Here, we break down the primary components of an IEP.
The present levels of performance (PLOP, also sometimes called PLAAFP, PLEP, or PLP) describe the child’s current abilities, strengths, and needs or challenges, and are a key component of progress reporting. The IEP team uses a variety of information when composing PLOPs for a student, such as recent assessment data, achievement testing scores, academic testing scores, teacher input/interview data, student work samples, observation data, psychological/socioemotional assessment data, parent input, and behavior data. PLOPs are an important component of the IEP, as they are used to develop a student’s goals and objectives as well as determine their services and supports, and may be used to aid in determining a student’s educational placement. They include academic achievement as well as functional skills such as behavior, communication, social skills, emotional well-being, and life skills. PLOPs should include strengths (what the student can do), areas of need (what the student should learn to do), and impact of disability (how the disability affects the child’s access to the curriculum/environment).
Well-written PLOPs ensure that each area of the IEP is developmentally appropriate and adequately addresses the student’s strengths and needs. The IEP team is responsible for updating a student’s PLOPs annually for every new IEP and any time an IEP is amended. This is especially important if the amendment involves changing goals, services, placement, curriculum track, or the state test the student is planning to take.
An IEP must include clear and measurable annual goals (academic and/or functional) that are designed to enable the student to be involved in and make progress in the general education curriculum. The purpose is to set clear and measurable goals for the student to work on in the upcoming year in each domain with a demonstrated need. A student has a demonstrated need in an area if the student is not meeting the grade-level expectations or standards. For example, if Jose has needs in the areas of writing and reading but is meeting grade-level expectations/standards in math, Jose should have IEP goals in reading and writing only. IEP goals should be aligned with the general education curriculum and be written with a strengths-based approach.
This section specifies what special education services the child will receive and for how long. If a child needs special education support throughout the school day for all activities, the IEP will cover all of these. If the child doesn’t need special education services in one or more areas (such as PE or science), the IEP will not include these subjects.
Related services are specialized supports that are designed to help students meet their educational goals and make progress in the general education curriculum. Based on the student’s needs, common related services that IEP teams may consider include but are not limited to: transportation, counseling and psychological services, interpreting services, social skills groups, and physical, occupational, and speech therapy (see below for more information about non-academic parts of the IEP). The IEP must provide details on the frequency, duration, and location of each service.
Related services should also include any services outside the school year, like Extended School Year (ESY), and once the student turns 16, any transition planning supports and services to prepare the student for life after high school.
Extended School Year (ESY): ESY services are special education and/or related services provided beyond the usual school year. ESY is a team decision, not a unilateral decision by the school. Although ESY services are typically held while school is not in session, such as during summer break, it is not the same as summer school. Students receive ESY when an interruption of their regular program may cause regression and a limited recoupment capacity. Decisions about whether a student should receive ESY are made at an IEP team meeting. ESY comes in many forms, but some examples are summer school, individual remediation, mental health counseling, or attendance at a nonpublic school summer program.
Non-academic parts of an IEP: These are school activities that fall outside the general curriculum. Non-academic activities are typically voluntary, and are more social than academic activities. According to Section 300.107 of the IDEA, if an IEP team determines that supplementary aid and services are necessary to ensure equitable access to nonacademic activities and services, then the state must ensure the provision of the resources (the resources need to be provided by the school). For example, if the student has an interest in pursuing track and field, the school must support the student in the pursuit. Support can manifest differently depending on the student’s interest, the resources available at the school, and the IEP team.
The following services may be considered non-academic parts of an IEP:
An IEP can also include an ITP if the student is over 16 and/or a behavior plan if there are behaviors that impede the child’s learning or the learning of others.
The IEP specifies what accommodations and modifications the child will receive at school. Although they are not defined in the Individuals with Disabilities Education Act (IDEA), accommodations change the classroom environment or academic setting to fit a student’s needs, but do not significantly alter the content of the required work. Allowing a student extended time to complete assignments or providing a student with assistive technology are two examples of IEP accommodations.
Unlike modifications, which change what students are expected to learn based on their abilities, accommodations are designed to allow a student to complete the same assignments as their fellow classmates. Examples include modifying the reading level of an assignment (if a 5th grade class completes reading comprehension for text at the 5th grade reading level, a student with modifications for reading might have a reading passage at the 2nd grade reading level), and altering the learning objectives for math (if a class is working on adding fractions with unlike denominators, a student receiving modifications for math might be working on adding fractions with like denominators, or adding whole numbers). Accommodations are meant to remove barriers to full participation in school activities. You can read more in our article What You Need to Know About Accommodations and Modifications.
The Supplementary Aids and Services section of the IEP will also include information about any assistive technology the child might need. In addition, this portion includes any parent (or teacher) training needed to assist parents in understanding the needs of their child to help them acquire the necessary skills to support the implementation of the IEP.
Each year in the spring, students in grades three to eight, and eleventh, take statewide assessments. This section in the IEP outlines which statewide assessment the student will take and any accommodations a student will need during statewide testing. For a deeper dive into statewide assessments, read our article Statewide Assessments 101.
Traditional and alternate assessments
There are typically two options for students: (1) the regular statewide assessments and (2) the alternate state assessments. Normally, the discussion about statewide assessments first takes place during the second grade annual IEP, before state testing in third grade, and is reviewed annually. The majority of students take the traditional statewide assessments; students with the most significant cognitive disabilities can take the alternate state assessment (CAA in California).
As part of the IEP team, it is very important that parents understand the possible implications of agreeing to alternate assessment, which we discuss more in-depth in Statewide Assessments 101. The IEP must include a statement of why the child cannot participate in the regular assessment and why the alternate assessment is appropriate for the child. The IEP team can change their recommendation about which statewide assessment your child should take (note that CAA has eligibility requirements), so any changes to this decision must also be documented in the IEP.
Testing Accommodations
The IEP plan for any child with a disability must list adequate testing accommodations specifically for statewide assessments. While traditional assessments offer a selection of aids and accommodations, alternate assessments like the CAA do allow for a wider range of supports during testing, including a variety of media for engagement and demonstration of student knowledge. If you’re in California and participating in general CAASPP assessments, or the CAA, be sure to read our article for more detailed information on accommodations for the Smarter Balanced Assessment System (SBAC).
Note: students are not required to take the statewide assessments. If a parent wants to opt their child out of state testing, they may do so by writing a letter (read our sample opt-out letter template here) to the school and stating that they would like to opt their child out of state testing for that academic school year. Make sure the decision is also included in the IEP notes.
The service delivery section is usually the last section in the IEP. In some IEP documents, this section lists the placement options (the least restrictive environment, or LRE) that were considered by the IEP team, and the reason the team chose the placement they did. Other IEP documents have an entire section dedicated to the LRE analysis/determination. This section also details the number of service minutes a child will receive in the classroom(s) chosen by the team, such as how much time a child will spend in a general education classroom and how much time the student will spend in a special day classroom (SDC) as well as the frequency, duration, and location of any related services, such as any therapies (physical, occupational, speech, etc.).
It’s important to note that Specialized Academic Instruction (SAI) can be provided anywhere (including within the general education classroom). The “offer of FAPE” also includes transportation services, assistive technology, paraprofessional support, and other components of the student’s IEP. While “offer of FAPE” is mentioned in the title, other details included in the offer of FAPE such as accommodations, modifications, and other supports may appear in the Supplementary Aids and Services section depending on the format of the IEP document.
