Extended School Year
(ESY)

Extended School Year Legal and Practical Considerations

As part of the provision of Free Appropriate Public Education (FAPE) to a student, the District is obligated under law to provide ESY services if deemed necessary by the IEP team.  However, there may be situations when the parent chooses not to have the student participate.  Factors such as family vacations, summer residence with an out-of-state parent, family preference to participate in an alternative educational program, or family preference to simply not participate in ESY could interfere with the student receiving ESY services.  If a parent indicates for any reason their intent to reject ESY services of their child, document this in the meeting minutes.

Guidelines for Determining ESY Eligibility

The purpose of ESY is maintenance of the child's learning skills or behaviors-not the teaching of new skills or behaviors.

1. ESY services are provided in order to mitigate severe regression over the summer break and lack of recoupment after returning to school.

   • It is expected that most students, disabled and non-disabled, regress when there is a long break in schooling and they take some time to recoup the lost skills or behaviors when school is resumed

2. Criteria for ESY services must include regression and recoupment data as it relates to the summer break.  If data is not available, then regression and recoupment data related to the winter break my be used. (Please note: Spring break does not provide a significant disruption in school services to be meaningful in determination of ESY services.

3. When collecting regression and recoupment data, the following standards must be used:

• Performance over time ( as opposed to single data points) will be used. When documenting student performance on a weekly probe scores for the month prior to and after the break would be the minimum time frame to consider

  • Data is to be collected on specific IEP goals and objectives as determined by the IEP team

  • Differentiate between regression with a lack of recoupment and data that reflect erratic student performance. (i.e., big swings in performance both prior to and after the break)

4. Additional factors may be considered include:

• • The nature or severity of the child's disability (not the category)

  • Emotional or environmental factors

  • Emerging skills or break-through opportunities that may be lost without ESY services.

September

• Review ESY progress for students that attended ESY

• Take Data for all students to determine regression 

October through December

• Take Data to determine recoupment

January

Take Data to determine recoupment and regression

 February

• Take Data to determine recoupment

• Hold IEP amendment meetings for any student that has TBD listed on their IEP and amend IEP

• Amend IEP's for ESY unless completed during the annual IEP meeting:

  • Present Levels

  • ESY Service Summary Page

    • ESY Goals

    • ESY Service Summary Page

    • ESY- Boxes checked

• Preliminary ESY Lists generated from ORSPED

• Finalize any ESY determinations

  • Hold IEP amendment meetings for any student that has TBD listed on their IEP

 March

• ESY Packets to Student Services:

  • Data Tracking Sheets

  • Transportation Form

  • Recoupment/Regression Data

  • Behavior Support Plans

  • Medical Protocols 

  • Behavior Support Plan

• ESY Student Lists Generated from Orsped based upon current IEP

April

• Class lists will be determined

May and June

• Send in ESY materials

  • Curriculum

  • Technology if applicable

  • Visuals

  • Current BSP

• Class lists will be finalized

• Transportation finalized

• Parent letters sent

IEP Documentation:

Document your findings on the student's ESY page in their annual IEP.  If you do not have enough data to support ESY during the student's annual IEP meeting and you agree as a team to revise the IEP later through the IEP process. 

For any student with TBD listed for ESY the IEP the team must amended and ESY determined no later than April 30th.