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Present Levels of Performance

So how do I make the Present Levels of Educational Performance and Annual Goals measurable?

To make something measurable, you can specify a grade or age level performance if that grade or age level performance is clear or definable through district standards or other curriculum or through known scope and sequence materials, developmental materials, or through testing materials. You can also make it measurable by indicating a rate, for example, 3 out of 4 times, 80% of the time, 5 minutes out of every 10, 75% success. When using a rate, be sure you can specify and measure the “whole part.” In other words, if you say a student will do something 80% of the time, does that mean you or someone will have to watch the student 24 hours a day, 5 days a week? If the whole time would be unreasonable, than modify your expectation to specify the whole time that will be used for purposes of accountability, for example, 80% of any 15-minute observation. You can make student behavior measurable by defining the factors surrounding the behavior. These include precipitating events, such as, “when asked to work independently,” or environmental factors, such as, “when dealing with female authority figures,” or other patterns, such as “always after lunch,” “in math class,” “on the playground.” Finally, you can make behavior measurable by identifying the results of the behavior, “Removal from the classroom has increased [this behavior].” If this looks like a Functional Behavioral Assessment, it is. Even informally, the techniques of an FBA can do wonders for making your present levels clear and measurable.