Q & A: PLOP


Q: I have two foster sons who have IEPs and I keep hearing the school talk about "plops". What is that?

A: Great question. There are so many acronyms that parents, caregivers or students should always ask if they don't understand a term being used.

"PLOP" stands for present level of performance. Review and written description of a student's present of performance is a required component of the individualized education program, or IEP.

Per the Virginia regulations, an IEP must include:

1. A statement of the child’s present levels of academic achievement and functional performance, including how the child’s disability affects the child’s involvement and progress in the general curriculum or, for preschool children, as appropriate, how the disability affects the child’s participation in appropriate activities.
a. The statement shall be written in objective measurable terms, to the extent possible. Test scores, if appropriate, shall be self-explanatory or an explanation shall be included.
b. The present level of performance shall directly relate to the other components of the IEP. [8VAC20-81-110(G)]

The PLOP section of the IEP is an opportunity for the team to examine current school performance and how that performance impacts participation in the general curriculum. You might think of this statement as describing the status quo, where your child is now and from where decisions about goals for the coming year will be considered. The IEP team can use SOL testing and other assessment results, progress reports, work samples, classroom behavior data, and other documentation.

Families can also use the PLOP to share outside assessment results, other measures or even narratives from non-school providers, such as therapists. This may be a good time to share your observations and concerns about social, emotional, behavioral or medical impacts on academic and overall school performance, especially any data you have collected. For example, over the last month, Johnny completed assigned math homework 3 of 15 times independently. On six of the 15 assignments, he verbally refused and destroyed worksheets.

Consider preparing a draft of your contributions in advance and bringing printed and electronic copies for ease of sharing with the team.

As the IEP team works to write annual academic and functional goals, parents and caregivers and participating students should ask questions about how the information in the PLOP is being used to identify evidence-based interventions and establish appropriate annual goals.