Pennsylvania Training and Technical Assistance Network

Standards Aligned Individualized Education Programs

Present Levels of Academic

Achievement and Functional

Performance

PaTTAN’s Mission

The mission of the Pennsylvania Training and Technical Assistance

Network (PaTTAN) is to support the efforts and initiatives of the Bureau of Special Education, and to build the capacity of local educational agencies to serve students who

receive special education services.

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PDE’s Commitment to Least Restrictive Environment (LRE)

Our goal for each child is to ensure Individualized Education Program (IEP) teams begin with

the general education setting with the use of Supplementary Aids

and Services before considering a more restrictive

environment.

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Standards Aligned System Standards-Aligned IEPs

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Present Levels

Provide a summary of baseline data related to academic achievement and functional performance indicating the student’s strengths and needs as well as a description of how the disability effects progress in the general education curriculum

* Consider the 4 types of assessment

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Present Levels

It is critical that assessment, present levels, goals and progress monitoring include both the instructional and grade levels

– Instructional level alone does not meet the criteria of the general education curriculum

–Grade level alone does not meet the criteria of an IEP based on identified skill needs

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Present Levels

It is impossible to write clear and measurable annual goals if you don’t have clear and measurable present levels of academic achievement and functional performance.

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Present Levels Include:• Present levels of academic achievement• Present levels of functional performance• Present levels related to current

postsecondary transition goals (if a student is 14, or younger if determined by the IEP team)

• Strengths/skills• Parental input and concerns • How student’s disability affects involvement

and progress in the general education curriculum and his/her needs

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Present Levels Must…

• Be data driven (measurable and observable)• Provide a starting point (baseline) for

development of measurable annual goals• Reference gaps in instructional level vs.

grade level standards/expectations• Reference post-school transition goals• Include relevant, useful, understandable

and measurable information

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Present Levels Must…

• Incorporate information from all team members

• Describe effect of disability on performance

• Identify strengths • Prioritize needs• Guide development of other areas of

the IEP

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Let’s Examine…“Jessie’s classroom performance is

inconsistent.”

What is meant by classroom performance?• Maintains 3-ring binder of study guides for each core

academic classWhat is meant by inconsistent?

• Ranges from 1 – 8 missing guides per weekPut it all together for a clearer statement:“Jessie maintains study guides for her

academic classes, and averages 4 missing guides per week.”

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Pennsylvania Training and Technical Assistance Network

Present Levels Sample Data – Sample Items:

• Pennsylvania System of School Assessment (PSSA)

• Pennsylvania System of School Assessment – Modified (PSSA-M)

• Pennsylvania Alternate State Assessment (PASA)

• Pennsylvania Value-Added Assessment System (PVAAS)

• Keystone Exams• 4Sight• Dynamic Indicators of Basic Early

Literacy Skills (DIBELS Next)• Group Mathematics Assessment

and Diagnostic Evaluation (GMADE)

• Group Reading Assessment and Diagnostic Evaluation (GRADE)

• Student work samples• Career inventories• Grades (report card)• Curriculum-Based

Assessment (CBA)• Specific skills

assessment • Progress monitoring in

content areas related to reading, mathematics, writing

• Previous years’ IEP• W-APT (ESL Assessment)• ACCESS for ELLs (ESL

Assessment)

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Present Levels Data – Functional/Other

• Behavior• Attendance• Tardy• Speech / Language• Behavior/social skills

• Occupational Therapy• Physical Therapy• Vision Support• Support – Students

who are Deaf or Hard of Hearing

• Daily living skills

Note: The above data is critical information for many students; however, today’s focus is on aligning IEPs to state promulgated standards.

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Your perspective…

• What might a student’s PLAAFP look like if all assessments and data were based on instructional level?

• What might a student’s PLAAFP look like if all assessments and data were based on grade level?

• How can we encourage teachers to include all four types of assessment data?

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Meet David…Completing his 7th grade year ( 12 years

old) IEP Written for 8th grade year

Review handout, “David’s Present Levels of Academic Achievement:

Underline or highlight his needs.

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General Observations: David’s PLAAFP

David’s Present Levels in Reading, Writing and Math: Are they..

Connected to standards?Descriptive?

• strengths, needs, input from teachersData types? interpretations of the data?

Summative Formative Diagnostic Benchmark

Instructional level information?Grade level information? 17

Access to General EducationBRIDGE

Where they need to be

Where they are

SDI

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Prep for the IEP

B ring all dataR esources I ndividualize!D escribe SDI that worksG rade level requirementsE nter your suggested Standard

Aligned Goals19

Meet Mary…Completing her 6th grade year ( 11 years

old) IEP Written for 7th grade year

Review handout, “Mary’s Present Levels of Academic Achievement:

Underline or highlight her needs.

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General Observations: Mary’s PLAAFP Mary’s Present Levels in Reading and Math:

Are they.. Connected to standards?Descriptive?

• strengths, needs, input from teachersData types? interpretations of the data?

Summative Formative Diagnostic Benchmark

Instructional level information?Grade level information? 21

SummativePSSA 2007 District KTEA Feb 2007

Strengths NeedsBelow Basic65% in reading skills

Benchmark 4Sight Nov & Jan 2008Item Analysis

DiBELS

Factual Questions, Text features, titles, subtitles, pictures and bold print

Instructional 5th grade 125 WCPM 97%acc.

Below BasicRead Critically in Content AreasInferences, figurative language8th Grade 92 WCPM 46% acc.

Diagnostic-Not given this year…

FormativeReport CardsTeacher Survey

Class Assignments English Social Studies Science Health

Passing all classesScience and HealthSDI, factual info, Text features, organization

Factual Questions 100% acc.

English and Social StudiesReading /writing skills

Assertions about textInferences/figurative language 42% acc.

Last Years IEP Specific skill goals met main idea, text features, narrative elements with 95% acc.

Supporting details, cause and effect, paraphrasing, multisyllabic decoding, vocabulary

SDI Reciprocal teaching, oral summarizing, word study, preteaching, reteaching, notetaking concept maps, graphic organizers, word processing

All from left.Begin to fade oral summarizing, develop partner work/procedures

B R I D G E - sampleStudent__________________Grade ____Subject____________

Prioritize- ask…What skills are needed to close the gap & achieve at or above grade level?

Standards for Success

David Reading8

Reading Standards1.1 Learning to Read Independently C,E, F, G

1.2 Read Critically in all Content Areas A B

1.3 Reading, Analyzing and Interpreting Literature B, C, E

1.1.8 F Understand the meaning of and apply key vocabulary across various subject areas.1.1.8G Demonstrate after reading understanding and interpretation of both fiction and non fiction text, including public documents….1.2.8A Read and understand essential content of information texts and documents in all academic areas. (inferences) Anchor R8A1.31.3.8 E Analyze drama to determine the reasons for a characters actions taking into account the situation and basic motivation of the character.

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SummativePASA 2007

Strengths•Proficient on Level B of Grade 5/6 test. •Reading pictures, reading single words, understanding complex pictures or icons, and listening comprehension•Answers literal ‘who’ and , ‘what questions after listening to a sentence

Needs•Answering literal “where”, “when” and “why” questions after listening to a sentence. •Identifies pictures showing ‘main event’ after listening to a story

BenchmarkAIMSweb

• Instructional 1st grade 55 WCPM with 70% accuracy

• 2nd grade 70 WCPM with 90% accuracy

DiagnosticCORE Phonics Survey

Brigance Diagnostic Comprehensive Inventory of Basic Skills

• Identified 26/26 upper and lower case letter names

• Identified 19/21 consonant sounds• Identified 12/15 short vowels in CVC

words• Identified 7/15 consonant blends

with short vowels

• Identified 150/250 sight words

• Consonant blends

B R I D G E - sampleStudent__Mary_________Grade ___Subject____________

Prioritize- ask…What skills are needed to access and align with the grade level reading standard?

Standards for Success

Reading6

Reading Standards1.1 Learning to Read Independently B, C, D,

1.2 Read Critically in all Content Areas E

1.1.7.B Use word analysis skills, context clues, knowledge of root words as well as dictionary/thesaurus or glossary….. (Grade 7/8 1.1.C)1.1.7C Use meaning and knowledge of words across content areas to expand reading vocabulary. (Grade 7/8 1.1.D)1.1.7D Demonstrate comprehension/understanding before reading, during reading, and after reading on grade level texts through strategies… (Grade 7/8 1.1.G)1.2.7E Read and understand essential content of information texts and documents in all academic areas.

(Alternate Academic Content Standards for Reading)

FormativeTeacher Survey

Teacher Probes

Class Assignments•Social Studies•Science

Strengths•Accessing general education curriculum with academic supports•Chooses source of information; points to text features

•Weekly probes: 5 literal comprehension questions at end of grade 1 reading passage with 60% accuracy

•Completes all assignments with peer and/or adult supports

Needs•Respond to the essential content of the text•Identify and use text structures and graphic features to comprehend information.

•‘Where’, ‘when’ and ‘why’ questions

Last Years IEP • Specific skill s goals met: Reading words paired with pictures, in context, in sentences/paragraphs with 90% accuracy in grade 1 reading materials.

• Identifying facts in texts, sequencing events, summarizing,

SDI • Use of word/picture/symbols, text to speech software, use of visuals to preview and acquire new information and build background knowledge, clarification of big idea paired with word/picture/symbol, chunking tasks into manageable parts, providing a template/timeline for completion of activities.

• All from left• Begin fading out adult

supports in preference to peer supports

• Increase parts of tasks to complete without assistance

B R I D G E – sample - ContinuedStudent__Mary_________Grade ___Subject____________

Prioritize- ask…What skills are needed to access and align with the grade level reading standard?

Standards for Success

Reading6

Reading Standards1.1 Learning to Read Independently B, C, D

1.2 Read Critically in all Content Areas A

1.1.7.B Use word analysis skills, context clues, knowledge of root words as well as dictionary/thesaurus or glossary….. (Grade 7/8 1.1.C)1.1.7C Use meaning and knowledge of words across content areas to expand reading vocabulary. (Grade 7/8 1.1.D)1.1.7D Demonstrate comprehension/understanding before reading, during reading, and after reading on grade level texts through strategies… (Grade 7/8 1.1.G)1.2.7E Read and understand essential content of information texts and documents in all academic areas.

(Alternate Academic Content Standards for Reading)

PLAAFP on the IEP you wrote…

• Read the PLAAFP on the IEP you wrote• Highlight the measurable data written• How many different types of assessment do you see

referenced?• Check all that apply from the list below:

– There are connections to standards– They are descriptive (strengths, needs, input from

teachers)– They discuss data and provide interpretations of the

data• Summative• Formative• Diagnostic• Benchmark

– Both instructional and grade level information is noted25