strengths and Needs
Organization
Study skills
Time management
Self-advocacy
Community
Employment
Behavior
Social skills
Daily living skills
Motor skills
Sensory issues
Health concerns
Communication
Mobility

5. Examples of Data Sources
Discipline records/incident reports FBS results Observations and data collection Adaptive measures Criterion referenced measures Interviews (teachers, parents, and student) Transition information Task analysis Standardized tests Parent input Benchmarks Prior goal progress

6. Impact of Disability
PLAAFP must include a statement of how the child’s disability affects the child’s involvement and progress in general education curriculum (i.e., the same curriculum as for nondisabled students) or for preschool children, as appropriate, how the disability affects the child’s participation in appropriate activities. [34 CFR § (a) (1)]

7. Preschool & PLAAF
For preschool children, the present levels describe how the disability affects the child’s participation in appropriate activities. The term “appropriate activities” includes activities that children of that chronological age engage in as part of a appropriate activities include:
Social activities
Pre-reading
Math activities
Sharing-time
Independent play
Listening activities

8. HOW?
How does the student’s disability manifest in the educational environment?
What specific impediments and barriers hinder the student from accessing the general education curriculum as a result of the student’s disability?
How is the student’s functioning in the educational setting different from his or her peers? (consider how the student navigates the educational environment and social interactions, and the student’s engagement, perception, comprehension, and expression as it relates to academic content)

9. Individualize
The impact statement should be an individualized description, not a generic disability statement.
Why does the child need support to be successful with the general education curriculum?
Why is he/she being removed from nondisabled peers?

10. Tips for PLAAF Findings
Identify the skills that need to be developed/improved to address the identified areas of need (findings and goals should be skills-based)
Findings should be more focused than the PLAAFP narrative and reference specific skill level data (the identification of strengths and needs in the narrative section of the PLAAFP is a broader summary based on many data sources)
Use appropriate measurement tools to establish baselines for skill development

11. Common PLAAF Errors Narratives and Findings
Writing PLAAFP statements that are not individualized or sufficiently detailed
Omitting areas from the PLAAFP that should be addressed (e.g., transition and behavior)
Not addressing how the disability affects progress in the general ed curriculum (e.g., impact statement)
Not addressing the student’s strengths in the narrative
Writing vague descriptions of academic and/or functional needs only without establishing baseline data in the findings for the annual goals
Writing statements based solely on a standardized battery of tests and scores or using only one source of data to determine needs

12. Writing Goals Must be a correlation between the goal and the PLAAF
Must describe the skill and level of performance that will be achieved during the time frame of the IEP
Must meet the student’s needs that result from the disability to enable the student to be involved in and make progress in the general curriculum

13. Component #1: The Target Behavior(s)/Skill(s)
Identify the need that will be addressed (from the PLAAFP) and the behavior/skill that will be developed/improved based on need
Behaviors/skills should be objectively visible and observable
Behavior/skill described in terms that are observable, measurable, verifiable, and repeatable (e.g., to write in complete sentences, to answer addition and subtraction problems correctly, to read aloud without errors, to initiate interactions)
Don’t use target behaviors or skills that are open to many interpretations (e.g., to understand, to act appropriately).
Should be specific skills (multiplication of fractions, reading fluency) not general areas (e.g., improve in math, reading, or writing)

14. Component #2: The Conditions conditions under which the goal will be measured
The materials and instruction that will be provided (e.g., after receiving specialized instruction on multiplication and worksheet of basic multiplication facts)
The environment (e.g., when playing with other children at recess)

15. Component #3: Level of Proficiency
Identifies how much, how often, or to what standards the behavior/skill must occur in order to demonstrate that the goal has been reached.
96 words per minute with 5 or fewer errors
85% or more correct for all problems presented
6 or better when graded according to the 10 point writing rubric

16. Component #4: Measurement Tools
Should be appropriate for the student’s age and present levels
Should be appropriate device to measure the targeted skill
Should be a tool that can be administered with sufficient frequency to monitor goal progress
Should be able to be utilized by another teacher or service provider
Don’t write a goal just to fit it with a tool
Don’t use a tool that is only administered once or twice a year
Don’t use vague terms as tools (e.g., teacher records, student records, student journal)

17. Component #5: Timeframe
The time frame is usually specified in the number of weeks or a certain date for completion. A year is the maximum allowed length for the timeframe.
In 45 instructional weeks…
By November 19, 2016…
By the end of the school year…

18. Common Errors in Goals Writing goals that are not measurable
Writing goals that are too broad, vague or that contain educator jargon with explanation
Using confusing measurements (e.g., combining trials with raw scores and percentages)
Writing goals that are missing any of the required components
Writing goals that do not align with PLAAFP statements
Writing goals to a test, a grade or assessment rather than to the skill development

19. Measurable Goals
Given 100 high frequency spelling words, student will correctly spell a minimum of 75/100 on four out of five times tested on weekly quizzes by December 15, Baseline: 20/100 words spelled correctly
Given a penny, nickel, dime, and a quarter, student will match coins to their corresponding value on eight out of ten attempts as measured by teacher data sheet. Baseline: Student can match coins to value in three out of ten attempts.
Student will transition from standing with a walker to sitting in the cafeteria chair/bench independently five out of five times by February, according to therapy notes and charts. Baseline: student can do this only with full assistance.