What Is the Present Level of Performance? A Vague Term of No Value

We are on the verge of starting a new school year... and the following questions may come to the minds of practitioners in the field of care and education for people with disabilities:

- What does the step of measuring the child's present level of performance, which is reflected in the individualized educational plan, include?

- What are the sources for obtaining information about the child's present level of performance?

- Does the family have a role in this step?

- Can the individualized educational plan from last year be reviewed to predict the child's level at the present time?

- Is the present level of performance fixed or variable?

- Are strengths and weaknesses similar for two students with the same diagnosis?

- Does the type and format of the present level of performance differ according to the type of service provided?

Ever since we were undergraduate university students, we have been hearing the term "present level of performance" for students with special needs. To this day, we still hear this term. We are certain that you hear this loose term repeatedly at the beginning of each semester. Also during our visits to provide consultations to some educational institutions in the Arabian Gulf. Or in some weak references on the internet or some speakers in the field of designing educational and therapeutic programs for people with special needs, as if it reflects one single thing (one size fits all), and on the contrary.

The importance of this term lies in the fact that it represents the fundamental step carried out before designing any individualized educational/instructional/rehabilitative plan, determining the target goals and areas to work on. Someone once told us, "The present level of performance is the key... If it is sound, the entire work is sound; and if it is not done properly, all subsequent steps may have no real value."

The present level of performance is the result of tests and assessments administered to obtain information about the child's level before building the therapeutic plan. The type of tests and assessments used may vary to produce information that feeds into the present level of performance section, from which the behavioral and educational goals included in the individualized educational plan emerge. Some of these assessments are informal and not standardized for our Arab environment. Or some of them do not cover the various developmental aspects. Or they may be suitable for only one type of service: special education services, speech therapy services, applied behavior analysis services, or occupational therapy services.

Some of these assessments are administered by measuring the child's level through specific items and statements (rating scales), or by asking the family through an interview, or through direct observation of the child, or by presenting specific activities/questions. Each of these methods has its pros and cons. But the important thing is that each type requires training, and the training duration and level of mastery may differ from one method to another.

Also, the child's level, certain environmental and social circumstances, and the developmental and behavioral characteristics of some children that may not permit the administration of such tests must be taken into consideration. For example, asking a family to fill out an electronic form when they do not know how to use a computer. Or trying to administer a test that requires presenting specific activities to a child who does not want to sit at the testing table.

Some of the assessments used are criterion-referenced assessments, which measure the level of the child's skills in a specific area. The closest example of criterion-referenced tests is the exams given at the end of a semester, where a student's level is evaluated based on whether they obtained a high or low grade without reference to the level of other students. There are some well-known tools in this field that are used more extensively because the goals and statements may be clearer.

At other times, standardized norm-referenced assessments are used, which measure the child's level across various developmental areas (communication skills, cognitive skills, social skills, behavioral problems, safety and security, academic skills, etc.) and determine their level compared to peers in the same age group, establishing whether their skill level (mental age) is lower than their chronological age, at the same level, or higher. Despite the importance of administering this type of assessment, it is rarely used, even though its importance lies in determining skill level and linking it to the child's chronological and mental age. However, its drawback is its lack of sensitivity to subtle changes in the child's level, especially for those with severe degrees of disability.

Administering such assessments helps identify a student's strengths and weaknesses with high precision, far better than guesswork, which may be inaccurate and fall short of determining what can be worked on with the child during the school year.

We come to the role of the family. There is no doubt that the family is an important and essential source of information about the child's level, as they are the first to know their child's abilities. In most cases, the child spends most of their time with their family, and the family is able to identify their child's abilities and some very clear strengths and weaknesses. For instance, you may be able to ask the family whether the child is verbal. If so, you can then measure the level of communication and expressive skills (of course, if you are an experienced speech therapist in administering assessments and tests that measure this type of skill).

We come to reviewing last year's educational plan and previous documents... Yes, there is important information that must be referred to in order to know where this child was. The child may have forgotten or their level may have declined compared to the end of last year, and all you might need to do is remind the child and create simple learning opportunities to maintain the skills previously acquired, rather than setting a goal and dedicating a considerable amount of time to achieving it.

Regarding the stability of strengths and weaknesses in the present level of performance... this varies from child to child and may vary from service to service, or from skill to skill. The present level of performance for some children with high functioning and high cognitive abilities who receive intensive care and education services from an experienced team teaching easy and abstract skills—here the level of performance is fast-changing and developing. On the other hand, for some children who are low functioning with limited cognitive abilities, receiving care and education services on an hourly basis from an inexperienced or novice team and being taught complex and advanced skills—here the change in performance level and strengths and weaknesses is slight and slow to develop.

Regarding the similarity of strengths and weaknesses for two children carrying the same diagnosis, this is, in our view, rare because there are many factors affecting their performance level during a given period of time. One of them may have received intensive care and educational services in the past (30 hours weekly for two years), while the other did not receive any type of services or received less intensive services.

In short... it cannot be asserted that diagnostic labels are reflected in the same way on the present level of performance.

The format of the child's present level of performance or the components of this section may vary from one service to another. But in general, the basic components and the sequence in the method of obtaining information may not differ much regardless of the type of service provided. Often there is an initial assessment of the child's level at the beginning of the service, and performance is measured periodically until the service ends. A periodic progress report may be (every 3 months or every 6 months for services provided intensively)

Here we have tried to touch upon a term that is most common at the beginning of the school year, but which we may see as loose and of no value if the basic rules for applying everything required by the use of this term are not adopted to reach an educational plan,

rehabilitative, therapeutic, appropriate to the child's level with smart, measurable, and achievable goals... You can also read our article on the reasons for failing to achieve educational and rehabilitative goals for people with disabilitieshere

Prepared by - Ynmo Team

Originally published in Arabic. This English version was produced with AI-assisted translation; the Arabic original remains the reference.