South Carolina IEP Summary of Performance for College Accommodations

What the Summary of Performance Is

The Summary of Performance (SOP) is a document that South Carolina school districts must prepare when a student is no longer entitled to FAPE under IDEA because the student graduates with a regular state-issued diploma or exceeds the applicable age limit. In South Carolina, a student who turns 21 after September 1 may complete that school year; a student who turns 21 on or before September 1 is not required to be permitted to enroll. If a student exits with an Employability Credential or Certificate of Attendance while remaining eligible, ask the district to provide an SOP as part of the handoff.

The SOP captures the student's academic achievement, functional performance, and recommended accommodations in one place. It's designed to serve as a bridge between the school system — where accommodations were provided through IDEA — and the postsecondary world, where the student must self-advocate under the Americans with Disabilities Act (ADA) and Section 504 of the Rehabilitation Act.

For students who will exit with a regular diploma or because they reach the age limit, the school prepares the SOP during the final year. Families on an Employability Credential or Certificate of Attendance pathway can request one as part of the handoff. It is not the same as the IEP itself, the transition plan, or a psychoeducational evaluation — though it should reference and summarize all of those.

Why the SOP Matters for College

The shift from high school to college involves a fundamental change in how disability services work. In K-12, the school identifies students with disabilities, develops the IEP, and provides accommodations without the student needing to ask. In college, the burden flips entirely: the student must disclose their disability to the campus disability services office, provide documentation, and request specific accommodations.

Most college disability services offices accept the SOP as part of that documentation package. Some require it. A well-written SOP gives the college clear information about what accommodations the student used in high school, which ones were effective, and what functional limitations the accommodations addressed.

A thin SOP — one that lists accommodations without explaining the underlying functional needs — can lead to a college denying accommodations or offering different ones than what the student had in high school. Colleges are not required to provide the same accommodations that appeared in the IEP; they provide reasonable accommodations based on documented need.

What a Strong SOP Should Include

There's no mandated state form in South Carolina, which means the quality varies widely by district. At minimum, it should contain:

Student demographic and disability information — the disability classification, any secondary conditions, and how long the student has received special education services.

A summary of academic achievement — current performance levels in reading, writing, math, and any other relevant academic areas, based on the most recent evaluations and classroom data.

A summary of functional performance — this is the section most often underdeveloped. It should address cognitive processing, attention and executive functioning, social and communication skills, physical or motor limitations, sensory needs, and independent living skills. Specifics matter: "needs extended time due to slow processing speed, as measured by the WISC-V Processing Speed Index at the 8th percentile" is far more useful to a college than "has processing difficulties."

Accommodations and modifications used in high school — every accommodation listed in the IEP, with a note about whether each was effective. If the student used extended time on tests but didn't actually need the full extension, that's worth documenting too.

Recommended accommodations for the postsecondary setting — this section bridges the gap. The IEP team should translate school-based accommodations into their postsecondary equivalents. A one-on-one aide in class doesn't typically transfer to college, but reduced course load, note-taking assistance, or assistive technology might serve the same functional need.

Student input — the student's own perspective on their strengths, limitations, and what supports they believe they'll need. This is often missing but increasingly valued by college disability offices.

How to Prepare Before the Final Year

Don't wait for the school to draft the SOP and hand it to you. The best SOPs are collaborative products that reflect the family's input alongside the school's data.

Start by reviewing the most recent psychoeducational evaluation. If the evaluation is more than three years old, request a new one before the student's final year begins — many college disability offices require evaluations completed within the last three to five years.

Compile your own list of every accommodation your child has used and which ones actually made a difference. The IEP lists what was offered, but you and your child know what worked.

Ask the transition coordinator or school psychologist to draft the SOP early enough in the final year that you can review it, request revisions, and add the student's own input. Receiving the SOP on the last day of school leaves no time to fix gaps.

Using the SOP Beyond College

The SOP is not limited to college applications. Students who enter vocational training through SCVRD use the SOP to document their functional abilities and accommodation needs in the Individualized Plan for Employment (IPE). Employers in supported employment settings can use the SOP to understand what workplace accommodations might be effective.

Even students who go directly into employment after high school benefit from having a thorough SOP on file. If they decide to pursue technical-college courses or vocational training years later, the SOP provides a documented baseline of their abilities and needs at the time they left school.

The South Carolina IEP Transition to Adulthood Guide includes an SOP review checklist and a template for student self-advocacy statements that you can attach to the school's version, so the document your child carries into adulthood represents the full picture.

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