Module 2: Evaluations, Eligibility, & the PLAAFP

Module 2: Evaluations, Eligibility, and the PLAAFP

How the Special Education Process Really Begins

You’ve sat through the ARD or IEP meetings.

You’ve heard the acronyms.

You’ve been told your child is “making progress.”

And yet—your child is still struggling.

If you’ve ever left a meeting wondering what just happened, or why the services on paper don’t seem to match your child’s real needs, this module is where clarity begins.

Why This Module Matters More Than You’ve Been Told

Everything in special education rises or falls on evaluations, eligibility, and the PLAAFP (Present Levels of Academic Achievement and Functional Performance).

Yet most parents are never taught:

• What a legally appropriate evaluation actually looks like
• How eligibility decisions are quietly shaped
• Why weak PLAAFPs lead to ineffective goals, services, and placements
• How schools use vague language that sounds reassuring—but changes nothing

This module pulls back the curtain.

What You’ll Learn Inside Module 2

In clear, parent-friendly language (without dumbing anything down), you’ll learn:

✔️ How the evaluation process really starts—and what schools must consider (but often don’t)

✔️ The difference between data and opinions in eligibility decisions

✔️ Common evaluation gaps that undermine services for years

✔️ How eligibility categories affect supports—even when schools say they don’t

✔️ What a strong, meaningful PLAAFP actually includes

✔️ How weak PLAAFPs quietly sabotage IEP goals before they’re ever written

✔️ What you should be listening for—and questioning—during meetings

This isn’t about confrontation.

It’s about informed participation.

Who This Module Is For

This module is designed for parents who:

• Have attended at least one IEP or ARD meetings but still feel confused
• Suspect their child’s evaluations don’t tell the full story
• Feel talked at or over instead of collaborated with
• Know something isn’t working—but can’t quite name what
• Want to advocate confidently without becoming adversarial

You don’t need a law degree.

You don’t need to memorize IDEA.

You just need to understand the foundation—and that’s exactly what this module provides.

Why Learn This From a Special Education Advocate?

As a non-attorney special education advocate with years of experience, I’ve seen the same patterns repeated across districts and states:

•Well-meaning parents.

•Procedurally compliant meetings.

•And children whose needs are never fully addressed.

This module teaches you what schools assume parents don’t know—and why that knowledge changes everything that comes next.

Part of the Refine Disabilities™ 8-Module Series

Module 2 can be purchased on its own or as part of the complete RefineDisabilities™ Special Education Advocacy Bundle (coming soon!), where each module builds strategically on the last.

If you want to understand why your child’s IEP looks the way it does—and how to change its trajectory—this is not optional reading.