Every IEP has a tiny box dedicated to the decision of a child receiving or not receiving Extended School Year (ESY) services.

This box is often skipped over quickly and that’s not okay.

If I could put a neon sign on every IEP table that says “SLOW DOWN”, let’s talk about ESY services in full and complete conversation, I absolutely would!

First, let me be honest. When I was a Special Education teacher I followed my administrator’s lead when filling out IEP paperwork. My college degrees (and 5 special education teaching endorsements!) did NOT cover all the mandatory reasons to consider for ESY!

I never asked or questioned the process when it came to ESY, I just accepted the standard process:

1. Does the child need ESY due to regression?
   
2. If yes, make sure the parent knows the ESY schedule for the summer.

After I left the classroom, I realized the ESY box was so much more than I ever knew!

Here’s what every parent and teacher needs to know:

1. ESY is not just for the summer.
   
2. ESY is not just for regression.
   
3. ESY should not be a take-it-or-leave-it cookie-cutter option.
   

If any of those 3 facts surprised you… PLEASE don’t keep this information to yourself!

We need more teachers, parents, admins, and therapists shouting at the rooftops (in a collaborative way, of course) about what is possible inside of an IEP, including ESY!

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Definition of ESY

ESY stands for Extended School Year, which refers to special education services provided to students with disabilities outside of the regular school year. ESY services are designed to help students maintain their skills and knowledge, and prevent them from regressing during breaks.

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Knowing how Special Education can be utilized in many different ways for children is a core foundation of the Master IEP Coach® Mentorship.

Too many traditional advocates are playing “gotcha” with IDEA Law and spending all their time fighting with districts about everything that is going wrong.

What if you could be the bringer of GOOD news in Special Education and teach others?

Yes, Master IEP Coaches® fix problems in Special Education, but we also tackle many IEP struggles before they even start.

We have a unique approach to educating parents and teachers on all the possibilities. Then we help teams work together to fix problems, as needed.

You just learned a few new things about Special Education, now imagine leveraging this knowledge to change Special Education.

You could…

1. Blog about Special Education (and create income)
   
2. Speak at IEP Workshops (and get paid)
   
3. Help parents 1:1 through their IEP struggles
   

I teach all three of those options inside of the Master IEP Coach® Mentorship!

The Special Education community needs more collaborative, creative problem solvers fixing IEPs. That’s exactly what we do as Master IEP Coaches®!

Learn more about becoming a Master IEP Coach®

P.S. I’m not a lawyer and I don’t give legal advice. And, as a Master IEP Coach®, you don’t have to memorize IDEA law and pretend to be a lawyer. Read the full article about ESY from my favorite IDEA law website that I go to when I need straight facts about what is and is not supposed to happen inside of an IEP. Excerpt from the article:

EXTENDED SCHOOL YEAR (ESY) IS:

Based only on the individual student’s specific critical skills that are critical to his/her overall educational progress as determined by the IEP committee.

Designed to maintain student mastery of critical skills and objectives represented on the IEP and achieved during the regular school year.

Designed to maintain a reasonable readiness to begin the next year.
Based on multi-criteria and not solely on regression.

Considered as a strategy for minimizing the regression of skill, thus shortening the time needed to gain back the same level of skill proficiency that existed at the end of the school year.

Deliverable in a variety of environments and structures such as:
(a) Home with the parent teaching, and staff consulting
(b) School based
(c) School based with community activities
(d) Related services alone or in tandem with the above.

EXTENDED SCHOOL YEAR (ESY) IS NOT:

It is not a mandated 12-months service for all students with disabilities.

It is not required for the convenience of the school or parents and, therefore, cannot serve as a day care or respite care service.

It is not required or intended to maximize educational opportunities for any student with disabilities.

It is not necessary to continue instruction on all of the previous year’s IEP goals during the ESY period; rather, the focus should be on those specific, critical skills where regression, due to an extended vacation period, may occur.

It is not to be considered to help students with disabilities advance in relation to their peers.
It is not for those students with disabilities who exhibit regression, which is solely related to medical problems resulting in degeneration, or transitional life situations such as divorce or death of a family member. This type of regression is not due to the interruption of summer vacation.

It is not required solely when a child fails to achieve IEP goals and objectives during the school year.

It is not to provide a child with education beyond that is prescribed in his/her IEP goals and objectives.