PLAAFP template with sentence starters

By the IEP Atlas editorial teamLast updated November 1, 2026

Short answer

A PLAAFP template gives each part of present levels its own section: sources of information, strengths, current academic and functional performance, impact on the general curriculum, parent and student input, and needs. Fill each section with a sentence starter and real data from the last few weeks. A completed written expression example follows the blank template below.

A template keeps present levels from skipping parts. It does not make them strong on its own; the data you put in does that. Use the starters below as prompts, change the wording to fit your state's form, and delete any starter that does not fit the student.

The template follows the four-part model in the pillar guide on present levels of performance: strengths, current data, impact and needs, with parent and student input added. Each blank is shown as a short line to fill in.

The fill-in PLAAFP template

Copy each section into your IEP form. Repeat sections 3 to 5 and 8 for each area the IEP addresses.

Section 1: Sources of information

Information for this section comes from ______, ______ and ______, collected between ______ and ______.
The most recent evaluation, completed on ______, found ______.
Since the last IEP, ______ (met / made progress on / did not meet) the goal for ______. The last progress report showed ______.

Section 2: Strengths

______ does well at ______, as shown by ______.
______ performs best when ______ (a condition, tool or person).
Interests that support learning: ______.

Section 3: Current academic performance

On ______ (number) ______ (task and materials) in ______ (month), ______ scored a median of ______ (number and unit).
______ can ______ correctly. Errors are mostly ______.
With ______ (a support), performance was ______.
Compared with grade-level expectations, ______.

Section 4: Current functional performance

During ______ (routine or setting) across ______ (number) days, ______ completed ______ of ______ steps without prompts / used ______ on ______ of ______ opportunities.
______ does ______ on their own. Adults currently help with ______.
If there are no functional needs in this area: ______ completes ______ independently, and no goal is needed at this time.

Section 5: Impact on involvement and progress in the general curriculum

Because ______ (skill gap with a number), ______ cannot yet ______ (class task) in ______ (subject or setting), so ______ (consequence).
For preschool: because ______, ______ is not yet able to take part in ______ (activity), so ______.

Section 6: Parent concerns and input

On ______ (date) by ______ (phone, form, meeting), ______ shared: "______."
At home, the family sees ______.

Section 7: Student input

______ says what is easy is ______, what is hard is ______, and what helps is ______.
______'s goals for this year or after high school: "______."

Section 8: Needs

______ needs to ______ (skill), which will be addressed by a goal.
______ needs ______ (support or accommodation) to ______.
Staff need ______ (training or materials) to support ______.

Completed example: written expression, grade 5

Wesley is a fictional fifth grader with a specific learning disability in written expression. His numbers show the format and are not benchmarks.

Sources of information: Information comes from three writing samples, three 3-minute timed writing probes, his teacher's report and a phone call with his father, collected between October 1 and October 20. His reevaluation in spring of grade 4 found average reading and below-average written expression and spelling. He did not meet last year's goal for writing complete sentences; his last progress report showed 58% complete sentences against a target of 80%.

Strengths: Wesley reads grade 5 text accurately and gives detailed spoken answers about science and history. He writes more when he plans aloud with an adult first. He likes engineering and builds working models from kits.

Current academic performance: On three opinion prompts in October, Wesley scored a median of 5 of 16 on the grade 5 opinion rubric. He states an opinion and gives one reason but adds no examples and no conclusion. On three 3-minute timed probes, he wrote a median of 21 correct word sequences. He spells about 78% of words correctly in his own writing, with most errors on vowel teams and suffixes. When he dictates his ideas first, his rubric score rises to 9 of 16.

Current functional performance: Wesley organizes his materials and turns in work on time. No functional goal is needed at this time.

Impact: Because Wesley's written responses are short and lack support, he cannot yet show what he knows in grade 5 science and social studies, where most assessments use written answers. His written grades are lower than his spoken answers in class would predict.

Parent concerns: On October 14 by phone, Mr. Ito said: "He knows so much about science, but when he has to write it down he gives up after two sentences."

Student input: Wesley says talking about ideas is easy, writing them down is hard, and typing helps because his spelling gets fixed.

Needs: Wesley needs to write an opinion piece with two or more reasons, an example for each, and a conclusion. He needs access to speech-to-text or word prediction for longer written assignments. He needs a planning routine he can use on his own.

The goal that follows: "Given an opinion prompt and 30 minutes with a planning sheet, Wesley will write an opinion piece scoring 12 of 16 or higher on the grade 5 opinion rubric on 3 of 4 monthly samples." Its baseline, 5 of 16, comes straight from the current performance section. The library's opinion piece template and the full set of written expression goals have more wording options, and sentence construction goals fit students whose need is at the sentence level.

Section-by-section notes: what readers look for

Supervisors who review IEPs and parents who read them tend to check the same things. These notes say what each reader is looking for in each section.

Section	What a reviewer checks	What a parent looks for
Sources	Recent data, more than one source, evaluation results summarized	Whether their input was used
Strengths	Observable skills, not only praise	Their child described as they know them
Current performance	A number, the task, the conditions and the date in each area with a goal	Plain words they can follow, and a comparison with last year
Functional performance	Addressed for every student, even if no need	Daily skills they worry about at home
Impact	How the disability affects progress in the general curriculum	Why their child needs this help
Parent concerns	Concerns recorded and answered somewhere in the plan	Their own words, not a rewrite
Student input	The student's view, especially for older students	Their child's voice in the plan
Needs	Each need leads to a goal, service or accommodation	What will actually change

The impact section is the one the federal rule names directly: present levels must include how the disability affects involvement and progress in the general education curriculum, or for preschool children, participation in appropriate activities.^[1] The team must also consider the student's strengths, the parents' concerns, the most recent evaluation and the student's academic, developmental and functional needs.^[2] The template's sections line up with those items.

Tips for using the template

Fill in data first, then prose. Put the numbers in each section before you write sentences around them.
Delete what does not fit. A template full of blank starters looks worse than a short statement.
Use the goal's unit. If the goal will use rubric points, report rubric points in current performance.
Write for the parent. Spell out every acronym the first time and explain any standard score in a sentence.
Keep last year out of this year. Copying last year's sections forward is the fastest way to a weak statement.

For the process behind each section, see how to write a PLAAFP, step by step. For finished statements to compare against, see the reading examples, the writing examples and the weak vs strong rewrites. When the goal is drafted, check it with the goal checker, and if you need a starting number, the baseline glossary entry explains what counts.

Frequently asked questions

What sections should a PLAAFP template have?

Sources of information, strengths, current academic performance, current functional performance, impact on the general curriculum, parent concerns, student input and needs. Repeat the performance, impact and needs sections for each area the IEP addresses.

Can I use the same PLAAFP template in every state?

The sections match the federal requirements, but state and district forms differ in layout and labels. Copy the sentence starters into your own form's boxes, and follow any state-specific sections, such as separate boxes for assessment results or English learner status.

Is it okay to use sentence starters in an IEP?

Yes, as long as every sentence ends with real data about this student. Starters prevent missing parts. The risk is leaving generic wording in place, so read the finished statement aloud and cut anything that could describe any student.

Use it in IEP Atlas

Sources

34 CFR §300.320: Definition of individualized education program, Legal Information Institute, Cornell Law School
34 CFR §300.324: Development, review, and revision of IEP, Legal Information Institute, Cornell Law School

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.