Assistance Levels Reference Sheet
Levels of Assistance Guide
Classroom & IEP Quick Reference • Independent • Min • Mod • Max • Total
Standardized Scale Special Ed, Paras & Therapists
100% Student Effort
Support Goal: Fade assistance toward independence
100% Adult Support
IND
Independent
100% Student Effort • 0% Adult Help
Level 1
Student initiates, carries out, and finishes the task completely on their own in response to natural cues. No prompts, gestures, or assistance required.
What it looks like: Student opens math folder, reads instructions, and completes work with zero adult reminders. Natural Cues
MIN A
Minimal Assistance
75%–99% Student Effort • 1%–24% Adult Help
Level 2
Student performs nearly the entire task alone, but needs an occasional light cue (visual reminder, pointing/gesturing, or 1 subtle verbal prompt).
What it looks like: Staff taps the next question or gives one quick verbal nudge (“Check step 3”) to keep student going. Visual / Gestural / 1 Prompt
MOD A
Moderate Assistance
50%–74% Student Effort • 25%–49% Adult Help
Level 3
Student completes over half the task, but requires direct step-by-step verbal prompts, adult modeling/demonstration, or light intermittent physical guidance.
What it looks like: Staff demonstrates how to fold the page, then verbally coaches the student through the remaining folds. Direct Verbal / Modeling
MAX A
Maximum Assistance
25%–49% Student Effort • 50%–74% Adult Help
Level 4
Student does less than half the task independently. Requires continuous guidance, frequent physical support (hand on forearm/wrist), and constant step-by-step coaching.
What it looks like: Adult guides student’s hand to cut paper, repeatedly directing focus and repositioning materials. Substantial Physical / Continuous
TOTAL A
Total Assistance / Dependent
0%–24% Student Effort • 75%–100% Adult Help
Level 5
Student participates minimally or not at all. Full hand-over-hand (HOH) assistance; adult performs all or virtually all essential steps to complete the task.
What it looks like: Full hand-over-hand physical guidance to grasp marker, form letters, or open backpack. Full Hand-Over-Hand (HOH)
The 50% Rule of Thumb
Did the student do more than half the work? → IND, MIN, or MOD. Did staff do more than half? → MAX or TOTAL.
3-to-5 Second Pause
Always pause 3–5 seconds after delivering a prompt before moving to a higher assist level. Give the brain time to process.
IEP Data Log Codes
IND MIN MOD MAX TOT
Team Reference Sheet • Aligned to standard special education, OT, PT, and speech-language therapy assistance scales.
