New Hampshire Summary of Performance: What It Is and Why It Matters

When your child exits special education in New Hampshire — whether by graduating or reaching age 22 — the school should provide a Summary of Performance (SOP). Most families glance at it and file it away. That's a mistake. The SOP is one of the few documents that bridges the school system and the adult world, and a well-written one can save months of re-evaluation when applying for college accommodations, VR services, or adult support programs.

What the SOP Contains

The Summary of Performance is a written document that the school district prepares for students exiting special education. It summarizes:

• The student's disability and how it affects their learning and functioning
• Academic achievement levels — current performance in reading, writing, math, and other relevant areas
• Functional performance levels — daily living skills, social skills, self-care, communication, mobility
• Accommodations and modifications that were effective during school
• Assistive technology the student used
• Recommendations for supports the student may need in postsecondary education, employment, or community living

The SOP is not a new evaluation. It's a synthesis of existing IEP data, assessment results, and the team's observations about what worked for the student over their school career.

Why the SOP Matters After School

For college: When a student with a disability applies for accommodations at a college or university, the school's accessibility office requires documentation of the disability and the accommodations that have been effective. The SOP provides exactly this. Without it, the student may need to pay for new evaluations — psychoeducational testing alone can cost $2,000–$5,000.

For VR New Hampshire: The IPE development process requires documentation of the student's disability and functional limitations. A comprehensive SOP gives the VR counselor a head start instead of requesting the school to transfer records piecemeal.

For BDS Area Agency intake: Area Agencies need documentation of developmental disability diagnosis and functional support needs. The SOP provides a current snapshot that supplements the clinical eligibility paperwork.

For SSI applications: Social Security requires medical documentation of disability. While the SOP alone isn't sufficient for an SSI claim, it supplements medical records with functional evidence of how the disability affects daily activities and employment capacity.

The Problem: Most SOPs Are Useless

Here's the uncomfortable reality — many SOPs are template documents with generic language that doesn't help anyone. A SOP that says "Student has a learning disability and benefits from accommodations" tells a college accessibility office nothing. What kind of learning disability? Which accommodations? What worked and what didn't?

A useful SOP is specific:

• Names the diagnosis with clinical precision
• Lists current performance levels with actual scores or benchmarks
• Identifies which accommodations were most effective and in what contexts
• Notes which assistive technology the student uses and is proficient with
• Includes honest recommendations about the level of support the student will need

How to Get a Good One

You can't write the SOP — the school team prepares it. But you can influence what goes into it:

Request it early. Don't wait for the final IEP meeting. Ask the team to begin drafting the SOP at least six months before the expected exit date. This gives you time to review it and request revisions.

Review the draft. When you receive the SOP, read it with a specific question: if a college accessibility coordinator or a VR counselor read this document with no other information, would they know enough to set up appropriate supports? If not, identify the gaps and ask the team to add detail.

Ask for student input. The student should have a voice in the SOP — what accommodations they found most helpful, what technology they prefer, what environments work best for them. This is especially important for self-advocacy: the student will need to communicate these preferences to adult service providers.

Keep copies. The SOP should be part of the transition file, along with the final IEP, the most recent evaluation reports, and any vocational assessment data. Store both paper and digital copies in a place the student and family can access after school services end.

The New Hampshire IEP Transition to Adulthood Guide includes a transition file checklist that lists every document you should collect before school exit — including the SOP, evaluation reports, assessment data, and agency correspondence — so you're not scrambling for records after the IEP team disbands.

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