Present levels examples for PT

The PT section of present levels is where a mobility goal gets its baseline. If it says "decreased balance and strength," the team has nothing to measure from and the goal will be vague. If it says what the student did on the stairs, with how much help and how fast, the goal follows on its own.

Each example below is labeled with what makes it strong. The numbers and names are made up to show the format. They are not norms or targets. For the goals that grow out of these statements, see the physical therapy IEP goals pillar.

What a school PT present levels statement needs

The federal rule asks for a statement of present levels of academic achievement and functional performance, including how the disability affects involvement and progress in the general curriculum.^[1] Mobility is functional performance. For a PT, that means five parts:

• The school task. Stairs to the library, the bus steps, the walk to lunch. Not "ambulation."
• The conditions. Route, distance, equipment, surface, time of day and footwear or braces.
• The level of help. Use the same words every time: independent, standby (adult nearby, no touch), contact guard (hand on the student, no lifting), minimal, moderate or maximal help.
• A number. Seconds, feet, steps completed out of the task total, falls out of recesses, or rubric components.
• Impact and need. What the gap stops the student from doing at school, and the skill the goal will target.

Body measures such as strength grades, range of motion or a standardized motor score can appear, but only next to the school task they explain. School PT is a related service tied to benefit from special education, so the statement should read like an education document.^[2] The guide on school-based physical therapy covers that model in more depth.

Weak and strong versions side by side

Gross motor present levels examples

1. "On 5 school days in October, Maya climbed the 14 stairs to the library with a step-to pattern, one rail and contact guard help. Her median time was 62 seconds; her class took about 20. She arrives after the lesson starts. Maya needs to climb stairs with alternating feet and standby help." Why it works: stairs, pattern, rail, help level and time are all named, so a stair goal has a baseline.
2. "Theo stood on his right foot for a median of 2 seconds and on his left for 3 seconds across 5 trials. He holds the wall to put on his shoes after PE and falls about once a week at recess. Theo needs to hold single-leg stance long enough for dressing and play." Why it works: the body measure is paired with two school tasks it affects.
3. "On a 10-foot tape line in the gym, Ruby stepped off the line a median of 6 times per trial across 3 trials. She bumps into peers when the class walks in a line. Ruby needs to keep a narrow path while walking." Why it works: a count per trial gives a clear direction for the goal.
4. "Eli throws a tennis ball overhand showing 2 of 4 rubric components (side turned, arm back, opposite-foot step, follow-through) on 3 of 3 trials. He throws with his feet facing the target and no step. In PE games, his throws fall short of a partner 10 feet away. Eli needs a mature overhand pattern." Why it works: a skill-component rubric score moves as form improves, even when he already throws every time.
5. "Given 10 tosses of an 8-inch ball from 6 feet, Ruby caught 2 with her hands; she trapped 5 against her chest and missed 3. She stays out of catching games at recess. Ruby needs to catch with hands only." Why it works: the denominator is stated and the error types tell the PT what to teach.
6. "Across 5 trials, Jayden jumped forward a median of 8 inches with both feet and lost his balance on landing in 3. He cannot join hopscotch or the jumping station in PE. Jayden needs a two-foot jump with a controlled landing." Why it works: distance in inches and a landing count give two numbers to track.
7. "Mia gets up from the carpet to standing by pulling on a chair or adult in 5 of 5 observed transitions, taking a median of 9 seconds. Peers take 2 to 3. She is last in line after every carpet lesson. Mia needs to rise from the floor without pulling on furniture." Why it works: it names the routine where the skill matters and the support she uses now.
8. "During 4 obstacle-course trials in PE, Omar completed 3 of 6 stations (over, under, through, around, up and down) without an adult showing him the movement. He watches peers and then skips stations he cannot plan. Omar needs to plan and sequence whole-body movements." Why it works: stations out of 6 is a clear count tied to motor planning.

Functional mobility present levels examples

1. "Noah walks the 420-foot route from the bus loop to his classroom with his posterior walker in a median of 14 minutes, with 3 rest stops, across 5 mornings. He misses the start of morning meeting daily. Noah needs to walk this route in time for the start of class." Why it works: the route, distance, device and time are all stated.
2. "Ava propels her manual wheelchair from her classroom to the cafeteria (about 300 feet) and arrives a median of 6 minutes after her class, across 5 days. An adult pushes her on the ramp. She has 10 fewer minutes to eat than peers. Ava needs to propel this route and the ramp with standby help." Why it works: it separates what she does from what an adult does.
3. "Jay walks between classes carrying his backpack and arrives 2 to 4 minutes after the bell on 5 of 5 days. He stops to rest at the stairwell. Jay needs to travel between classes within the 4-minute passing period." Why it works: a secondary routine with a fixed time limit is easy to measure.
4. "Kai completed 3 of 6 bus-boarding steps (wait at the line, hold the rail, step up, step up, turn, sit) with contact guard help on 5 mornings. The aide lifts him onto the first step. Kai needs to board the bus with standby help." Why it works: a task analysis baseline shows exactly which steps are left.
5. "Using a slide board, Ava completes 4 of 8 transfer steps from wheelchair to classroom chair. An adult places the board, locks the brakes and guides her across. She cannot sit in a regular chair for group work without two adults. Ava needs to complete more of the transfer with one adult at standby." Why it works: the steps done by an adult become the steps the goal adds.
6. "During 3 fire drills this year, Leo was pushed out in his wheelchair by an adult. When asked, he named 1 of 5 steps on his drill route. Leo needs to exit along his planned route with the class." Why it works: it names safety as the school task and gives a step count.
7. "In 5 recess observations, Theo fell 3 times on wood chips and once stepping off the curb to the blacktop. He does not go to the climbing area. Theo needs to walk on uneven playground surfaces without falling." Why it works: falls out of recesses is simple for a recess aide to record.

Equipment and positioning present levels examples

1. "Each morning, Leo completes 1 of 6 power chair safety check steps (battery, brakes, joystick, seat belt, footrests, tires) and waits for an adult to do the rest. Twice this fall his battery ran low before dismissal. Leo needs to run the daily check with a picture list." Why it works: the step count and the consequence make the need concrete.
2. "Mia stands in her prone stander for a median of 10 minutes before asking to get out, across 5 table activities. Her PT plan calls for standing during one 30-minute block each day. Mia needs to stay in the stander and take part in the lesson for the full block." Why it works: duration is measured during class, and the plan's target comes from the PT, not from a guess.
3. "Grace takes off her ankle-foot orthoses after PE but needs an adult to put them back on, which takes about 8 minutes of class time. She completes 2 of 7 steps herself. Grace needs to put on her braces and shoes with standby help." Why it works: it counts steps and names the time lost from class.
4. "Sam sits upright at his desk for a median of 6 minutes before sliding forward in his chair, across 5 lessons. His feet do not reach the floor. With a footrest and a firm seat cushion in a 2-day trial, he sat for 15 minutes. Sam needs a positioning setup and a cue routine to sit through a 20-minute lesson." Why it works: it compares two conditions, which tells the team what support to write in.
5. "Using her walker, Nora waits for an adult to open the classroom door in 5 of 5 trials. She can open a light door while standing but cannot hold it and step through. Nora needs to open and pass through heavy doors with her walker." Why it works: the gap is a specific task, not a general weakness.

Fitness, PE and playground present levels examples

1. "During the PE warm-up lap, Sam walks or jogs continuously for 2 minutes before stopping; the class runs for 6. He sits out the rest of the warm-up 3 of 4 PE days. Sam needs to keep moving through the warm-up." Why it works: minutes of continuous movement give a direct baseline.
2. "During PE laps, Ava propels her wheelchair continuously for 90 seconds before stopping, across 4 PE days. She completes 1 lap of the gym in the 5-minute warm-up while peers complete 6. Ava needs to propel for the full warm-up." Why it works: it adapts the same fitness task to her mode of mobility.
3. "On the playground structure, Ruby climbs the 4-rung ladder with contact guard help and will not go down the slide unless an adult holds her hand, across 4 recesses. She plays alone in the sandbox most days. Ruby needs to climb and slide with standby help to join peers." Why it works: it ties motor access to play with peers.
4. "Jayden pedals a tricycle 15 feet on the blacktop before his feet slip off the pedals, across 3 trials. He cannot steer around a cone. He watches the trike lap at recess instead of joining. Jayden needs to pedal and steer a tricycle around the recess track." Why it works: distance in feet plus a steering task gives two clear targets.

Patterns that make a PT statement strong

Look across the 24 examples above and the same habits repeat.

• One school task per statement. Each one starts with a place in the building or a routine.
• The help level is named in plain words. "Contact guard" means the same thing to the PT, the teacher and the parent.
• The unit matches the future goal. Stairs in seconds or pattern, routes in minutes, routines in steps, motor patterns in rubric components.
• What the adult does is listed. Those adult steps become the goal.
• Medical details stay in their lane. Weight-bearing limits, wearing schedules and equipment settings come from the physician or the PT plan. Present levels can note them without turning them into goals.

Mistakes in PT present levels

Weak: "Gross motor skills are below age level." Better: Name the task and the number, as in the jumping example under gross motor.

Weak: "Student is independent with mobility." Better: "Walks all school routes, including stairs and the bus, with no adult help on 5 of 5 days." Independence needs a setting and proof.

Weak: A strength grade or a standard score with no school task. Better: Keep the score, then add the task it explains, as in the table above.

Weak: Last year's statement copied forward. Better: Take new probes. Three to five data points per task, reported as a median, is enough for most PT baselines. The guide on how to collect baseline data shows the method.

From the statement to the goal

The number in the statement becomes the baseline. The need becomes the skill. The conditions carry over word for word. Find matching templates on the PT role page, on gross motor goals and on functional mobility goals. Then run the draft goal through the goal checker.

If service minutes are under review at the same meeting, the PT consult guide explains how present levels support direct versus consult time. If PE is the concern, see adapted PE eligibility. OT statements follow the same pattern in OT present levels examples.

Frequently asked questions

Use it in IEP Atlas

• Goals for the PT role
• Physical therapy in the IEP glossary
• PLAAFP in the IEP glossary
• Baseline in the IEP glossary
• IEP goal checker

Related guides

• Physical therapy IEP goals: examples for school-based PT
• School-based physical therapy: what it covers and who qualifies
• PT service minutes and consult models at school
• Adapted PE: who qualifies and what goes in the IEP
• How to measure gross motor goals (skill-component rubrics)

Sources

1. 34 CFR §300.320: Definition of individualized education program, Legal Information Institute, Cornell Law School
2. 34 CFR §300.34: Related services, Legal Information Institute, Cornell Law School
3. APTA Pediatrics, Academy of Pediatric Physical Therapy, American Physical Therapy Association

Written and checked by the IEP Atlas editorial team under our editorial policy. This guide describes general practice and federal rules. It is not legal advice; your state may add requirements, and the IEP team makes the decisions for each student.