Present levels examples for writing

Writing is hard to describe in numbers, so present levels often fall back on "below grade level" and "needs to work on organization." That leaves the goal without a baseline. Writing can be counted: words spelled correctly, complete sentences, correct word sequences, rubric points, minutes of writing. The trick is choosing the count that matches the skill.

The 16 examples below go from kindergarten labels to high school summaries. Each shows a weak statement, a strong rewrite, the samples behind it and what makes it work. The students and numbers are invented to show the format. They are not norms or targets.

The four parts every present levels statement needs are explained in the pillar guide on present levels of performance. The paragraph example with a picture prompt in the general present levels examples is not repeated here.

Choosing the right writing data

Present levels must describe how the disability affects progress in the general curriculum.^[1] For writing, the curriculum is mostly the student's own written work, so collect real samples under stated conditions.

A correct word sequence is two adjacent words that are spelled right and make sense together. It is a quick way to put a number on short timed samples.

Early writing and spelling

Example 1: Labeling a drawing, kindergarten

Weak: "Felix can't write yet."

Strong: "Across 10 journal entries in October, Felix labeled his drawing with at least one letter that matched a sound in the word in 3 entries. He writes his first name. He names 20 letters. When an adult stretches the word slowly, he writes the first sound in 6 of 10 words. He draws detailed pictures and tells long stories about them. Felix needs to write the beginning sounds of words to label his drawings on his own."

Data behind it: 3 of 10 journal entries; 6 of 10 with adult stretching.

Why it works: It counts what Felix can do, including with help. The gap between 3 and 6 shows how much support moves him. See label a drawing with letters or words.

Example 2: Dictated short-vowel words, grade 1

Weak: "Ivy is a poor speller."

Strong: "On three dictated lists of 10 short-vowel CVC words in October, Ivy spelled a median of 4 words correctly and wrote a median of 19 of 30 correct letter sequences. She writes the first and last sounds correctly. She leaves out or swaps vowels, writing 'bg' for 'bag' and 'pin' for 'pen.' In journal writing, she uses only words she knows how to spell. Ivy needs to hear and write the vowel in CVC words."

Data behind it: 3, 4 and 5 words correct; 17, 19 and 22 letter sequences.

Why it works: Correct letter sequences show progress before whole words come right. See spell dictated short-vowel words.

Example 3: Irregular high-frequency words, grade 2

Weak: "Marco misspells common words."

Strong: "On a dictated list of 25 irregular high-frequency words from the grade 2 list in September, Marco spelled 9 correctly. He spells them phonetically: 'sed' for said, 'wuz' for was, 'thay' for they. His phonetic spelling of regular words is accurate. In his writing samples, these 25 words make up about a fifth of the words he writes. Marco needs to spell the grade 2 irregular words correctly from memory."

Data behind it: one 25-word list, repeated twice more with the same words; 8, 9 and 9 correct.

Why it works: It names the list and shows his phonetic spelling is a strength. See spell irregular high-frequency words.

Example 4: Spelling in own writing, grade 4

Weak: "Leah's spelling interferes with her writing."

Strong: "Across four writing samples from science and ELA in October, Leah spelled 81% of her words correctly (312 of 385). Most errors are vowel teams and r-controlled vowels, such as 'rane' and 'shert.' She spells the same words correctly on weekly spelling tests. When she proofreads with a word list, she fixes about a third of her errors. Leah needs to apply vowel patterns when she writes on her own and proofread for spelling."

Data behind it: 312 of 385 words across four samples.

Why it works: It separates test spelling from spelling in real writing, which is what the class grades. See spell words correctly in self-composed writing.

Sentences and mechanics

Example 5: Writing a complete sentence, grade 1

Weak: "Owen doesn't write in sentences."

Strong: "Given a picture and the prompt 'Write about the picture,' Owen wrote a complete sentence with a subject and a verb in 2 of 8 tries in September. He usually writes a single word or a list, such as 'dog ball.' When an adult says a sentence starter aloud, he finishes it in writing 6 of 8 times. Owen needs to write a complete sentence about a picture without a starter."

Data behind it: 8 prompts across four days.

Why it works: It defines a complete sentence (subject and verb) so it can be scored the same way all year. See write a complete simple sentence.

Example 6: Capitals and end marks, grade 2

Weak: "Clara forgets capitals and periods."

Strong: "Across five writing samples in October, Clara began 9 of 24 sentences with a capital letter and ended 7 of 24 with the correct mark. She writes long strings of ideas joined by 'and then.' When she reads her writing aloud, she pauses in the right places. She can fix capitals and periods in a sentence when an adult points to them. Clara needs to mark the start and end of each sentence in her own writing."

Data behind it: 24 sentences across five samples.

Why it works: Her pauses when reading aloud are a strength the teacher can use. See end each sentence with the correct mark.

Example 7: Expanding sentences, grade 3

Weak: "Theo's sentences are too simple."

Strong: "On three sets of 6 kernel sentences in October, Theo added a correct when, where, why or how detail to a median of 2. In his own writing, 18 of 20 sentences follow the pattern 'I like ___' or 'It is ___.' He gives detailed answers when asked questions aloud. His science summaries are correct but too short to show what he knows. Theo needs to expand sentences with details that answer when, where, why and how."

Data behind it: 1, 2 and 3 of 6.

Why it works: It counts the pattern in his own writing and gives a probe the goal can repeat. See expand kernel sentences.

Example 8: Combining sentences, grade 5

Weak: "Aisha writes choppy sentences."

Strong: "On three sets of 8 sentence pairs in November, Aisha combined them into one correct compound or complex sentence on a median of 3. She uses 'and' correctly but not 'because,' 'although' or 'when.' In her own writing, 2 of 31 sentences were compound or complex. Her ideas are on topic and in order. Aisha needs to combine sentences using conjunctions that show cause, contrast and time."

Data behind it: 2, 3 and 4 of 8.

Why it works: It names which conjunctions she uses and which she does not. Sentence construction is one of the foundational skills the federal elementary writing guide recommends teaching directly.^[2] See combine short sentences.

Composition and organization

Example 9: Writing fluency, grade 4

Weak: "Wren writes very little."

Strong: "In four 3-minute story starter probes in October, Wren wrote a median of 17 correct word sequences and 24 total words. Her spelling is accurate. She stops after one or two sentences and says she does not know what to write next. In class, her journal entries average three sentences while the assignment asks for a page. Wren needs to generate and write more ideas in a set time."

Data behind it: 14, 16, 18 and 21 correct word sequences.

Why it works: Timed probes give a quick, repeatable number. Correct word sequences reward correct writing, not just length. See write correct word sequences on timed probes.

Example 10: Planning before writing, grade 5

Weak: "Ezra jumps into writing without thinking."

Strong: "Across 8 writing assignments in September and October, Ezra made a written plan before drafting on 1. On that one, he scored 9 of 16 on the class rubric. Without a plan, his median score was 5 of 16, with ideas out of order and repeated. He uses a graphic organizer when an adult sits with him. Ezra needs to make a plan on his own before he drafts."

Data behind it: 1 of 8 assignments with a plan; rubric scores with and without.

Why it works: It shows the effect of planning in his own scores. That makes the goal easy to explain to Ezra and his parents. Teaching students to plan is part of the writing process the elementary writing guide recommends.^[2] See make a written plan before drafting.

Example 11: Personal narrative, grade 3

Weak: "Lena's stories don't make sense."

Strong: "On three narrative prompts in October, Lena scored a median of 4 of 12 on the class narrative rubric. Her stories have a beginning and lots of action. They stop without an ending, and events jump in time without words like 'then' or 'after that.' When she tells the story aloud first, her written version scores 2 points higher. Lena needs to write a narrative with a clear beginning, middle and end, using time words."

Data behind it: rubric scores of 3, 4 and 6.

Why it works: It finds what works (telling it aloud first) and names the missing parts. See write a personal narrative.

Example 12: Opinion writing, grade 6

Weak: "Gabriel can't write an essay."

Strong: "On three opinion prompts in November, Gabriel scored a median of 6 of 16 on the grade 6 opinion rubric. He states a clear opinion and gives one reason. He does not add examples or a conclusion, and his reasons repeat each other. He argues his point well aloud in class debates. Gabriel needs to write an opinion piece with two or more reasons, an example for each, and a conclusion."

Data behind it: rubric scores of 5, 6 and 8.

Why it works: The rubric parts become the goal's parts. See write an opinion piece.

Example 13: Multi-paragraph essay, grade 9

Weak: "Selena needs to improve her writing organization."

Strong: "On two English essays and one history essay in October, Selena scored a median of 2 of 6 on the organization row of the department rubric. Her essays are one long paragraph. Her thesis is clear and her evidence is relevant. When given a five-box outline, she sorts her ideas into paragraphs correctly but does not carry the outline into the draft. Selena needs to write a multi-paragraph essay with an introduction, body paragraphs and a conclusion."

Data behind it: organization scores of 2, 2 and 3.

Why it works: It isolates one rubric row, so the goal does not have to fix everything at once. See write a multi-paragraph essay.

Writing across the school day

Example 14: Constructed responses, grade 7

Weak: "Malia struggles with written responses."

Strong: "On three science constructed-response items in October, Malia scored a median of 1 of 4 on the answer, cite, explain rubric. She answers the question in one sentence. She does not cite evidence or explain how it supports her answer. When given a frame (The answer is... I know because... This shows...), she scores 3 of 4. Malia needs to answer, cite and explain in written responses without a frame."

Data behind it: rubric scores of 1, 1 and 2; one framed trial of 3.

Why it works: The frame result shows the skill is close. The team can plan to fade the frame. See write a constructed response.

Example 15: Writing stamina, grade 5

Weak: "Jonah refuses to write."

Strong: "During five 20-minute independent writing periods in October, Jonah wrote for a median of 4 minutes. He started each time and stopped after two or three sentences, then put his head down. On days he chose the topic, he wrote for 9 minutes. His sentences are complete and well spelled. Jonah needs to keep writing for longer periods during independent writing."

Data behind it: 3, 4, 4, 6 and 9 minutes.

Why it works: "Refuses" is replaced by a duration and a condition that helps (topic choice). See sustain writing during independent writing time.

Example 16: Summaries with speech-to-text, grade 10

Weak: "Andrea's writing is very limited due to her disability."

Strong: "On three summary tasks from grade 10 history readings in October, Andrea scored a median of 3 of 10 on the summary rubric when handwriting. Using speech-to-text on her laptop, she scored a median of 6 of 10 on matched tasks. With dictation, she includes the main idea and key details but adds her opinions and minor facts. Andrea needs to write an objective summary of an informational text using speech-to-text."

Data behind it: handwritten scores of 2, 3 and 3; dictated scores of 5, 6 and 7.

Why it works: It compares two conditions and picks the one that shows her real writing skill. The remaining need is about content, not the tool. See write a summary paragraph.

How to measure progress on writing goals

Use the same prompt type, time limit and rubric as the present levels. A rubric only gives fair data if it is scored the same way each time, so agree on anchor papers with any colleague who scores samples.

• Spelling and mechanics: count from two or three samples every two weeks, or a dictated list on a set schedule.
• Writing fluency: a 3-minute timed probe every week.
• Composition: one rubric-scored sample every two to four weeks, from class assignments when they fit the goal.

The rubric scoring data sheet tracks rubric points over time, and the rubric scoring page explains how to set one up. More goal wording is on the writing goals hub.

Adapting writing present levels by grade

Printable quick reference

All 16 examples on one page, free to copy or print with no email or sign-up.

Run the goal you draft through the goal checker. If handwriting is the barrier, the OT present levels examples cover letter formation and speed. Math and behavior versions are in the math examples and the behavior examples.

Frequently asked questions

Use it in IEP Atlas

• Writing IEP goals
• Written expression goals
• Spelling goals
• Rubric scoring data sheet
• Correct word sequences in the IEP glossary
• IEP goal checker

Related guides

• Present levels of performance (PLAAFP): what to include, with examples
• Present levels examples for math
• Present levels examples for behavior
• Present levels examples for OT and fine motor
• PLAAFP template with sentence starters

Sources

1. 34 CFR §300.320: Definition of individualized education program, Legal Information Institute, Cornell Law School
2. Teaching Elementary School Students to Be Effective Writers, What Works Clearinghouse, Institute of Education Sciences

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.