Present levels examples for preschoolers

A preschool present levels statement has a different job from one written for a fourth grader. There is no grade-level curriculum to compare against. The question is what the child does during snack, centers, outdoor play, arrival and story time, and what gets in the way of joining those routines.

The 24 examples below are grouped by developmental area. Twenty are written out with a weak version, a strong rewrite, and a note on what makes it strong. Four more are quick rewrites in a table. For the overall structure of the section, read the present levels of performance guide.

The children, ages and numbers are invented. They are not milestones and should not be used as targets.

What preschool present levels must describe

For a preschool child, the IEP's present levels statement must say how the disability affects the child's participation in appropriate activities, rather than progress in the general curriculum.^[1] Preschool special education for children ages 3 through 5 is run under Part B, Section 619 of IDEA.^[2] Many children arrive from early intervention with an IFSP, so their first IEP draws on that history.

Appropriate activities means the routines and play that same-age children do: arriving, playing at centers, eating snack, joining a group, going outside. Practice guidance for early childhood stresses assessment in those natural routines, with families as partners.^[3] That is why most strong examples below name a routine and include something the family reported.

A complete preschool statement covers:

• The routine or activity. Snack, centers, circle, outdoor play, arrival, story time.
• A number from observation. Requests per snack, steps of a routine, minutes at a center, words per utterance.
• What helps. A picture choice board, an adult model, a peer buddy, a visual timer.
• What the family sees. Home is often where a skill appears first, or does not appear at all.
• The effect on participation. What the child misses or needs adult help with that peers do on their own.

Taking a preschool IEP baseline

A preschool IEP baseline comes from short, repeated observations in routines, not from a single test session. Standardized developmental tests help establish eligibility and show broad areas of delay. Their age-equivalent scores are rough, and they do not give a number you can re-measure every few weeks.

Score opportunities for skills that depend on a situation, and use task analysis for routines with steps. Take at least three observations on different days and report the median. Ask the family to note the same skill at home for a week, using a simple tally.

Communication

1. Requesting at snack, age 3

Weak: "Zara is nonverbal and cannot communicate her wants."

Strong: "Across 8 snack times in October, Zara had about 6 chances per snack to request food or drink. She reached or pulled an adult's hand in a median of 4 of 6. She pointed to a picture on a 2-choice board in a median of 1 of 6, rising to 4 of 6 when an adult modeled the picture first. Her parents report she leads them to the fridge at home. Zara needs to request wanted items with a picture, sign or word during routines."

What makes it strong: It reports the mode she uses now and the opportunities she gets, with the support that works. See request a wanted item with a word, sign or picture.

2. Length of utterances, age 4

Weak: "Milo has a language delay and speaks in short sentences."

Strong: "In a 50-utterance play sample in September, Milo used a median of 2 words per utterance, such as 'more car' and 'me go.' He used no plural or past tense endings. He follows 2-step directions in familiar routines and names over 100 objects, per his teacher's checklist. Peers often finish his sentences or walk away during pretend play. Milo needs to combine 3 to 4 words in phrases during play."

What makes it strong: A language sample gives a re-measurable count. It separates his strong vocabulary from his short phrases. See produce longer utterances and the glossary entry for MLU.

3. Answering questions about a story, age 4

Weak: "Anika does not understand stories."

Strong: "During 6 small-group story times in October, Anika answered a median of 2 of 5 'who' and 'what' questions about the story, pointing to the picture when she answered. She answered 'where' questions in 0 of 6 sessions. She points to and names characters on the page when asked. Anika needs to answer who, what and where questions about a story read aloud."

What makes it strong: It breaks questions down by type, so the goal can start where she is. The speech-language goals include story question templates.

4. Being understood by others, age 5

Weak: "Kai is hard to understand."

Strong: "In a recorded 10-minute play sample in October, an unfamiliar listener understood 22 of 50 of Kai's utterances. Familiar adults understood about 40 of 50. He drops final sounds and replaces /k/ and /g/ with /t/ and /d/. He gets frustrated and stops talking when peers say 'what?' Kai needs to produce /k/ and /g/ in words during play and classroom routines."

What makes it strong: It gives intelligibility with a denominator and a listener, then names the sound patterns. See use /k/ and /g/ words during preschool routines.

Social and play skills

5. Playing near and with peers, age 3

Weak: "Delilah plays alone and doesn't interact."

Strong: "During 6 center times of 20 minutes in October, Delilah played with the same toys as a peer for a median of 2 minutes. She played alone with the water table for most of the period. When an adult joined her and invited one peer, she stayed in shared play for 6 to 8 minutes. At home she plays chase with her older brother. Delilah needs to stay in shared play with a peer for longer periods."

What makes it strong: Duration captures play time, and the adult-invited condition gives a support. See play social participation goals.

6. Taking turns, age 4

Weak: "Oscar can't share."

Strong: "In 10 turn-taking games with one peer in September (rolling a ball, adding a block to a tower), Oscar waited for his turn and gave the item back in 3 of 10 games. In the other 7 he kept the item or grabbed it back. He takes turns with an adult in 8 of 10 games. Oscar needs to take turns with a peer in a simple game."

What makes it strong: It compares adult and peer turn-taking, so the goal targets peers. See take turns during a structured game.

7. Joint attention, age 3

Weak: "Simone doesn't pay attention to people."

Strong: "Across 5 play sessions in October, an adult pointed to an interesting toy 10 times per session. Simone followed the point and looked at the toy a median of 3 of 10 times. She showed a toy to an adult 0 times. She looks at her mother and smiles during tickle games at home, per the family. Simone needs to follow a partner's point and share interest in toys."

What makes it strong: It defines joint attention as two countable actions. See follow a partner's point to a toy and joint attention in the glossary.

8. Handling upset, age 4

Weak: "Arjun has meltdowns."

Strong: "Over 2 weeks in October, staff logged 9 upset episodes (crying and dropping to the floor), most when a preferred activity ended. Episodes lasted 3 to 14 minutes, with a median of 7. When an adult offered two calming items, he took one and calmed in under 4 minutes in 3 of 4 episodes. His family uses a blanket and a song at home. Arjun needs to use a calm-down routine with adult help."

What makes it strong: It includes the trigger, the duration, the support and the home routine. See use a calm-down routine with adult help.

Self-care and routines

9. Arrival routine, age 4

Weak: "Bea needs help with arrival."

Strong: "On a 5-step arrival checklist (hang backpack, take out folder, put folder in bin, wash hands, pick a center), Bea completed a median of 2 steps on her own across 8 mornings in September. She needed a gesture prompt to start each of the other steps. Peers complete the routine in about 5 minutes; she takes about 12 with prompts. Bea needs to complete the arrival routine with fewer adult prompts."

What makes it strong: The routine is broken into steps and each step's help is recorded. Use a task analysis data sheet. See unpack a backpack.

10. Taking off a coat, age 3

Weak: "Felix can't dress himself."

Strong: "On 6 arrivals in October, Felix unzipped his coat on his own once. He pulled his arms out of the sleeves on all 6 days after an adult started the zipper. His parents report that he takes off his shoes and socks without help. Felix needs to unzip and remove his coat at arrival."

What makes it strong: "Can't dress" is narrowed to the step he cannot do. See unzip and remove a coat at arrival in the dressing goals.

11. Using utensils at lunch, age 4

Weak: "Nico is a messy eater."

Strong: "During 5 observed lunches in September, Nico used a spoon for a median of 3 of 10 bites and ate the rest with his fingers, including yogurt and rice. He spilled most spoon bites before reaching his mouth. He holds the spoon in a fisted grasp. The OT noted weak wrist rotation. Nico needs to use a spoon to eat with fewer spills."

What makes it strong: It counts bites and describes grasp, which links the skill to the motor reason. See use a spoon and fork without spilling.

12. Cleanup, age 5

Weak: "Ivy doesn't clean up."

Strong: "At 8 cleanup times in October, Ivy put away 1 or 2 items and then left the area before the song ended. She cleaned up the whole block area on the 2 days a peer buddy cleaned with her. Her teacher reports she puts things away at home when given a picture of where they go. Ivy needs to put away materials during cleanup until the area is done."

What makes it strong: It counts items and names the peer-buddy support. See get out and put away the supply box in the preschool readiness goals.

Motor skills

13. Holding a crayon, age 4

Weak: "Jasper has poor fine motor skills."

Strong: "During 5 art and drawing activities in October, Jasper held a crayon in a fisted grasp in every trial. He drew a vertical line when shown and a circle in 1 of 5 trials. He strings large beads and builds a 6-block tower. He avoids the writing center. Jasper needs to hold a crayon with a more mature grasp and copy simple shapes."

What makes it strong: It describes the grasp and counts the shapes, and lists motor strengths. See hold a crayon with a tripod grasp in the fine motor goals.

14. Jumping and playground use, age 4

Weak: "Rosalind is clumsy."

Strong: "On 6 gross motor sessions in September, Rosalind jumped forward with both feet together in 2 of 10 trials, usually stepping off one foot. She climbed the 4-step playground ladder with two hands and an adult spotting her. She falls a median of 3 times per outdoor play period. Peers have stopped inviting her to chase. Rosalind needs to jump with both feet and climb playground equipment safely."

What makes it strong: Trials and falls per period are countable, and the peer effect shows why it matters. See jump forward with both feet together.

15. Cutting with scissors, age 5

Weak: "Tariq can't use scissors."

Strong: "On 5 cutting tasks in October, Tariq snipped the edge of paper with adapted loop scissors in 4 of 5 tasks. With regular scissors he held them upside down and snipped once in 5 tasks. He can tear paper strips for collage. Tariq needs to snip paper with scissors using a thumbs-up grip."

What makes it strong: It names the tool and the result with each, so the team can decide on equipment. See snip paper with a thumbs-up grip.

Early learning

16. Counting objects, age 5

Weak: "Wynn doesn't know numbers."

Strong: "Wynn counts aloud to 15. On 6 probes in October with 5 to 8 objects, she touched each object once while counting in 2 of 6 sets. She skipped or double-counted in the rest. When objects were in a line, she counted correctly in 4 of 5 trials. Wynn needs to touch each object once while counting sets of up to 10."

What makes it strong: It separates rote counting from counting objects, the real gap. See touch each object once while counting and one-to-one correspondence.

17. Letter recognition, age 5

Weak: "Celeste doesn't know her letters."

Strong: "On 3 probes in October, Celeste named 4 of 26 uppercase letters in random order, all from her name. She pointed to 9 of 26 named letters. She sings the alphabet song. Celeste needs to name the letters in her name and point to named letters."

What makes it strong: Pointing and naming are reported separately. See name the letters in their first name.

18. Matching and sorting, age 3

Weak: "Emeka is behind cognitively."

Strong: "On 5 table activities in September, Emeka sorted objects by color in 8 of 10 trials and by shape in 3 of 10. He completed 3-piece knob puzzles on his own. He stays at a table activity for about 4 minutes. Emeka needs to sort objects by shape and size."

What makes it strong: It replaces a vague label with tasks he can and cannot do yet. See sort objects by color, size or shape.

Group routines and transitions

19. Following group directions, age 4

Weak: "Juniper doesn't listen."

Strong: "During 10 transitions in October, the teacher gave a one-step group direction such as 'get your coat.' Juniper followed it within 30 seconds in 3 of 10. She followed it in 8 of 10 when the teacher said her name first or showed a picture. Her hearing screen in September was passed. Juniper needs to follow one-step directions given to the whole group."

What makes it strong: The passed hearing screen rules out one explanation, and the name cue is a support. See follow one-step directions given to the group.

20. Moving between centers, age 4

Weak: "Basil has trouble with transitions."

Strong: "At 12 center rotations in September, Basil moved to the next center within 1 minute of the signal in 4 of 12. He moved in 9 of 12 when shown a 'first, then' card a minute before. He takes about 6 minutes to settle when moved by hand. Basil needs to move to the next center when the rotation signal is given."

What makes it strong: It counts each transition and records what helps. See move to the next center on the signal.

Quick rewrites

Four more in short form, with the child unnamed.

Matching templates: wave or signal hello, remain on the cot at rest time, imitate a new action with a toy and say first and last name and age.

Common mistakes in preschool present levels

• Leading with age-equivalent scores. "Functions at 24 months" says little about what to teach. Report what the child does in routines.
• Copying milestone checklists. Milestone lists show what most children do by an age.^[4] They help with screening and family talks, but they are not the child's present level.
• Observing only at the table. Many preschool skills show up in play and routines. Watch where the skill is used.
• Leaving out the family. Home data often shows a skill the classroom has not seen yet, or the reverse.
• Writing "with support" without saying which support. Name the picture board, the model, or the peer buddy.

From present levels to preschool goals

Each number becomes the goal's baseline, and the routine becomes the goal's condition. For goal wording, see IEP goals for preschoolers and browse preschool IEP goals and goals for the early childhood setting. For the transition into kindergarten, the kindergarten goals guide picks up where this one ends. The glossary explains preschool special education and the Part C to B transition.

For speech and language areas in more depth, see speech therapy present levels examples. For motor areas, see OT present levels examples. Check each draft goal with the goal checker before the meeting.

Frequently asked questions

Use it in IEP Atlas

• Preschool IEP goals
• Goals for the early childhood setting
• Preschool readiness goals (functional skills)
• Preschool special education in the IEP glossary
• PLAAFP in the IEP glossary
• Baseline in the IEP glossary
• IEP goal checker

Related guides

• Present levels of performance (PLAAFP): what to include, with examples
• Present levels examples for speech and language
• Present levels examples for OT and fine motor
• Functional performance present levels examples
• Present levels examples for math
• Present levels examples for writing
• Present levels examples for behavior

Sources

1. 34 CFR §300.320: Definition of individualized education program, Legal Information Institute, Cornell Law School
2. Part B, Section 619 of IDEA, Early Childhood Technical Assistance Center
3. DEC Recommended Practices, Division for Early Childhood, Council for Exceptional Children
4. CDC's Developmental Milestones, Centers for Disease Control and Prevention

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.