Parent Field Guide
How to read your child’s PLAAFP without losing your mind.
A plain-language handbook for the section of an IEP nobody explains to you. Learn what “Present Levels of Academic Achievement and Functional Performance” actually says about your kid, and what to push back on when it doesn’t match what you’re seeing at home.
What’s inside.
Nine sections that walk you through a real PLAAFP page by page, flagging what to look for, what to question, and what to request if it’s missing.
- What a PLAAFP actually is (and what it isn’t)
- The five data sources every PLAAFP should reference
- Red flags: vague language, missing baselines, and copy-paste phrasing
- How to tell if the PLAAFP supports the proposed goals
- Questions to ask before you sign
- Language you can borrow for your parent input statement
- Sample strong vs. weak PLAAFP excerpts, side by side
- A one-page checklist for your next IEP meeting
Who it’s for.
Parents walking into their first (or fifth) IEP meeting. Especially useful if you’ve ever read a PLAAFP and thought “this doesn’t sound like my kid at all” but didn’t know how to say so.