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Strengths / Preferences / Interests
Start here — always lead with strengths. This section is legally required and sets the tone for the entire IEP.
Include:
• Academic strengths (subjects the student enjoys or excels in)
• Learning style preferences (visual, hands-on, auditory)
• Personal interests, hobbies, passions
• Social strengths and relationship skills
• Motivators — what engages the student
⚠ Must be individualized — never copy from a prior IEP without updating. Generic entries like "the student likes music" are not sufficient. Strengths here should directly inform the goals, services, and accommodations that follow.
Best practice: ask the student directly at or before the meeting. Student voice in this section strengthens the IEP.
Parent Input & Concerns
Legally required — parent input must be solicited, documented, and considered.
This is not a courtesy section. Under IDEA, parents are equal members of the IEP team. Document:
• What the parent shared about the student's progress at home
• The parent's academic and functional concerns
• Any disagreements with how school performance is being described
• Positive observations the parent has made
⚠ "Parent had no concerns" requires the parent to have been meaningfully asked. If input was gathered before the meeting, summarize it and note how it was collected.
Parent concerns documented here must be addressed somewhere in the IEP — in goals, services, accommodations, or a PWN if concerns are being rejected.
SBAC — Smarter Balanced Assessment
California's statewide standardized assessment for grades 3–8 and 11. Results released each fall for the prior spring.
Check "Not Applicable" if: • Student is in a non-tested grade (K–2, 4, 6, 9–10, 12)
• Student took the CAA instead
• Student was exempt with documented parent consent
Performance levels: Standard Exceeded > Met > Nearly Met > Not Met
Subscores — Enter ELA subscores (Reading/Listening, Writing/Research) and Math subscores (Concepts and Procedures, Mathematical Practices) separately. Subscores are more actionable for goal-writing than the overall level.
⚠ The most recent SBAC results must be discussed at the IEP even if the student is in a non-tested grade this year.
SBAC English / Language Arts
Enter results from the most recent SBAC ELA administration.
ELA Overall: Standard Exceeded / Met / Nearly Met / Not Met
Reading/Listening subscore: Above / Near / Below Standard
Writing/Research subscore: Above / Near / Below Standard
Not Applicable: Check if student is in a non-tested grade, took the CAA, or was exempt.
Use ELA subscores to identify which specific domain is driving the overall score — a student who is "Standard Not Met" overall may show relative strength in Reading/Listening but not Writing/Research, which should drive more targeted annual goal writing.
SBAC Math
Enter results from the most recent SBAC Math administration.
Math Overall: Standard Exceeded / Met / Nearly Met / Not Met
Concepts and Procedures: Computational fluency and procedural knowledge — Above / Near / Below Standard
Mathematical Practices: Reasoning, problem-solving, mathematical communication — Above / Near / Below Standard
Not Applicable: Check if student is in a non-tested grade, took the CAA, or was exempt.
Students who score "Not Met" overall but show relative strength in one subscore may benefit from differentiated instructional approaches — use subscores to drive goal specificity.
California Alternate Assessments (CAA)
For students with the most significant cognitive disabilities, taken in lieu of SBAC. Aligned to alternate achievement standards.
Check "Not Applicable" if the student takes the SBAC or is in a non-tested grade.
CAA participation requires a specific documented IEP team decision — it cannot be decided by one person and must meet CDE participation criteria.
Performance levels: • Understanding — Deep understanding of alternate achievement standards
• Foundational Understanding — Some understanding
• Limited Understanding — Emerging understanding
Science CAA is assessed in grades 5, 8, and 10. Results inform present levels and goal-writing for students with significant cognitive disabilities.
ELPAC / Alternate ELPAC (EL Students Only)
English Language Proficiency Assessments of California — for English Learners only.
Check "Not Applicable" if the student is NOT identified as an English Learner in SIS.
Initial ELPAC — Administered when a student is first identified as potentially EL (within 30 days of enrollment).
Summative ELPAC — Annual assessment for all identified EL students.
Document Overall Score, Overall Performance Level, and all four domain scores and performance levels (Listening, Speaking, Reading, Writing).
⚠ EL students with IEPs have dual entitlements. ELPAC results must be used to ensure the IEP addresses both disability-related needs AND English language development simultaneously.
Alternate ELPAC — For EL students who also take the CAA. Check Initial or Summative as appropriate.
Physical Education Testing
Physical Fitness Testing (FITNESSGRAM) is administered in grades 5, 7, and 9.
Document the most recent Fitnessgram results. Students with IEPs participate in the same physical fitness testing unless the IEP team determines it is not appropriate.
If a student cannot participate in standard PE testing due to their disability:
• Document the reason in the IEP
• Note any adapted PE assessment used instead
Students with IEPs are entitled to physical education as a required component of special education — either in general PE with supports, adapted PE, or a combination. An Adapted PE specialist must be involved if the student cannot participate in general PE.
Other Assessment Data & Sensory Screening
Other Assessment Data — Document all additional data sources: • Curriculum-based assessments (CBMs, running records, math probes) • District benchmark assessments • Diagnostic tools (DIBELS, AIMSweb, Fountas & Pinnell) • Teacher observation data and work samples
Hearing / Vision Screening: Include the student's most recent hearing/vision screening dates. If a student failed their school based hearing or vision screening, a referral to a specialist is required. Note, for students being assessed for special education (e.g., initials and reevaluations) there must be a hearing/vision screening conducted in the previous 12 months.
Preacademic / Academic / Functional Skills
Document current academic performance with specific, measurable data.
Include: • Reading: fluency rate (WPM), accuracy %, comprehension level with grade equivalent • Math: grade level, specific skill strengths and deficits with assessment data • Written expression: sentence complexity, mechanics, organization • Functional academic skills: money, time, following multi-step directions
⚠ "Below grade level" alone is not a sufficient present level. Quantify with data: "Student reads at a 2.3 GE with 87% accuracy, 68 WPM vs. expected 115 for grade 3."
Present levels must explain HOW the disability affects this skill area and connect directly to the annual goals that follow.
Communication Development
Document current communication skills with specific, observable data.
Complete with SLP input if the student receives speech services. Even without SLP services, describe communication skills that affect academic or social participation.
Gross / Fine Motor Development
Document current motor skills with observable, measurable data.
Gross Motor: Balance, coordination, mobility, physical endurance, PE participation
Fine Motor: Handwriting legibility and speed, scissor use, manipulation of small objects, typing/keyboarding
Perceptual Motor: Visual-motor integration, copying from the board, spatial awareness
Complete with OT/PT input if the student receives those services. Describe how motor skills affect academic participation (e.g., difficulty with handwriting speed limits written expression output).
If adapted PE is being considered, include data here to support that determination.
Social Emotional / Behavioral
Document current social-emotional functioning and behavioral patterns with specific data.
Include: • Frequency, intensity, and duration of target behaviors (if a BIP is in place) • Peer relationship quality and frequency of positive social interactions • Self-regulation: emotional regulation, frustration tolerance, coping strategies used • Response to correction and transitions • Attendance and engagement data
⚠ If a student has behavioral needs that affect learning, this section must contain data — not just descriptions. "The student has behavior problems" is not a present level.
If an FBA or BIP is in place, reference it here and summarize key behavioral data from the most recent monitoring period.
Vocational
Document current work habits, job skills, and vocational experiences. Especially important for secondary students.
Include: • Work habits: attendance, following directions, task completion, persistence • Job-specific skills observed in work experience or school-based settings • Career interests and awareness • Ability to generalize skills across settings
For students with a transition IEP, this section should connect directly to the employment post-secondary goal on the ITP.
For younger students, describe functional independence skills that will support future vocational development.
Adaptive / Daily Living Skills
Document the student's independence in self-care and community living skills.
Include: • Self-care: dressing, grooming, toileting, feeding • Domestic: cleaning, cooking, laundry (age-appropriate) • Community: using transportation, shopping, managing money, following safety rules • Leisure: participating in age-appropriate recreational activities
Use a standardized adaptive behavior assessment (Vineland-3, ABAS-3) as the data source when available.
For secondary students, connect to the independent living post-secondary goal on the ITP.
Health & Individual Health Plan (IHP)
Document any health conditions that affect the student's educational participation.
Include: • Chronic conditions affecting attendance or stamina (asthma, seizures, diabetes) • Medications administered during the school day • Fatigue or sensory sensitivities that affect learning
IHP: Yes/No — ⚠ Check Yes if the student has a medical condition requiring management during the school day. The IHP is developed by the school nurse and outlines medical procedures and emergency protocols.
Common IHP triggers: seizure protocols, diabetes management, anaphylaxis/EpiPen, catheterization, G-tube feeding, oxygen or suctioning.
Individual Health Plan & Areas of Need
Does this student have an Individual Health Plan? Yes/No — See Health section above.
"For student to receive educational benefit, goals will be written to address the following areas of need:"
⚠ Every area of need listed here must have a corresponding annual IEP goal. And every annual goal must trace back to a documented area of need.
This is one of the most common IEP compliance gaps found in state monitoring — goals that don't connect to documented needs, or needs that go unaddressed in goal-writing.
Complete this section LAST, after writing all narrative present levels. It should be a concise summary list (e.g., "Reading fluency, written expression, self-regulation") that directly maps to the goals written later in the IEP.
El Dorado County Charter SELPAPresent Levels of Academic Achievement and Functional PerformanceSpecial Education Local Plan Area
