Extended School Year: Is It Right For Your Child?
Terms To Know
Regression: the decline in knowledge/skills that results from the interruption of the educational program
Recoupment: the amount of time it takes to regain the knowledge/skills lost during an interruption of the educational program
Emerging skill: a skill that has had slow progress that has been followed by sudden rapid progress days or weeks before an extended break.
Every year your child’s need for Extended School Year (ESY) should be evaluated by the IEP team. There are generally two ways students can qualify for ESY.
Regression/Recoupment Model
The first is the regression/recoupment model. The team needs to determine if your child shows a regression of skills after an extended break and whether it takes an excessive amount of time to recoup those lost skills. All students regress somewhat over extended breaks. The need for ESY comes if your child is unable to recoup those lost skills.
The question is…how does the IEP team make that determination? It must be based on a thorough analysis of data, not opinions and not feelings.
Using this model, it’s best practice to take data on IEP goals progress the last couple weeks before summer and then the first 6-8 weeks of the new school year. However, that isn’t always possible. When that data isn’t able to be taken, the next best plan is to take data on IEP goals for a few days before a break lasting longer than 5 days, then again on those same goals a day or two after returning from break. A two week break like winter break works well for this.
Emerging Skills Model
The second method assesses whether your child is at a critical point of skill acquisition and an extended break would jeopardize that forward progress of those emerging skills.
If the IEP team is discussing your child’s emerging skills, the focus needs to be on whether those skills would be lost if not practiced with IEP service providers. The need for ESY would be to ensure those emerging skills can be practiced so they are not lost.
ESY Programming
The way ESY looks can be different for each child. It should not be a one-size fits all program. Some common ways I’ve seen services are provided are:
Classroom setting (This can be a different teacher than your child’s regular one, with different students, at a different campus, and for a limited number of hours per day. In the district’s I’ve worked [California] ESY was 4 hours a day for 20 days. The IEP services were adjusted for the shorter school day.)
Small group or individual instruction specific to IEP goals (ex: just going to for speech services)
In-home services (ex: parent training or school-based counseling)
So… Should My Child Go To ESY?
In my years as a special education teacher, I’ve had parents wonder if they have to send their child to ESY if they qualify. The answer is no, of course not. It is a service being offered, not a requirement.
The big question is should my child go? I hate to say it, but the answer is…
I know! I know!
That is the most annoying answer.
Whether your child qualifies for ESY or not, sometimes when you look at your child as a whole, you might find that going to summer camps or vacations with the family might actually be more beneficial. There are so many skills that are practiced in those settings too. Learning to wait, navigating new places, unexpected changes, interacting with unfamiliar people, packing, unpacking, learning new social protocols, and so on.
It truly is determined on a student-by-student basis.
Comment your questions about ESY below.
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