What Makes a Good PLOP
The Present Level Of academic and functional Performance (PLOP) is the first component of the IEP because it outlines the parental concerns, evaluative data and all other information relevant to how a child’s disability affects access to education or the learning environment. From the PLOP, goals are drafted to provide needed supports and related services, the team determines the need for short term objectives and accommodations are determined to provide FAPE to a child receiving special education services. In order to understand what makes a good PLOP, parents must first understand what an IEP team must consider when drafting the PLOP and how the PLOP directly impacts all other areas of the IEP.
When developing a child’s PLOP, the IEP team must consider several things. These considerations include:
- The strengths of the child
- The needs of the child
- How the child’s disability effects the child in the learning environment
- Parental concerns are an extremely important component of the PLOP because parents know their children best, and can often share valuable information the school members of the team would otherwise never know
- Evaluation information is included to help the team identify needs and address them appropriately
- The developmental and functional needs of the child assist the team in addressing all areas of need, not just the academic ones
- If a child’s behavior makes it difficult for that child or other children to learn, the team must consider the use of positive behavior interventions to address the behaviors
- Finally the team must consider the communication needs of the child and whether the child needs assistive technology
Once the IEP team has addressed all of the points for consideration explained above in the PLOP, the Team drafts an IEP to meet all of the child’s identified areas of need. The needs may be:
- Academic – the child needs support with school work;
- Functional – the child needs support with daily living skills;
- Social – the child needs supports with interacting with others appropriately; or
- Behavioral – the child needs support with positive behavior interventions.
Whatever a child’s needs are, the PLOP is where they are first documented and the Team must address every need documented in the PLOP.
dLCV encourages you to review your child’s PLOP for the above listed components to ensure each area is present. If any component is missing, call an IEP meeting to address that missing component. Once the PLOP is complete, it should create a complete framework from which all other parts of the IEP are drafted.
Printable What Makes a Good PLOP document.
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To gain a deeper understanding of the special education law and process and your child’s associated rights, click here to order the Pathways Through Special Education in Virginia Manual!
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Online Guide Sections
Evaluations ~ Eligibility ~ IEP ~ Section 504
Transportation ~ Discipline