What Are Present Levels in an IEP and Why Do They Matter?

Present levels describe how your child is doing right now in school, in plain and specific terms. The rest of the IEP, including goals and services, is supposed to be built on this section.

The present levels section, sometimes called the statement of present levels of academic achievement and functional performance, should answer a simple question: what can my child do today. A useful version includes recent test scores, classroom work examples, and information from you about what you see at home. It also describes how a disability affects your child's progress in the general education classroom.

Look for concrete information, not only labels. A statement that says a student is below grade level is less useful than one that says a student reads 60 words per minute and answers two of five comprehension questions correctly. Ask which assessments and observations were used. If a need appears in present levels but nothing in the plan addresses it, ask why. That link between present levels and goals is worth checking every year.

A clear present levels statement says: on the fall screening, the student read 62 words per minute with four errors and answered two of five comprehension questions. That gives the team a starting point they can measure goals against.