Understanding ESY Services: A Guide for Teachers
Extended School Year (ESY) services can be essential for some students with disabilities to maintain their skills year-round. But how do you know which students need them?
As teachers, we strive to support our students, especially those who need extra help during the summer. In this post, we’ll explore what ESY is, who qualifies for these services, and how you can effectively use data to make informed decisions.
What is ESY?
Extended School Year (ESY) services provide educational support outside the traditional school year. ESY isn’t summer school. It’s specifically focused on the student’s IEP goals.
This means that if a student requires continued instruction during the summer to maintain their IEP goal progress, ESY services may be necessary. However, only a small subset of students will qualify based on specific criteria.
What do ESY Services Look Like?
Since ESY is based on the individual student’s goals and growth, the services don’t look like regular summer school. While school districts vary in how they structure ESY services, typically, kids don’t go all day every day.
Most school districts offer a range of options in the number of days and hours that kids can receive ESY services so that every student gets what they need. Providing too much support strains the school’s resources unnecessarily. While providing too little will slow the student’s growth.
The number of hours per week will depend on the student and what IEP goals they will need support with during the summer. Important note: You can receive ESY support for just one or a few of your IEP goals! It doesn’t have to be all or nothing!
Let’s look at two students as examples:
Kayleigh:
Kayleigh has an IEP with 4 reading goals and 2 speech goals. But, she only requires ESY services for the two speech goals. She won’t require 4 full days of ESY a week! Instead, she may only need one 30 minute session with her Speech-Language Pathologist once a week during the summer to maintain her speech skills.
Stephen:
Stephen has a significant disability that impacts his speech, mobility, and learning. He has IEP goals in several areas, and he requires ESY services for many of them. Stephen will need a lot more ESY support to cover all of the IEP goals. So, he may qualify for the full amount of ESY offered. Typically, this is around 4 hours a day for 4 days a week, but that will vary by division.
Who Qualifies for ESY Services?
In order to qualify for ESY, students must show a need for the services. This can’t just be that we think they would benefit from it. Let’s be frank here- ALL kids would probably benefit from practicing more in the summer. However, the law is very clear that they must require specialized instruction in the summer, not just benefit, in order to receive ESY services.
Now, states and divisions do have different criteria and processes for determining ESY services.
Overall, here are the key factors that determine eligibility:
- Regression and Recoupment: This is the main reason students qualify for ESY, and it has to do with breaks from school, like winter or spring break.
Regression is how much a student loses a skill over breaks.
When it comes to any break from school, most students lose a little bit of the skills they’ve been working on. Students who mostly maintain skills over breaks don’t require ESY. But sometimes breaks can lead to big drops in performance on IEP goals. This means they’re not maintaining the goals over breaks.
Usually, that’s okay. In fact, almost all students experience what we call the summer slide. That’s where recoupment comes in. Recoupment is how quickly a student returns to the level of performance they were showing before the break. Most students bounce back pretty quickly once they start practicing the skill again. These students don’t need ESY services.
Students who lose a lot of their skills and don’t bounce back to their pre-break levels within a few weeks are the most likely candidates for ESY services.
If you need a good tool for determining if your students require ESY due to regression and recoupment, check this one out.
- The Nature and Severity of the Disability
No disability automatically qualifies a student for ESY services, but students with more significant disabilities are more likely to lose skills over breaks and require support in the summer.
They also may struggle with critical skills that are essential for daily functioning. These can include:
- Basic Communication
- Impulse Control
- Muscular Control and Physical Mobility
- Personal Hygiene
- Basic self-help (toileting, eating, dressing)
- Development of stable relationships with peers and adults
- Functional Academics, (like basic reading, writing, time and money, and numerical or temporal relationships)
- Emerging Skills:
If a student is close to making a jump or is just grasping an IEP goal, they may require ESY services to continue making progress.
For example, if a student is just starting to show progress on a reading goal or is very close to being potty trained, the IEP team should consider if ESY is best to not lose that progress. - Special Circumstances:
Some students may have unique factors that affect their ability to make progress, such as attendance issues or behavioral challenges. These aspects can also be considered when determining eligibility for ESY services. This is why the IEP team’s discussion and considerations are vital.
One such important factor is the family’s ability to provide an educational environment at home. If the family is able to provide support at home, ESY may not be needed. This can include things like computer programs that provide practice on skills, summer camps, tutoring, or other community resources.
Keep in mind that ESY isn’t an extension of regular school. Most likely, students will attend ESY at a different school and with different staff than they’re used to. This means that ESY can be a big challenge for kids who need consistency. That should be taken into account by the IEP team before they jump to any decisions.
How do I know which students should qualify for ESY?
As a teacher, you play a crucial role in collecting and analyzing data to determine whether a student qualifies for ESY services. Your observations and data collection should be a key talking point at the IEP meeting.
But what data do you need? Most importantly, data on recoupment and maintenance is needed. Here’s how it works:
- Collect Data Pre-Break: Gather IEP goal data right before a break (like winter or spring break) to establish a baseline.
- Collect Data Post-Break: Right when students return, collect data the same way. This lets you see if they maintained their skills.
- Follow-Up: If a student didn’t maintain their skills, revisit the data after 4-6 weeks to see if they have recouped.
Here’s an example:
For the first goal, Jeremy did not really lose any progress. He maintained his skills and isn’t demonstrating a need for ESY services in reading.
For the second goal, Jeremy showed a pretty big drop in his transition goal after break. However, he was back up and even above after 4 weeks. This shows he also isn’t demonstrating a need for ESY services in behavior/social skills.
For the final goal, the data shows Jeremy had a large set back after break AND he is still struggling to recoup the skills four weeks later. This could have been a bad day, so other data may be considered, however, if this is a pattern, this data indicates he may require ESY services in math.
Having actual data to follow and comparing it in this way can give you confidence at IEP meetings explaining to families why their child needs or doesn’t need these services.
If you want to get this summary sheet, you can find it here! It makes it super easy to compare and explain pre and post-break data, and you can use it for any break!
I’ve got it for you for free right here!
You’ll also get a customizable letter to share with families explaining how ESY decisions are made!
Plus a Teacher’s Guide to Leading ESY Determination IEP Meetings!
If you want to simplify all of your IEP data so ESY decisions are even easier, check out this best selling IEP Progress Monitoring System!
What do teachers need to know about ESY?
Understanding ESY services and how to collect relevant data is crucial for supporting our students. By focusing on regression, maintenance, and critical skills, you can make informed decisions that benefit your students’ educational journeys.
If you’re looking for tools to streamline your data collection process, check out my IEP Goal Tracking Sheets and Behavior Data Tracking Sheets Bundle. These resources will help you confidently navigate the ESY decision-making process!
ESY Is:
- Specialized Instruction: ESY provides targeted educational support tailored to a student’s unique needs.
- Focused on Maintenance: The primary goal is to help students maintain critical skills and prevent regression on IEP goal skills over extended breaks.
- Eligibility Based on Data: Decisions for ESY services are based on data showing regression, recoupment needs, and the student’s IEP goals.
- Individualized: ESY services are personalized; not every student will qualify, as it depends on specific criteria related to their progress and needs.
- Part of a Free Appropriate Public Education (FAPE): ESY services are provided to ensure that students continue to receive the educational benefits they need.
ESY Is Not:
- Just Extra School: ESY is not merely additional school time or summer school; it is specifically designed for students with disabilities who require specialized support.
- A Guarantee for All Students: Not every student will qualify; ESY services are intended for those who demonstrate a need based on specific criteria. This is only a small set of students.
- General Practice: ESY is not a “one-size-fits-all” solution; it is tailored to individual student needs and circumstances.
- Required for Eligible Students: If a student qualifies for ESY, but their families have other plans, they aren’t required to attend. It won’t count against their attendance if they choose to use summer break for other things.
Frequently Asked Questions about Extended School Year (ESY)
Who qualifies for ESY services in special education?
ESY participation is always an IEP team decision. Students who demonstrate significant regression of skills during breaks and require specialized instruction to maintain their progress typically qualify for ESY services. This includes students with IEP goals that focus on critical skills essential for daily functioning.
How do I determine if a student needs ESY services?
To determine if a student needs ESY services, assess their progress before and after breaks. Look for signs of regression in their skills and consider whether they can maintain their learning without ongoing support. Regular data collection and observations can inform this decision.
What data should I collect to support an ESY request?
Collect data on IEP goals before and after breaks, including:
- IEP Goal Data
- Notes on regression in skills observed during breaks.
- Follow-up data 4-6 weeks after breaks to see if the student has recouped their skills.
For a quick and easy option, check out this ESY Data Summary
How does regression impact ESY eligibility?
Regression is a critical factor for ESY eligibility. If a student loses significant skills during a break and takes longer than their peers to recover, this indicates they require ESY services to prevent further learning loss and maintain progress toward their IEP goals.
What does IDEA say about ESY?
The federal law says:
The term extended school year services means special education and related services that–
(1) Are provided to a child with a disability –
(i) Beyond the normal school year of the public agency;
(ii) In accordance with the child’s IEP; and
(iii) At no cost to the parents of the child; and
(2) Meet the standards of the state educational agency.
Each public agency must ensure that extended school year services are available as necessary to provide FAPE (free appropriate public education), only if a child’s IEP Team determines, on an individual basis…that the services are necessary for the provision of FAPE to the child. USDOE
